Dealing with China: The F-35 will be the linchpin in deterring China, said defense consultant Edward Timperlake, speaking at AFA’s Air & Space Conference at National Harbor, Md., Monday afternoon. The F-35’s intel sharing capability will provide the “glue” that guarantees that no platform fights alone, as it shares data across aircraft, services, and allies. “Once you put that honeycomb web out in the Pacific, you have a way to respond to the Chinese,” who are still reliant on a “hub and spoke” distributive network of intelligence. That honeycomb “creates a strategic vision and technological edge to deter China, not to attack her, but deter her” from militaristic adventures. Timberlake advised that the US “stop rolling back” in response to China, saying that “we can react to her with this kind of technological thinking.”
The Space Force should take bold, decisive steps—and soon—to develop the capabilities and architecture needed to support more flexible, dynamic operations in orbit and counter Chinese aggression and technological progress, according to a new report from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
