Today’s threat environment is driving a shift in priorities for the Department of the Air Force (USAF). Unlike the past, where weapons superiority was the only measure of success, today’s military must also maintain software superiority to deliver the strategic advantage across air, land, cyber, and information domains. At the 2026 AFCEA New Horizons Conference and other engagements with USAF leaders, a consistent theme has emerged: today’s Air Force must operate on a permanent wartime footing, where speed, adaptability, and resilience are critical to mission success.
While America’s dominance has been unparalleled for decades, Dr. Troy E. Meink, Secretary of the Air Force, is quick to point out just how quickly China has emerged as a threat to that dominance over the last twenty years. Moreover, emergent threats from terrorist organizations and non-state actors also threaten American global dominance. “Whether it’s the terrorist groups or whether it’s a full-up China, we have to defend,” Meink emphasized in his keynote at the 2025 Air Space and Cyber Conference. “We have to be innovative against all of those activities. And not just compete. We got to win. We got to be able to win. We got to be able to deter, and we got to be able to win, period. And that’s what we all need to be focused at going forward.”
For Meink and General Kenneth S. Wilsbach, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the best and only way to address these challenges is to seize the opportunities brought by innovation. “The only way we’re going to maintain our advantage is we have to innovate, and we have to innovate faster than our adversaries,” Meink emphasized. With quantum threats and the weaponization of space, the speed of need for innovation and embracing new technologies is currently at a breakneck pace. Added General Wilsbach, “Today’s environment is complex and ambiguous. Our adversaries are designing their strategies around speed, speed of decision, movement, and mass. They believe they can move faster than we can respond, complicate our choices, and force us into reaction instead of initiative. They are betting that distance, complexity, and bureaucracy will slow us down. It’s a serious challenge, and it demands urgency and unity of effort.”
With the Department of the Air Force focused on daily warfighting and strategic deterrence missions, the private sector is shifting toward a new role as execution partners embedded within mission environments, sharing responsibility for delivering operational outcomes, not just deploying technology. “Industry today plays a vital role in driving the latest technologies to the warfighter through R&D and rapid prototyping,” explains Jeff Kronewitter, Director of Strategic Solutions, Chenega MIOS. “There’s a shift toward iterating capabilities in operational environments, where industry and government share both the risk and responsibility needed to deliver mission success more quickly.”
This “fail fast” approach empowers the defense industrial base to not only address known challenges but also rapidly adapt capabilities as mission needs evolve. Michael Masten, Vice President of Modernization and Innovation Services at Chenega Systems, notes that the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center’s investment in modernizing its hybrid software environment shows what’s possible when industry is integrated alongside the Air Force to continuously refine and deliver capability.
Kessel Run, the U.S. Air Force’s first modern software factory, leveraged Modernization as-a-Service (MaaS) to quickly stand up this dedicated software facility to support the whole Air Force. “Using MaaS we were able to integrate existing systems, tools, and DevSecOps activities to enhance sustainment and accelerate deployment cycles,” Masten shared. “This approach reduced operational friction and enabled capabilities to be delivered, updated, and sustained at the pace required by the mission.” Rather than introducing standalone solutions, this model brings together development, deployment, and sustainment—helping ensure continuous operations across complex mission environments.
While investing in modernization of old systems and innovating through new solutions are the foundation of American global dominance, there are other factors that will enable the Air Force to weather challenges and capitalize on opportunities. “More than just modernizing air, space, and cyber capabilities, personnel need to be updating day-to-day operations, their tactics, techniques, and procedures on a continual basis to contend with the adversary,” added Kronewitter. “In fact, you don’t have a successful warfighting team without the people focused on their missions; this includes civilian members of the USAF who provide unique job skills, the contractors who provide the deep skill and expertise to keep critical systems always-on, and service members’ families who are fundamental to readiness.”
With adversaries both old and new, now rivaling the United States’ ability to deploy forces across domains, the United States Air Force needs to take advantage of unique resources and capabilities to drive innovation and ensure preparedness. From integrated industry partnerships to continuously evolving technologies, success will depend on the ability to deliver real, operational capability at the speed required by today’s missions. This shift toward execution partnership reflects an evolving model of modernization—one focused not just on innovation, but on delivering capability where and when it matters most.