A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force
A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force

Author: Stephen Lee McFarland

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Except in a few instances, since World War II no American soldier or sailor has been attacked by enemy air power. Conversely, no enemy soldier orsailor has acted in combat without being attacked or at least threatened by American air power. Aviators have brought the air weapon to bear against enemies while denying them the same prerogative. This is the legacy of the U.S. AirForce, purchased at great cost in both human and material resources.More often than not, aerial pioneers had to fight technological ignorance, bureaucratic opposition, public apathy, and disagreement over purpose.Every step in the evolution of air power led into new and untrodden territory, driven by humanitarian impulses; by the search for higher, faster, and farther flight; or by the conviction that the air way was the best way. Warriors have always coveted the high ground. If technology permitted them to reach it, men, women andan air force held and exploited it-from Thomas Selfridge, first among so many who gave that "last full measure of devotion"; to Women's Airforce Service Pilot Ann Baumgartner, who broke social barriers to become the first Americanwoman to pilot a jet; to Benjamin Davis, who broke racial barriers to become the first African American to command a flying group; to Chuck Yeager, a one-time non-commissioned flight officer who was the first to exceed the speed of sound; to John Levitow, who earned the Medal of Honor by throwing himself over a live flare to save his gunship crew; to John Warden, who began a revolution in air power thought and strategy that was put to spectacular use in the Gulf War.Industrialization has brought total war and air power has brought the means to overfly an enemy's defenses and attack its sources of power directly. Americans have perceived air power from the start as a more efficient means of waging war and as a symbol of the nation's commitment to technology to master challenges, minimize casualties, and defeat adversaries.

The Office of the Secretary of the Air Force 1947-1965
The Office of the Secretary of the Air Force 1947-1965

Author: Office of Air Force History

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2015-02-26

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13: 9781508643920

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

If power in Washington is often thought of as a zero-sum game, success is best achieved by creating "win-win" propositions. The Secretary of the Air Force, placed at the nexus of several power centers and responsible for fashioning a consensus, reports to the Secretary of Defense, deals with various deputy secretaries as peers, and interacts with the Air Force Chief of Staff, who supervises the service. The Secretary has real but circumscribed influence, yet must, to be effective, move individuals and agencies, with little more than limited or indirect authority over them. This work traces the history of the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force from its formation in the 1920s (as the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Air) through World War II, under Robert A. Lovett. It concentrates on the period from 1947, when the Air Force became independent of the Army, to 1965, when the United States became involved in the Vietnam War. During this time several laws significantly reshaped the U.S. military establishment: the National Security Act of 1947, its amendments of 1949, Reorganization Plan No. 6 of 1953, and the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958. These laws gradually strengthened the Department of Defense and firmly established civilian control over the military services. Author George Watson details how these laws affected the functioning of the first seven Secretaries of the Air Force, from W. Stuart Symington to Eugene M. Zuckert. The Air Force and its Secretaries struggled over autonomy, roles, and missions; fought the Korean War and the Cold War; procured advanced aircraft, missiles, and other weapons; and wrestled with many issues involving budgets, force size and structure, racial integration, morale, and congressional and public relations. The Secretaries of the Air Force have each brought unique leadership styles to office. This study provides a context for understanding the complex changes that confronted them as the United States successively moved through the jet, atomic, and space ages. It should prove useful to both civilian and military Air Force policy makers as they operate in a new era in which America's air power has become truly global and unprecedented in influence and reach.

The Struggle for Air Force Independence
The Struggle for Air Force Independence

Author: Herman S. Wolk

Publisher: Government Reprints Press

Published: 2001-06-01

Total Pages: 434

ISBN-13: 9781931641197

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This series introduces the core areas of chemical science, covering important concepts in an easy, accessible style. Each title contains a number of experiments and demonstrations, approached through the process of problem, hypothesis, experiment and conclusion. All the books support the QCA schemes of work and contain: definitions of important terms and explanations of key concepts; formulae and word equations; and the periodic table with explanatory notes. This title explores the concepts of the states of matter.

Encyclopedia of Military Science
Encyclopedia of Military Science

Author: G. Kurt Piehler

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 2013-07-24

Total Pages: 1921

ISBN-13: 1506307760

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Encyclopedia of Military Science provides a comprehensive, ready-reference on the organization, traditions, training, purpose, and functions of today’s military. Entries in this four-volume work include coverage of the duties, responsibilities, and authority of military personnel and an understanding of strategies and tactics of the modern military and how they interface with political, social, legal, economic, and technological factors. A large component is devoted to issues of leadership, group dynamics, motivation, problem-solving, and decision making in the military context. Finally, this work also covers recent American military history since the end of the Cold War with a special emphasis on peacekeeping and peacemaking operations, the First Persian Gulf War, the events surrounding 9/11, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and how the military has been changing in relation to these events. Click here to read an article on The Daily Beast by Encyclopedia editor G. Kurt Piehler, "Why Don't We Build Statues For Our War Heroes Anymore?"

Foundation of the Force
Foundation of the Force

Author: Mark R. Grandstaff

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9780160490415

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A study of how Air Force enlisted personnel helped shape the fi%ture Air Force and foster professionalism among noncommissioned officers in the 195Os.