Mitchell Institute Workshop Aims to Define Requirements for Defending North America  

Arlington, Va., Oct. 230, 2026 — As North America faces an expanding range of foreign air and missile threats, AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies brought together experts to assess the requirements for an integrated homeland defense architecture. The Oct. 28 Integrated Air and Missile Defense workshop, held at the Air & Space Forces Association’s headquarters, drew participants from NORAD-NORTHCOM, the Royal Canadian Air Force, Space Development Agency, the Missile Defense Agency, and industry subject matter experts. 

Nearly three dozen workshop participants spent the day analyzing the threats and key components needed to identify, target, and intercept attacking missiles and aircraft.

“America can no longer depend on geography as our principal defense from foreign attack,” said Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.), dean of the Mitchell Institute, during his opening remarks. “Developing a clear, coherent, and integrated air and missile defense plan for North America is now a critical operational requirement for defending the U.S. and Canada.”

Army Lt. Gen. Brian W. Gibson, deputy direct reporting program manager for Golden Dome for America, provided closing remarks to the participants.

“The range of threats facing the North American continent will only grow and become more complex,” said Heather Penney, Director of Studies and Research at the Mitchell Institute. “This workshop explored the threats we are likely to face and the methods we could use to degrade or defeat them. Its findings will allow us to consolidate and deliver actionable recommendations directly to military and policy leaders, helping enable them to ensure the security our continent and nations depend upon.”

Findings from the workshop will inform a future Mitchell Institute integrated air and missile defense report.

The October workshop builds on the Mitchell Institute’s ongoing research on defending the continent, including a 2025 report on Arctic defense and a force-sizing wargame earlier in 2026 that included simultaneous military actions in Europe, the Pacific, and North America.

About the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

The Mitchell Institute is the only think tank focused on airpower and spacepower, located in the nation’s capital. The Mitchell Institute is an independent, nonpartisan research organization established to provide innovative, insightful, fact-based research, analysis, and policy options to inform decision-makers, experts, and the public on national security issues in the air and space domains. Mitchell provides deep analysis of important issues, strategy, and technology through research reports and policy papers on a wide range of subjects. Mitchell conducts cutting-edge workshops and wargames and facilitates topical expert conversations through a variety of community activities and engagement opportunities, from symposia to roundtables. Mitchell also engages top air and space leaders with its internationally acclaimed webinar series and influential weekly podcast series that both cover a broad range of timely air and space issues. 

About AFA

The Air & Space Forces Association is an independent, non-profit 501(c)3 association dedicated to advocating for the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Space Force, Airmen, Guardians, and their Families. Founded in 1946, AFA is the single largest entity of its kind focused on air and space power. With more than 350,000 members and 200 chapters spread around the world, our mission is to promote dominant U.S. air and space forces as the foundation of a strong National Defense; to honor and support Airmen, Guardians, and their Families; and to remember and respect the enduring heritage of the Air Force and Space Force.