A Conversation with Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall on The Department of the Air Force in 2050

Please join the CSIS Aerospace Security Project on Monday, January 13 at 9:30am EST for a virtual conversation with Secretary of the Air Force the Honorable Frank Kendall. The discussion will be moderated by Kari A. Bingen, Director of the Aerospace Security Project, with introductory remarks provided by Dr. Seth G. Jones, President of the Defense and Security Department.

In his final thinktank engagement as Secretary of the Air Force, Mr. Kendall plans to discuss his recently completed report, The Department of the Air Force (DAF) in 2050. The report lays out a vision of what the Department of the Air Force should look like in 2050 and the air and space capabilities the nation will need. The conversation will span how the DAF is posturing for great power competition; emerging threats and future warfighting environments; key technology trends like autonomy, artificial intelligence, and long-range weapons; the state of the industrial base; and how the DAF is generating force readiness and building the people underpinning it. Secretary Kendall is also expected to reflect on his government service and leading the Department of the Air Force. 

Secretary Kendall is the 26th Secretary of the Air Force responsible for organizing, training, and equipping the U.S. Air and Space Forces. His career spans more than 50 years in engineering, management, defense acquisition, and national security affairs across private industry, government, and the military, including serving as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.

This event is made possible by general support to the Aerospace Security Project.