The shift from counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East to major power competition has fundamentally transformed how Western militaries must prepare for combat. This strategic pivot, which I explored in my 2021 book Training for the High-End Fight: The Strategic Shift of the 2020s, demands nothing less than a complete reimagining of how we train our fighting forces, particularly our combat pilots.
The challenge is clear: modern militaries must operate as full spectrum crisis management forces, capable of delivering precise combat effects while managing escalation against 21st century authoritarian powers. This isn’t simply about acquiring new equipment or updating doctrine. Rather, it requires a fundamental reset in combat approach that enhances our escalation management skills and protects liberal democracies in an increasingly contested global environment.
Following extensive interviews with officers at U.S. warfighting training centers, I documented how the services were reconceiving future combat operations. This research led to my 2022 collaboration with Ed Timperlake, A Maritime Kill Web Force in the Making: Deterrence and Warfighting in the 21st Century, which examined the operational evolution required for this new strategic context.
As Vice Admiral (Retired) Dewolfe Miller, former Navy Air Boss, noted about our work, “peer threats drive change and inspire clarity in how forces are manned, trained, and equipped. The future of combat hinges on bringing trusted and verifiable assets to the fight through enhanced connectivity, accelerated tactical decision-making, and common equipment that enables integration within single services, across services, and into allied forces.”
This evolution toward kill web operations, where multiple platforms share targeting data and coordinate effects across domains, raises a critical question: How do you train combat pilots to operate effectively in this interconnected, high-speed environment?
The answer requires moving beyond traditional individual pilot proficiency toward cultivating skills in networked operations, information sharing, and joint force coordination. Pilots must learn to operate not as lone warriors but as nodes in a distributed combat network, where speed of decision-making and quality of information sharing can prove as decisive as weapons employment.
This October, I had the opportunity to visit the Italian Air Force’s advanced fighter pilot training facility in Sardinia, where I observed firsthand how one of America’s key allies is addressing these challenges. The Italian approach offers valuable insights into preparing the next generation of combat aviators for kill web operations.
The facility’s training methodology reflects a sophisticated understanding of modern air combat requirements. Rather than focusing solely on individual aircraft handling and weapons delivery, the program emphasizes the cognitive and technical skills needed for networked operations. Trainees learn to process multiple information streams, coordinate with distributed forces, and make rapid decisions in contested electromagnetic environments.
What makes the Italian approach particularly noteworthy is its integration of fifth-generation aircraft concepts into the training pipeline. Having spent two decades studying fifth-generation aircraft and operations, I recognize how crucial it is to embed these operational concepts early in pilot development rather than treating them as advanced skills acquired later in a career.
The findings from my visit to Sardinia are shaping a series of articles on combat pilot training challenges and a forthcoming book that will detail the contours of effective training approaches for the kill web era. The Italian model demonstrates that allied forces are taking seriously the imperative to transform pilot training for great power competition.
The stakes could not be higher. As we face increasingly capable adversaries equipped with advanced integrated air defense systems, counter-space weapons, and their own networked forces, our ability to train pilots who can operate effectively in contested, degraded environments will prove essential to maintaining military advantage.
The transformation of combat pilot training isn’t merely a technical challenge. It’s a strategic necessity that will help determine whether democratic nations can successfully deter and, if necessary, prevail against authoritarian aggression in the decades ahead.