AIAA 2026 Priorities for U.S. Aerospace Leadership and Security

This article is based on an official press release from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and supporting industry data.

AIAA 2026 Platform: Securing Leadership in a Post-NextGen Era

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has released its annual “Key Issues” platform for 2026, outlining a critical roadmap for the United States aerospace sector. Released on February 27, 2026, the announcement comes at a moment of significant transition for the industry, following the official closure of the Federal FAA’s “NextGen” office and the launch of the federal “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative.

The Institute’s central message warns that U.S. aerospace leadership is no longer a guaranteed outcome. Facing intensifying competition from China and a fragile domestic industrial base, the AIAA is calling for “stable investment, policy precision, and industrial readiness.” The 2026 platform prioritizes four main areas: modernizing the National Airspace System (NAS), strengthening national security industrial capacity, establishing norms in cislunar space, and revitalizing the workforce pipeline.

Aviation: The Post-NextGen Landscape

A primary focus of the 2026 agenda is the continued modernization of the National Airspace System. According to the AIAA, the closure of the FAA’s NextGen office on December 31, 2025, mandated by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, must not signal an end to modernization efforts. The Institute argues that while the bureaucratic office has shuttered, the operational work remains unfinished.

The AIAA is urging policymakers to provide sustained funding to bridge the gap between the legacy NextGen program and the new modernization bureau. This funding is intended to support the implementation of digital air traffic control and time-based management tools necessary to handle a diverse mix of legacy aircraft and new entrants, such as Drones and air taxis.

Additionally, the platform highlights growing vulnerabilities in the nation’s aging infrastructure. The report explicitly identifies “cyber-attacks and operational disruption” as emerging threats that require immediate technological hardening.

National Security and the “Golden Dome”

In the realm of defense, the AIAA has thrown its support behind the “Golden Dome for America” initiative, a multi-layer missile defense shield announced by the White House in January 2025. However, the Institute emphasizes that the success of this ambitious program relies less on engineering breakthroughs and more on supply chain logistics.

The AIAA warns that “industrial fragility” remains a decisive limiting factor. To meet the demands of the Golden Dome and other defense commitments, the U.S. must address slow acquisition timelines and a brittle Supply-Chain.

The Right-to-Repair Debate

The 2026 platform also weighs in on the contentious “defense right-to-repair” issue, which has sparked debate between military leaders and private contractors. The military increasingly seeks the ability to repair equipment in the field without waiting for contractor support, a lesson drawn from recent geopolitical conflicts.

The AIAA advocates for a “smart sustainment” approach. This model would grant the military access to necessary technical data for field repairs while maintaining intellectual property protections that incentivize private sector innovation.

“Sustainment access is essential for readiness, but sweeping mandates risk undermining the intellectual property protections that incentivize private Investments.”

— AIAA 2026 Key Issues Announcement

Space: Managing Congestion and “Soft Power”

The space domain has shifted from a purely exploratory environment to one that is “congested, commercial, and geopolitically consequential,” according to the AIAA. The Institute’s data and supporting research highlight the scale of this shift: as of October 2025, there were approximately 13,026 active satellites in orbit, a 23% increase year-over-year.

With SpaceX’s Starlink constellation accounting for roughly 64% of active satellites and China aggressively deploying its own mega-constellations, the AIAA argues that the U.S. must lead in Space Traffic Management (STM). The platform calls for an urgent transfer of STM responsibilities from the military to civil authorities to better manage the crowded orbital environment.

Beyond low Earth orbit, the AIAA frames the race to the Moon as a competition of “soft power.” The Institute asserts that the U.S. must lead in establishing “norms of behavior” for cislunar space to ensure that future lunar commerce operates under transparent, international rules rather than those set by competitors.

“The question is increasingly not only who returns to the moon first, but who shapes norms of behavior and operational expectations.”

— AIAA 2026 Key Issues Announcement

Workforce and Innovation Crisis

Underpinning all these objectives is the need for a skilled workforce. Industry data cited in conjunction with the announcement estimates that the commercial aerospace sector requires 123,000 new technicians over the next two decades. However, high attrition rates and unstable funding for agencies like NASA have driven talent toward other tech sectors.

The AIAA is calling for a modernization of export controls, specifically ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations), to facilitate better collaboration with allies. Furthermore, they advocate for predictable funding cycles to prevent program instability from eroding the domestic talent pipeline.

AirPro News Analysis

The AIAA’s 2026 platform reflects a pragmatic pivot from pure technological advocacy to industrial realism. By explicitly linking the success of the “Golden Dome” initiative to supply chain resilience rather than just missile technology, the Institute is acknowledging that Manufacturing capacity is now a national security constraint.

Furthermore, the focus on “soft power” in cislunar space suggests a strategic shift. With China conducting 92 launch attempts in 2025 and deploying rival constellations, the AIAA recognizes that technical superiority alone is insufficient. The battle for 2026 and beyond will likely be fought in the regulatory arena, defining the “rules of the road” for the lunar economy before a rival power does.

Sources

• AIAA