Revolutionizing the Art of Strike and Air Combat: Guest Editors’ Introduction

Abstract

The United States’ 2018 National Defense Strategy emphasized the nation’s need to face the challenge of near-peer adversaries like China and Russia. In the event of hostilities with either nation, US and allied forces will have to fight from ever-increasing range, with high-speed platforms and weapons, and deploy more effective nonkinetic capabilities. The scale of operations will drive us to machine-based intelligence and augmentation to enable human decisions at the speed of tactical relevance. The development of capabilities that address the challenges associated with distant near-peer engagement requires deliberate and strategic investment in technology solutions. The Precision Strike Mission Area (PSMA) of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has focused its internal independent research resources, combined with its direct sponsored tasking, to innovate and mature capabilities associated with four strategic vectors: Continuous Universal Targeting, Control Red Perception, Air Dominance, and Resilient Time-Critical Strike. This article introduces the strategic vectors, and the articles within the issue, organized around these vectors, present selected advancements that PSMA staff members are actively making in these strategic areas.