{"640412":{"#nid":"640412","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Event Summary: Air Force Strike Command\u2019s Role in the Changing Strategic Landscape ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELieutenant General Anthony J. Cotton\u0026nbsp;recently spoke\u0026nbsp;to faculty and students about the role of his organization\u0026nbsp;within a changing\u0026nbsp;global\u0026nbsp;environment.\u0026nbsp;He\u0026nbsp;serves as the\u0026nbsp;Deputy Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command and Deputy Commander, Air Forces Strategic-Air, US Strategic Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.\u0026nbsp;The Lt. Gen. earned a bachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree from North Carolina State University\u0026nbsp;and received a Master of Science, Administration from Central Michigan University.\u0026nbsp;This virtual event was sponsored by the Center for International Strategy, Technology and Policy, the Sam\u0026nbsp;Nunn\u0026nbsp;School of International Affairs, and the Woodruff School for Nuclear and Radiological Engineering.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELt. Gen. Cotton began the conversation by\u0026nbsp;highlighting\u0026nbsp;that the US is in a time of transition.\u0026nbsp;The US is\u0026nbsp;currently\u0026nbsp;shifting foreign policy, at\u0026nbsp;the strategic and operational level,\u0026nbsp;from counterterrorism to\u0026nbsp;managing\u0026nbsp;great power relations, specifically\u0026nbsp;China and Russia.\u0026nbsp;All government agencies are\u0026nbsp;changing directions to tackle the new problems that the world\u0026nbsp;is facing.\u0026nbsp;Additionally, Lt. Gen. Cotton\u0026nbsp;emphasized that the US does not have a sanctuary in this complex environment and must adapt, making this transition necessary and inevitable. The freedom of impunity has been lost, indicating the drastic changes in foreign policy\u0026nbsp;strategy.\u0026nbsp;However,\u0026nbsp;because of this\u0026nbsp;necessity, the Air Force is in a period of improvement. Many planes and pieces of equipment are aged and need upgrading.\u0026nbsp;Some planes are receiving major upgrades and being phased out,\u0026nbsp;such as the B-1 and B-2 strategic bombers being replaced by an all-encompassing B-21, while others are continuing to be in operation\u0026nbsp;for many more decades, like the B-52,\u0026nbsp;which\u0026nbsp;has been in service since\u0026nbsp;1955.\u0026nbsp;Lieutenant General Cotton stressed that the US must replace aging systems with modern programs, as not only does the US rely on our\u0026nbsp;strategic\u0026nbsp;bombers,\u0026nbsp;but our allies do\u0026nbsp;as well.\u0026nbsp;Because of these new mission needs, A\u0026nbsp;new portfolio\u0026nbsp;of tools and weapons\u0026nbsp;needs to be created,\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;the US\u0026nbsp;continuing to\u0026nbsp;lead the world in\u0026nbsp;defense.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHe went on to speak about COVID-19 and how the\u0026nbsp;Air\u0026nbsp;Force has been impacted by the virus.\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;Air\u0026nbsp;Force began preparing for a potential outbreak in February of this year, both with administrative and logistical planning, as well as wargaming potential scenarios.\u0026nbsp;Because of this planning, missions, such as recent NATO show-of-force exercises,\u0026nbsp;are continuing and maintaining success.\u0026nbsp;Weapon systems are still highly reliable,\u0026nbsp;and the adaption to teleworking\u0026nbsp;has been effective.\u0026nbsp;Nonetheless, there are still challenges\u0026nbsp;that the Air Force\u0026nbsp;is\u0026nbsp;facing.\u0026nbsp;In his leadership capacity, Lt. Gen. Cotton oversees two-thirds of the\u0026nbsp;nuclear triad: nuclear-armed bombers,\u0026nbsp;and ICBMs (Inter-continental ballistic missiles).\u0026nbsp;These systems require 24-hour alert status,\u0026nbsp;which,\u0026nbsp;coupled with the limited group of\u0026nbsp;airmen and women trained to operate them,\u0026nbsp;continues\u0026nbsp;to be a challenge, but one that the Air Force has been able to overcome.\u0026nbsp;As\u0026nbsp;Lt. Gen.\u0026nbsp;Cotton\u0026nbsp;puts it,\u0026nbsp;he views\u0026nbsp;his\u0026nbsp;people\u0026nbsp;as the\u0026nbsp;best tool his organization has. He highlights the sacrifices they\u0026rsquo;re willing to make in order to fulfill mission requirements, as well as the flexibility, dedication, and expertise that they bring\u0026nbsp;on a daily basis.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELieutenant General Cotton said there are many newfound benefits to virtual work and looks forward to attending more events such as the one hosted by CISTP.\u0026nbsp;The Lt. Gen.\u0026nbsp;leads over\u0026nbsp;33,700 professionals that operate at\u0026nbsp;several air force, active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve wings.\u0026nbsp;As the Air Force Global Strike Command and Deputy Commander, he\u0026nbsp;works alongside\u0026nbsp;Strategic Command (STRATCOM)\u0026nbsp;in combat support, strategic deterrence,\u0026nbsp;and global strike capability.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo watch the video please visit:\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Kk6SGr4EuXE\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Kk6SGr4EuXE\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Nunn School had the pleasure of hosting Lt. Gen. Anthony Cotton for a discussion on the role of his organization within a changing global environment."}],"uid":"32571","created_gmt":"2020-10-20 17:36:48","changed_gmt":"2020-10-20 17:36:48","author":"Christopher McDermott","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-10-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-10-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"639131":{"id":"639131","type":"image","title":"Lt. Gen. Cotton ","body":null,"created":"1600199360","gmt_created":"2020-09-15 19:49:20","changed":"1600199360","gmt_changed":"2020-09-15 19:49:20","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243011","name":"Cotton.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cotton.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Cotton.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1293011,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Cotton.jpg?itok=gk4A_Vwo"}}},"media_ids":["639131"],"groups":[{"id":"1286","name":"Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy (CISTP)"},{"id":"597139","name":"International Affairs Alumni in Washington DC"},{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"}],"categories":[{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39481","name":"National Security"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EChris McDermott at chris.mcdermott@gatech.edu\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}