U.S. Air Force Bomber Modernization Plans

January 25, 2008

As a separate, standalone input to its ongoing work, IRIS Independent Research asked Clark Murdock, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), to provide a quick-turn, independent assessment from an “external perspective” of Air Force bomber modernization options.

CSIS recruited a diverse group of subject-matter experts, including former senior Department of Defense officials, defense strategy and policy generalists, air power experts and former Air Force officers, and hosted two workshop luncheons. The workshop discussion was governed by Chatham House rules — all participants would be identified; direct quotes (both from oral and written statements) would be used in reporting workshop results; but no quote or viewpoint would be attributed to a particular participant. IRIS Independent Research produced a briefing that provided the basis for the workshop discussion.