The Air Force Way of War
The Air Force Way of War

Author: Brian D. Laslie

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Published: 2015-06-23

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0813160855

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“Laslie chronicles how the Air Force worked its way from the catastrophe of Vietnam through the triumph of the Gulf War, and beyond.” —Robert M. Farley, author of Grounded The U.S. Air Force’s poor performance in Operation Linebacker II and other missions during Vietnam was partly due to the fact that they had trained their pilots according to methods devised during World War II and the Korean War, when strategic bombers attacking targets were expected to take heavy losses. Warfare had changed by the 1960s, but the USAF had not adapted. Between 1972 and 1991, however, the Air Force dramatically changed its doctrines and began to overhaul the way it trained pilots through the introduction of a groundbreaking new training program called “Red Flag.” In The Air Force Way of War, Brian D. Laslie examines the revolution in pilot instruction that Red Flag brought about after Vietnam. The program’s new instruction methods were dubbed “realistic” because they prepared pilots for real-life situations better than the simple cockpit simulations of the past, and students gained proficiency on primary and secondary missions instead of superficially training for numerous possible scenarios. In addition to discussing the program’s methods, Laslie analyzes the way its graduates actually functioned in combat during the 1980s and ’90s in places such as Grenada, Panama, Libya, and Iraq. Military historians have traditionally emphasized the primacy of technological developments during this period and have overlooked the vital importance of advances in training, but Laslie’s unprecedented study of Red Flag addresses this oversight through its examination of the seminal program. “A refreshing look at the people and operational practices whose import far exceeds technological advances.” —The Strategy Bridgei

A War of Their Own
A War of Their Own

Author: Captain Usaf Rodman, Matthew

Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub

Published: 2012-07-31

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 9781478344483

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As shared by Jonathan D. George, Colonel, USAF with regard to Matthew K. Rodman's, book “A War on Their Own: Bombers over the Southwest Pacific.” “Capt. Matt Rodman's book is an intriguing study of a moment in history when combat airpower played a key role in achieving victory. He expertly recounts how Fifth Air Force quickly developed new tactics and procedures that “saved the day.” The perfection of low-altitude bombing, strafing, and skip bombing made differences that in hindsight are easy to recognize and quantify. Without them the Fifth would have found itself in a longer, costlier fight with an uncertain outcome. However, these new tactics hurt the enemy to the extent that the Allies eventually prevailed. The real value of Captain Rodman's study, however, lies not so much in his excellent retelling of significant developments in airpower as in his pushing the need for us to be flexible, adaptive, opportunistic, and entrepreneurial while safeguarding our core values and capitalizing on our core competencies. He therefore helps us take some of the uncertainty out of the largely unpredictable future by stressing the importance of “effective adaptability.” Obviously, many components determine success—preparation, resources, knowledge, and determination, to name just a few. None of these, however, have nearly the importance as the creative ability to adapt effectively in order to confront the threat and deliver victory. By telling us the story of Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific, Captain Rodman schools us on our need to employ all of our resources creatively, no matter their limitations. Our future battles will be new and different, as will the actions we take, even though they derive from our past successes. In the mid-1980s, experts would have had difficulty forecasting the effectiveness of the precision and near-precision aerial strikes we executed in Iraq just a few years later. In the mid-1990s, almost no one could have envisioned allied and joint ground forces, some riding on horseback, communicating through satellites to a multitude of aircraft that produced effects leading to our triumph in Operation Enduring Freedom. Today we can only venture a guess—and probably not very accurately—at what we will confront in the coming years. But this much is certain: we will face challenges unlike those of the past, and victory will go to the team that can best adapt its resources to stop the enemy. Captain Rodman's great effort convinces us that it is our legacy to maintain and even enhance that ability.”

Command Of The Air
Command Of The Air

Author: General Giulio Douhet

Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing

Published: 2014-08-15

Total Pages: 620

ISBN-13: 1782898522

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In the pantheon of air power spokesmen, Giulio Douhet holds center stage. His writings, more often cited than perhaps actually read, appear as excerpts and aphorisms in the writings of numerous other air power spokesmen, advocates-and critics. Though a highly controversial figure, the very controversy that surrounds him offers to us a testimonial of the value and depth of his work, and the need for airmen today to become familiar with his thought. The progressive development of air power to the point where, today, it is more correct to refer to aerospace power has not outdated the notions of Douhet in the slightest In fact, in many ways, the kinds of technological capabilities that we enjoy as a global air power provider attest to the breadth of his vision. Douhet, together with Hugh “Boom” Trenchard of Great Britain and William “Billy” Mitchell of the United States, is justly recognized as one of the three great spokesmen of the early air power era. This reprint is offered in the spirit of continuing the dialogue that Douhet himself so perceptively began with the first edition of this book, published in 1921. Readers may well find much that they disagree with in this book, but also much that is of enduring value. The vital necessity of Douhet’s central vision-that command of the air is all important in modern warfare-has been proven throughout the history of wars in this century, from the fighting over the Somme to the air war over Kuwait and Iraq.

Special Air Warfare and the Secret War in Laos
Special Air Warfare and the Secret War in Laos

Author: Air University Press

Publisher:

Published: 2019-07-02

Total Pages: 516

ISBN-13: 9781079351712

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The story of special air warfare and the Air Commandos who served for the ambassadors in Laos from 1964 to 1975 is captured through extensive research and veteran interviews. The author has meticulously put together a comprehensive overview of the involvement of USAF Air Commandos who served in Laos as trainers, advisors, and clandestine combat forces to prevent the communist takeover of the Royal Lao Government. This book includes pictures of those operations, unveils what had been a US government secret war, and adds a substantial contribution to understanding the wider war in Southeast Asia.

The Air Force and the Great Engine War
The Air Force and the Great Engine War

Author: Robert W. Drewes

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 1995-09

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 0788121510

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Examines the 1984 "war" that pitted Pratt and Whitney against GE in head-to-head competition for multi billion dollar defense contracts to provide high performance engines for front line fighter aircraft. The circumstances surrounding the lengthy battle led to the Air Force decision to split future engine sales between the two. Attempts to cut through emotional opinions of the "combatants," to report reality, and to identify lessons learned. Helps the reader to understand the government-to-contractor personality issues; to understand management styles, business expectations and communication skills of key participants.

The Royal Air Force in American Skies
The Royal Air Force in American Skies

Author: Tom Killebrew

Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Published: 2015-10-15

Total Pages: 460

ISBN-13: 1574416154

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By early 1941, the war raged in Europe and Great Britain stood alone against the aerial might of Nazi Germany. Although much of the Royal Air Force's pilot training program had been relocated to Canada and other Dominion countries, the need for pilots remained acute. The British looked to the United States for possible assistance. Passage of the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941 allowed for the training of British pilots in the United States and the formation of British Flying Training Schools. These unique schools were owned by American operators, staffed with American civilian instructors, supervised by British Royal Air Force officers, utilized aircraft supplied by the U.S. Army Air Corps, and used the RAF training syllabus. Within these pages, Tom Killebrew provides the first comprehensive history of all seven British Flying Training Schools located in Terrell, Texas; Lancaster, California; Miami, Oklahoma; Mesa, Arizona; Clewiston, Florida; Ponca City, Oklahoma; and Sweetwater, Texas. The first British students arrived in a still-neutral United States in June 1941. Many had never been in an airplane (or even driven an automobile), but they mastered the elements of flight, attended ground school classes, were introduced to the mysteries of the Link trainer and instrument flight, and then ventured out on cross country exercises. Students began night flying with the natural apprehension associated with taking off into a black sky, aided by only a few instruments, a flickering flare path, and limited ground references. Some students failed the periodic check flights and had to be eliminated from training, while others were killed during mishaps and are buried in local cemeteries. Those who finished the course became Royal Air Force pilots. But the story of the British Flying Training Schools is more than the story of young men learning to fly. These young British students would also forge a strong and long-lasting bond of friendship with the Americans they came to know. This bond would last not only during training, but would continue throughout the war, and still exist long after the end of the war.

Space Capstone Publication Spacepower
Space Capstone Publication Spacepower

Author: Us Government United States Space Force

Publisher:

Published: 2020-08-11

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13:

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This book, Space Capstone Publication Spacepower: Doctrine for Space Forces, is capstone doctrine for the United States Space Force and represents our Service's first articulation of an independent theory of spacepower. This publication answers why spacepower is vital for our Nation, how military spacepower is employed, who military space forces are, and what military space forces value. In short, this capstone document is the foundation of our professional body of knowledge as we forge an independent military Service committed to space operations. Like all doctrine, the SCP remains subject to the policies and strategies that govern its employment. Military spacepower has deterrent and coercive capacities - it provides independent options for National and Joint leadership but achieves its greatest potential when integrated with other forms of military power. As we grow spacepower theory and doctrine, we must do so in a way that fosters greater integration with the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. It is only by achieving true integration and interdependence that we can hope to unlock spacepower's full potential.