Air Force Leaders Call for Civic Participation in National Security

U.S. Air Force leaders stressed the importance of military-civilian partnerships in ensuring that the service has the tools it needs to keep up with modern warfare.

Acting Secretary of the Air Force John Roth said that civic leaders can play a part in national security by immersing themselves in the defense sector.

During the Air War College’s 67th National Security Forum, Roth discussed the U.S. military’s national security strategy for China and Russia, the Air Force said in a press release on Monday.

Air Force leaders also brought up a possible return to great power competition and discussed how defense and civic leaders can work together to maintain U.S. leadership.

“Many posit that the United States is either no longer the world’s sole superpower or that it will not remain in that position for much longer,” AWC NSF Director Col. Donald Sandberg told the attendees.

Chief of Space Operations John Raymond, a speaker at a past Potomac Officers Club event and a two-time Wash100 winner, highlighted the importance of ensuring U.S. competitiveness in the emerging space sector.

He said the U.S. military must rapidly develop capabilities and new military options to outpace its foreign adversaries.

The Space Force chief added that technological superiority in space will require collaboration among the military services, defense agencies, industry partners and allied nations. “Cooperation will be the hallmark of our approach,” Raymond told the attendees.

AWC hosted more than 70 civic leaders from around the United States during the annual forum hosted at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.