Stacie Pettyjohn

Three sharp minds. One messy world. In the latest @warontherocks.bsky.social episode, I am joined by @spettyjohn.bsky.social, Justin Logan & Wess Mitchell to talk about hard choices in the sequencing of American strategy. We have some pretty sharp disagreements too
pod.link/682478916/ep...

'Spider's Web' warning: The US must prioritize drone defense to avoid Russia’s fate - Breaking Defense CNAS's Stacie Pettyjohn and Molly Campbell argue in this op-ed that Ukraine's clandestine operation should be a wake-up call for the US military and its own base defense.

In @breakingdefense.com Molly Campbell & I argue that Ukraine’s spiderweb drone attack on Russian airbases should be a wake up call for the United States. The DoD needs to make significantly larger investments in CUAS for home & abroad.

breakingdefense.com/2025/06/spid...

With interviews featuring Leon Panetta, Frank Kendall, Michael A. Brown, @spettyjohn.bsky.social, Paul Scharre, @mchorowitz.bsky.social @aaronbateman.bsky.social, @michaelkofman.bsky.social, Kate Epstein, Thomas G. Mahnken, Benjamin Jensen, Jack Shanahan, James Roche and many more

YouTube video by Center for a New American Security (CNAS) The Future of Warfare with General David Allvin

ICYMI here is the video from the @cnas.bsky.social conference of my conversation with Air Force Chief Gen Allvin where we discussed force design, Golden dome, drone attacks, the budget, & more.

youtu.be/I3nTs1RZhwA?...

RAF Unveils Its Own Plan for New Drones to Fly Alongside Fighters The U.K. Royal Air Force has unveiled new electronic warfare drones designed to fly with fighter jets into contested airspace,

The Royal Air Force has unveiled a new electronic warfare drone to fly with its fighter jets, including F-35s, into contested airspace. RAF says it plans to develop more drones to work with its warplanes. Insight from @cnas.bksy.org’s @spettyjohn.bsky.social www.airandspaceforces.com/raf-new-plan...

Safe and Effective The promise of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomy to change the character of war inches closer to reality

Check out Josh's new report on the same topic here: www.cnas.org/publications...

YouTube video by Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Safe and Effective: Advancing DOD Test and Evaluation for AI and Autonomous Systems

ICYMI: I had a great conversation with Josh Wallin and Jack Shanahan about what the Pentagon needs to do to safely and rapidly field AI-enabled capabilities. @cnas.bsky.social

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPnI...

From Production Lines to Front Lines The United States needs a different DIB than it has today if it wants to deter and prevail in future great power conflict.

Pleased to release my latest @cnas.bsky.social report on how to revitalize the U.S. defense industrial base so that it can keep pace with modern conflict, deter a future China challenge, and secure U.S. and global interests.

Read more here: www.cnas.org/publications...

America’s Eroding Airpower Washington must upgrade its fleet of planes, drones, and missiles.

Instead of fixating on cheap drones, the Pentagon should carefully invest in a mix of inexpensive and high-end airpower, argues @spettyjohn.bsky.social.

Second, @beccawasser.bsky.social & I were both interviewed as a part of the @hooverinstitution.bsky.social wargaming oral history project.

wargaming.hoover.org/browse/colle...

YouTube video by Hoover Institution Women of Wargaming: From World War II To Today | Hoover Institution

I have been thrilled to work with @jackieschneider.bsky.social & the @hooverinstitution.bsky.social on several wargaming initiatives.

First, a panel conversation on women in wargaming with Bethany Goldblum, & Emma Barrosa www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP22...

America’s Eroding Airpower Washington must upgrade its fleet of planes, drones, and missiles.

The announcement that the US Air Force is going to move ahead with the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter (F-47) is welcome because as I note in my Foreign Affairs piece, the US needs a mix of high-end and low-cost AirPower to compete with China.

www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

YouTube video by Hoover Institution Women of Wargaming: From World War II To Today | Hoover Institution

Women of Wargaming featuring @spettyjohn.bsky.social Bethany Goldblum and Emma Barrosa youtu.be/NP224DLDSCs?...

America’s Eroding Airpower Washington must upgrade its fleet of planes, drones, and missiles.

Happy to share my latest in Foreign Affairs on why the US needs cheap drones & missiles to provide mass & stealthy aircraft to deter China & retain the ability to project power anywhere in the world.

www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

Thanks Mike!

Great piece by @spettyjohn.bsky.social in @foreignaffairs.com on how the US Air Force needs a high/low mix of more sophisticated capabilities and precise mass for a potential conflict against China - highly recommend checking it out: www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state... cc @cnas.bsky.social

China’s Self-Defeating Strategy Power projection once made empires—now it can undo them.

Today in
@ForeignAffairs
I preview part of my book, which argues that China's turn toward power projection was both inevitable and badly timed (for Beijing).

Here's the short version... [1/5]

www.foreignaffairs.com/china/chinas...

Build a High-Low Mix to Enhance America’s Warfighting Edge and Deter China The Trump administration can take immediate actions to deter China and reverse negative trends in military power in the Indo-Pacific.

What should the Trump Administration prioritize during its first 100 days? Integrating autonomous systems into the force at scale, backed by warfighting concepts that combine low-cost systems with high-end capabilities. @spettyjohn.bsky.social @carltonhaelig.bsky.social
www.cnas.org/publications...

Build a High-Low Mix to Enhance America’s Warfighting Edge and Deter China The Trump administration can take immediate actions to deter China and reverse negative trends in military power in the Indo-Pacific.

How can the Trump administration improve the US military's position in the Indo-Pacific? Along with @spettyjohn.bsky.social, @beccawasser.bsky.social, and Josh Wallin we offer several recommendations in our contribution to the @cnas.bsky.social first 100 days initiative.
www.cnas.org/publications...

Defense & Aerospace Air Power Podcast [Jan 16, 25] Season 3 E02: Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News: Play Defense & Aerospace Air Power Podcast [Jan 16, 25] Season 3 E02: Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News: by Defense & Aerospace Report on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on So...

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News: We continue looking ahead to #airpower issues in the coming year with Dr. @SPettyjohn.bsky.social, Director of the Defense Program at @CNAS.bsky.social. And we have your airpower headlines. Powered by GE Aerospace!

tinyurl.com/TAPPS3E2

Dropping European rotations in favor of permanent basing would save Army millions, report finds Rotating an Army tank brigade to Europe costs nearly $70 million more per year than basing that unit permanently in either Germany or Poland, according to new research.

Dropping European rotations in favor of permanent basing would save Army millions, report finds www.stripes.com/branches/arm...

This is a tremendous feat & something that the US would struggle to do. But it is important to note that not all drones are the same. When I was in Ukraine, one soldier dismissed most of the MOD made FPVs as “hamburger drones” that were mass produced, low quality, & minimally capable.

Good overview of the situation & why it is challenging to figure out what us happening.

I enjoyed chatting with @steveinskeep.bsky.social about the purported drone sightings in New Jersey on @npr.org this morning.

www.npr.org/2024/12/16/n...

Video Defense expert weighs in on mysterious drone sightings Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the think tank Center for a New American Security, discusses the drone sightings, which some officials are calling "a slight overreaction."

I joined ABC news again this morning to talk about the panic over drones in the Northeast.

BLUF: In the words of Tswift: you need to calm down.

abcnews.go.com/US/video/def...

The US needs an interagency solution to defend the homeland against small drones, which will require changes to regulations & procedures.

But right now everyone needs to calm down now. Most of the flying objects in the sky are routine civil aviation.

In the United States, no one has the capabilities or authorities to detect & defeat small drones. There are a patchwork of agencies that have responsibilities for this, but no department has been named the clear lead & is equipped for the scale of this growing challenge.

Video Growing concern over mysterious drone sightings Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at think tank "Center for a New American Security," joins to discuss the growing concern over mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey and New York.

On ABC, I explained that the current drone sightings in the northeast have morphed into public hysteria, but that this is a wakeup call about the growing small drone threat & that the US is not prepared for it. abcnews.go.com/US/video/gro...

Today's Russian missile attack in context: Compared to previous missile campaigns, the current attack demonstrates a similar number of missiles used as during the initial strikes on the power grid.

One of the main trends in the Ukraine war today is capturing adversary drones, repairing them and using them against former owners. Many Russian TG channels post photos and videos of Ukraine-made "Baba Yaga" heavy multirotor drone repairs and use against Ukrainian forces. t.me/milinfolive/...