AFA Closing ‘Mitchell Institute.’ The Air Force Association has closed its non-profit advocacy group, the Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies, effective last week. Rebecca Grant, director of the Mitchell Institute, says the closing is due to budgetary constraints. The Mitchell Institute publishes special reports on important defense and aerospace issues, hosts seminars and expert-based discussions and advocates for the role of airpower in modern defense. Grant tells Defense Daily in a phone interview that she was informed of the decision in early January and that her next step is opening a non-profit called the “Washington Security Forum,” focusing on air and space and cyber issues. Grant says she looks to debut the first publication in February.