Affordable Mass: Embracing a New Strategy for Advancing Defense Capabilities

Affordable mass refers to the ability to rapidly produce large quantities of effective, cost-efficient munitions and systems. It's not about cutting corners but about optimizing every facet of the production process, from design to deployment. The challenge goes beyond strategic methods of design and manufacturing - and must feature industrywide acceptance of affordability as a means of adding capacity, survivability, and efficacy to a new generation of munitions.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is faced with preparing for potential confrontations with peer or near-peer adversaries. Unlike conflicts of the past, where U.S. forces may have faced regional militias with limited air defense capabilities, today's enemy is armed with integrated air defense systems (IADS) capable of countering non-stealth aircraft and outdated weapons. While advanced 5th generation F-35 fighters and B-21 stealth bombers can penetrate these modern air defenses, the Air Force must also develop an inventory of mid-range, stand-in precision-guided munitions (PGMs) designed for contested environments. This fully capitalizes on stealth capabilities and delivers critical battlefield effects on which commanders rely. The ideal inventory of PGMs must offer the capacity, survivability, and effectiveness necessary to ensure that even the most advanced aircraft does not fall short in future conflicts.