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It is clear that learning how to leverage the F-35 global fleet to fight and win in the Tron
Warfare domain will help lay the foundation for the next generation of weapons as well.
As Secretary Wynne commented on an earlier draft of this paper:

“I looked for the likely path of growth in ‘Tron’ warfare and the challenge may well be
to bring the Cyber Domain into the fight; and integrating an electronic gun; with laser
or microwave style emission into the transmit for sharing; or the fire for effect mecha-
nism for blinding or burning incoming strike assets.”

The technology described exists it just requires the political will to appropriate enough
money to both acquire enough and constantly “train train train.” Squadron pilots and
Commanders in all communities will learn as they go.

Future combat success has the appropriate building blocks; the US combat philosophy
of innovates, train, innovate, repeat, and repeat… is demonstrated in the sky every day.
This is how it should be!

But with competitors like the Chinese and Russian clearly committing resources to the
21st century fight – in terms of technology, leadership and political will – the US and its
allies can not simply squander away what could prove to be a decisive political advan-
tage – namely building, deploying, training and leveraging a global US and allied F-35
fleet.

Some now are pushing a discussion of a 6th Gen aircraft. It might be prudent to allow
the F-35 (F/A/E) to enter all US and Allied combat fleets to see how it evolves the air
battle. The Lightning II is not a 5th Gen as defined by stealth it is actually the first gen-
eration of the American and Allied scientific, engineering and best military minds pro-
ducing a new “axis” or design vector in combat aviation. It is the foundation for the
next generation of air warfare, rather than simply being a fifth generation aircraft.

And the software upgradeability within the aircraft itself is part of evolving its abili-
ty to support the evolution of the “next” generation of warfare.

As the then head of N-98 and now Vice Admiral Moran put it:

Second Line of Defense December 2014

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