Educating Air Forces: Global Perspectives on Airpower Learning

by Randall Wakelam (Editor), David Varey (Editor)

Overview

Compared to armies and navies, which have existed as professional fighting services for centuries, the technology that makes air forces possible is much newer. As a result, these services have had to quickly develop methods of preparing aviators to operate in conditions ranging from peace or routine security to full-scale war. The first book to address the history and scope of air power professionalization through learning programs, Educating Air Forces offers valuable new insight into strategy and tactics worldwide.

Here, a group of international experts examine the philosophies, policies, and practices of air service educational efforts in the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, Canada, and the UK. The contributors discuss the founding, successes, and failures of European air force learning programs between the Great War and World War II and explore how the tense Cold War political climate influenced the creation, curriculum, and results of various programs. They also consider how educational programs are adapting to soldiers' needs and the demands of modern warfare.

Featuring contributions from eminent scholars in the field, this volume surveys the learning approaches globally employed by air forces in the past century and evaluates their effectiveness. Educating Air Forces reveals how experiential learning and formal education are not only inextricably intertwined, but also necessary to cope with advances in modern warfare.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813180274
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	12/01/2020
Series:	Aviation & Air Power
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	254
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Randall Wakelam is associate professor of history and associate chair of war studies at the Royal Military College of Canada. A faculty associate at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies and a fellow at the Queen's Centre for International and Defence Policy, he is the author of Cold War Fighters: Canadian Aircraft Procurement, 1945–1954. David Varey is assistant professor of international and military history at the Royal Military College of Canada and a former artillery officer. Emanuele Sica is assistant professor of European and military history at the Royal Military College of Canada and author of Mussolini's Army in the French Riviera: Italy's Occupation of France.

Randall Wakelam is associate professor of history and associate chair of war studies at the Royal Military College of Canada. A faculty associate at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies and a fellow at the Queen’s Centre for International and Defence Policy, he is the author of Cold War Fighters: Canadian Aircraft Procurement, 1945–1954.
David Varey is a former artillery officer and assistant professor of international and military history at the Royal Military College of Canada.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction
The RAF Staff College in the Interwar Years: The Birth of Air Power Education in the RAF
Giulio Douhet and the Influence of Air Power Education in Interwar Italy
The Birth of the École supérieure de guerre aérienne and the Strategic Education of the French Air Force
Luftwaffe Officer Training in the Interwar Period
Air Force Education at the RCAF Staff College, 1945–1955
Sustaining Disruption: The Creation of the Air University and the Air Force Academy, 1918–1955
Interests Aligned but Not Integrated: The Royal Canadian Air Force Staff College and Inter-Service Staff Education After the Second World War
The Air Corps Tactical School and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies: Educating America's Air Force Then and Now
Air Power Education in Australia: The Influence of the Air Power Development Centre
Square Pegs in a Round Hole: John Boyd, John Warden, and Airpower in Small Wars
Educating Strategic Leaders: The Foundations of Strategic Level PME at the Canadian Forces College
Icarus Meets Mars: A Case for Teaching Airpower History in Academe
The Education of an Air Force: A Royal Air Force Perspective
Acknowledgments
Contributors
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"This fine collection is an interesting, worthwhile, and almost unique work. I can think of no other study that explicitly addresses the education of aviators across eras and national boundaries." — Richard R. Muller, coauthor of The Luftwaffe's Way of War: German Air Force Doctrine, 1911—1945

Editorial Reviews

This fine collection is an interesting, worthwhile, and unique work. I can think of no other study that explicitly addresses the education of aviators across eras and national boundaries.

Richard R. Muller

Each chapter offers something significant on the role of professional military education in the development of air power theory and doctrine. A strong contribution to the continuing—and critical—discussion on the necessity of education as opposed to mere training of the professional corps.

Douglas Kennedy

"This fine collection is an interesting, worthwhile, and unique work. I can think of no other study that explicitly addresses the education of aviators across eras and national boundaries." — Richard R. Muller, coauthor of The Luftwaffe's Way of War: German Air Force Doctrine, 1911—1945

"Each chapter offers something significant on the role of professional military education in the development of air power theory and doctrine. A strong contribution to the continuing — and critical — discussion on the necessity of education as opposed to mere training of the professional corps." — Douglas Kennedy, United States Air Force Academy

From the Publisher