MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Four months into his tenure, Lt. Gen. Daniel H. Tulley, commander and president of Air University, released a strategy focused on one outcome: improving Joint Force effectiveness in war.
The strategy comes out of his 90-day assessment and reflects a shift in how Air University supports the force. At a basic level, it’s about moving closer to the fight. The institution is positioning itself less as a traditional academic environment and more as a partner that contributes directly to how the force is developed, planned and employed.
“With four months in the seat and my 90-day assessment complete, I want to thank you for your many thoughtful inputs and suggestions. I’m grateful for what you do every day to advance this institution,” Tulley said in a message to the university. “This is a simple strategy. It’s straightforward by design and pairs with our strategy-aligned outcomes. The strategy provides direction, but the outcomes are more dynamic. The conversations we need to stay aligned will take place at our commander update briefs. You have my trust and you’re empowered. Let’s get after it.”
Tulley said the strategy is meant to evolve as the university moves forward.
“This is a living strategy, paired with our strategy-aligned outcomes,” he said. “The strategy provides direction, but the outcomes will be more dynamic as we execute, learn and adjust. We’ll refine it and build on it as we move forward.”
At its core, the strategy is about execution. It lines up education, research and enterprise activity around decisions that shape how the force is developed, resourced and employed. The measure of success is straightforward. Air University has to make the Joint Force more effective in war.
The approach centers on three strategic lines of effort. The first is developing expert joint warfighters. That means tying professional military education directly to real-world operational challenges. Students will work with current problems, real data and realistic scenarios. The focus is on joint all-domain planning, data analysis, artificial intelligence, wargaming and decision-making under uncertainty. The intent is simple. Graduates should be able to step into planning environments and contribute right away.
The second line of effort is solving operational problems for the Joint Force. Air University is shifting away from work that sits on a shelf and toward work that has direct operational value. Research, wargaming and analysis will be aligned to problems coming from combatant commands, the Joint Staff and Headquarters Air Force. Outputs will be practical and timely, including decision briefs, planning inputs and quick-turn analysis that can be used during planning cycles and exercises, not after them.
The third line of effort is operating as an integrated enterprise. Air University has a lot of capability, but it only works if it’s aligned. This is where the “One AU” mindset comes in. Leaders will focus on bringing the institution together as one team, aligning talent, resources and priorities while cutting back on redundant or low-value work. The goal is a unified effort that produces shared outcomes across the university.
That effort depends on a key enabler: building a high-performance team. Leaders will be expected to think beyond their own organizations and focus on results. The university will balance operational credibility with academic expertise, improve how decisions are made and executed, and align incentives to outcomes. It won’t all come together overnight, and that’s understood, but the expectation is clear. Deliver at the speed the mission requires.
Those three priorities are supported by four institutional lines of effort: joint professional military education, secretary of the Air Force and chief of staff priorities, advanced academic degrees, and continuing education and training. These aren’t the strategy itself. They’re how the university organizes its work, aligns resources and connects to what the Air Force and Joint Force need.
Strategic communications support execution by helping Air University show up in the right places. It’s less about pushing information out and more about being present where decisions are made. That includes planning sessions, working groups, exercises and the day-to-day conversations that shape outcomes. That’s where the university can add value, by helping frame problems, offering analysis and staying involved as things move forward.
At the end of the day, it comes down to being useful. Get involved early, work real problems and stay engaged through execution. Do that consistently and people start to rely on you. That’s where trust comes from.
The end state isn’t complicated. Air University becomes a place leaders turn to when they’re trying to develop the force, shape a plan or work through a tough operational problem. If it’s doing that regularly, and doing it well, then the strategy is working.
And if it’s working, the outcome is clear. The Joint Force is more effective in war.
| Date Taken: |
03.31.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
03.31.2026 12:13 |
| Story ID: |
561645 |
| Location: |
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: |
19 |
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0 |
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This work, Air University Strategy 2026: Delivering Decision Advantage to the Joint Force, by Billy Blankenship, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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