Menu Close

Air University

Air University (AU), headquartered at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, is a major component of Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and is the lead agent for Air Force education. AU provides the full spectrum of Air Force education, encompassing precommissioning programs for new officers; graduate programs in specialized military disciplines; progressive, career-long professional military development for officer, enlisted, and civilian Airmen; and specialized programs for US cabinet appointees, senior executive service (SES) civilians, and general officers.

AU’s professional military education (PME) programs educate Airmen to leverage air, space, and cyberspace power to achieve national security objectives. Specialized professional continuing educational programs provide scientific, technological, managerial, and other professional expertise to meet the needs of the Air Force. AU also conducts research on the evolving security environment; emerging threats; future uses for air, space, and cyberspace power; working in joint and coalition teams and multicultural environments; education; military leadership; management; and other topics that inform senior Air Force leaders and contribute to curriculum development. The university is engaged in community and public service, offering two citizenship programs: Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and Civil Air Patrol–USAF.

Links

Displaying 1 - 20 of 26 articles

Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, launched from a spaceport in Texas. AP Photo/Eric Gay)

SpaceX launches most powerful rocket in history in explosive debut – like many first liftoffs, Starship’s test was a successful failure

The launch of a new rocket is always an exciting event. SpaceX’s ‘go fast and fail’ approach means that even though the test ended with engineers blowing up the rocket, it was a valuable first flight.
Both the U.S. and China have plans to establish bases on the Moon in the near future. Caspar Benson/fStop via Getty Images

Is the US in a space race against China?

China has invested massively in its space capabilities in recent years and is now a major competitor with the US. But according to a space policy expert, the US still dominates space by most measures.
Russia controls six modules aboard the International Space Station. STS-122 Shuttle Crew, NASA via flickr

Russia’s withdrawal from the International Space Station could mean the early demise of the orbital lab – and sever another Russian link with the West

The head of the Russian space agency announced that the country will withdraw from the International Space Station after 2024. A space policy expert explains what this means and why it’s happening now.
China and the U.S. both have big plans for the Moon, but there are a number of reasons why no country could actually claim ownership of any land there. 3dScultor/iStock via Getty Images

NASA’s head warned that China may try to claim the Moon – two space scholars explain why that’s unlikely to happen

A comment by Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, sparked a strong public response from the Chinese government. But due to legal and practical reasons, no country could take over the Moon anytime soon.
Russia threatened to withdraw from the International Space Station over sanctions imposed on the country following its invasion of Ukraine. 3Dsculptor via Shutterstock

Ukraine invasion threatens international collaboration in space and shows how power structures are changing – podcast

Listen to two space experts discuss how the Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens international collaboration in space on The Conversation Weekly podcast.
A giant asteroid struck Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

An asteroid impact could wipe out an entire city – a space security expert explains NASA’s plans to prevent a potential catastrophe

NASA has only mapped 40% of the potentially dangerous asteroids that could crash into Earth. New projects will boost that number, and upcoming missions will test tech that could prevent collisions.
The International Space Station is run collectively by the U.S., Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan and Canada. NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center/Flickr

Russian invasion of Ukraine and resulting US sanctions threaten the future of the International Space Station

What happens to the International Space Station when tensions on Earth rise? A space policy expert explains how the ISS is run and how Russian aggression has threatened its operation in the past – and now.
If a satellite is destroyed, the debris fans out in orbit and poses serious threats to other satellites or crewed spacecraft. ESA/ID&Sense/ONiRiXEL via WikimediaCommons

Russian anti-satellite weapon test: What happened and what are the risks?

Russia destroyed one of its old satellites during a successful test of an anti-satellite weapon. A space security expert explains what this weapon was and the dangers of the expanding debris field.
Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson on the International Space Station with a view many more are likely to see soon. NASA/Tracy Caldwell Dyson/WIkimediaCommons

Space tourism is here – 20 years after the first stellar tourist, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin plans to send civilians to space

The first space tourist left Earth 20 years ago aboard a Russian rocket. Now, private companies like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are offering trips to the stars for those who can pay.

Authors

More Authors