Defense & Aerospace Report Defense & Aerospace Air Power Podcast [Jan 29, 26] Season 4 E4: The Asymmetric System
Jan 29, 2026
Michael Stewart, retired Navy captain and naval aviator who led the Navy’s Disruptive Capabilities Office, discusses disruptive warfare and the Hellscape concept. He talks denial strategies versus massed adversaries. He explores unmanned systems supporting manned airpower, distributed sensing, and the challenges large militaries face adopting disruptive change.
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Denial As A Strategic Complement
- Denial complements dominance by preventing an adversary from using the battlespace when you cannot immediately achieve supremacy.
- Michael Stewart argues denial can buy time and space to scale forces toward eventual dominance.
Unmanned Systems As Force Multipliers
- Disruptive systems act as force multipliers ahead of exquisite assets, sensing and engaging in contested zones.
- Stewart envisions manned platforms as quarterbacks commanding unmanned scouts, shooters, and decoys.
Speed Versus Mass In Chinese Strategy
- China optimizes speed and mass to seize objectives before outside reaction, making rapid deterrent response essential.
- Hellscape aims to immediately impose costs across domains to remove the Chinese advantage of tempo.
