“The fighter-jet era has passed,” and three other takeaways from Elon Musk’s closing address yesterday to AFA Orlando 2020:

1. “The fighter-jet era has passed.” While I don’t completely agree based on practical aspects of ROE application and Access/Basing/Overflight (ABO) of partner nations, Musk postulated that “locally autonomous drone warfare” is going to be the future. “We want to still retain authority to damage/destroy all that is not a drone.” This transition has already begun with current autonomous systems.

2. To compete with PRC (China) we will have to out-innovate PRC on a massive scale. “China’s GDP will be 2–3x the US economy.” Economics are the foundation of military competitiveness. If you do not innovate, you will lose. In order for US to be competitive, we need radical innovation, or we will be second.

3. To get radical innovation, you must reward it…and more importantly, you must “punish those who don’t try…who don’t take risks in order to innovate.” Reward those who take smart risks, don’t punish failure, and “there must be major negative consequences for not trying.”

4. Reusable rockets will transform space. Fully-reusable rockets will dramatically lower access costs to space, just as train access transformed the US West Coast during the age of expansion.

SAF/IA is grateful for AFA hosting our partner Attaches at the 2-day forum, and for US Industry discussing with partners the advanced inter-operable capabilities we can bring to our partners.