Tomorrow's Air Force: Tracing the Past, Shaping the Future

by Jeffrey J. Smith

Overview

Looking ahead to future airpower requirements, this engaging and ground-breaking book on the history and future of American combat airpower argues that the USAF must adapt to the changes that confront it or risk decline into irrelevance. To provide decision makers with the necessary analytical tools, Jeffrey J. Smith uses organizational modeling to help explain historical change in the USAF and to anticipate change in the future. While the analysis and conclusions it offers may prove controversial, the book aims to help planners make better procurement decisions, institute appropriate long-term policy, and better organize, train, and equip the USAF for the future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253010780
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	11/01/2013
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Colonel Jeffrey J. Smith, US Air Force, is the Commandant and Dean of the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. He is an Air Force pilot with over 2,300 flying hours and has served in numerous command and staff positions. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Washington State University.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Period One: 1907-1947
1. The Birth of Military Airpower
2. World War I and the Interwar Years
3. World War II
4. "Counting" the Changes in Period One
Period Two: 1947-1992
5. The Rise of Bomber Dominance: 1947-1965
6. Bomber Decline: 1965-1992
7. The Changing Leadership of Period Two
Period Three: 1992-2030
8. Fighter Pilot Dominance 1992-1994
9. From Bosnia to Allied Force: 1994-1999
10. September 11th, Afghanistan and Iraq: 2001-2011
11. Signs of Change: 1992-2010
12. Anticipating USAF Change
13. Framing the Survey Perspectives
14. Changing Leadership
15. Predicting the Future
16. Summary and Recommendations
Notes
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Denny Smith]]>

Col. Smith has a great grasp of what the forthcoming debate will require. The Congress must reduce the spending at the very time our enemies are overtaking our capabilities. The debate needs to be engaged now. This book comes on the scene at just the right time.

Brigadier General Al Rachel

Organizational responsiveness to rapidly changing external threats will require an adaptive structure and leadership committed to synergistic employment of all US and coalition forces. This book is 'out of the box' thinking and is very timely given the recent and evolving Air Force roles and missions.

Denny Smith

Col. Smith has a great grasp of what the forthcoming debate will require. The Congress must reduce the spending at the very time our enemies are overtaking our capabilities. The debate needs to be engaged now. This book comes on the scene at just the right time.

Everett Dolman

According to Smith, leadership must adapt and prepare for a future battle space that is more technologically dependent, operationally dispersed, and focused away from air combat to air support and enhancement. It is a bold and courageous clarion call from a highly respected serving officer that should be read and heeded by anyone interested in the future of the US Air Force.

Everett Dolman]]>

According to Smith, leadership must adapt and prepare for a future battle space that is more technologically dependent, operationally dispersed, and focused away from air combat to air support and enhancement. It is a bold and courageous clarion call from a highly respected serving officer that should be read and heeded by anyone interested in the future of the US Air Force.

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2013
Col. Smith, an Air Force pilot and dean of the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies at Maxwell Air Force Base, analyzes the history of the Air Force as a means to understanding its past and predicting its future. Smith concise book is an important analysis of the factors that influence the Air Force’s operational approach to warfare. Well-researched and informed by both contemporary and historical airpower experiences, the work focuses on the interactions between three powerful factors that affect organization dynamics: culture, leadership, and external influences. The book is divided into three sections reflecting the three periods of “major organizational change” within the Air Force: WWI and WWII; the limited engagements of the Cold War period; and the Air Force’s experience in the post–Cold War era. Though he organizes the book chronologically, Smith also pays equal attention to the important factors of culture and leadership in each part. His analysis of culture is particularly well done, addressing how the currently dominant fighter pilot culture is being heavily and appropriately challenged by a coalition of support cultures, including intelligence, space, and operations specialists. Smith’s book is a must read for all Air Force leaders, and though it is directed towards a specialized audience, it will prove invaluable for those interested in organizational change, military affairs, and airpower. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"With the Air Force bracing itself for a future of tight budgets, rapid technological change, and strategic uncertainty, its leaders at all levels must begin to ask themselves and each other some tough questions about the direction in which their service is headed. Those airmen willing to actively engage such discussions would do well to turn to Smith's book as the basic point of departure for debates concerning the intricate relationship between the Air Force's past, present, and future."—Strategic Studies Quarterly

"According to Smith, leadership must adapt and prepare for a future battle space that is more technologically dependent, operationally dispersed, and focused away from air combat to air support and enhancement. It is a bold and courageous clarion call from a highly respected serving officer that should be read and heeded by anyone interested in the future of the US Air Force."—Everett Dolman, School of Advanced Airpower Studies

"Col. Smith has a great grasp of what the forthcoming debate will require. The Congress must reduce the spending at the very time our enemies are overtaking our capabilities. The debate needs to be engaged now. This book comes on the scene at just the right time."—Denny Smith, former US Congressman and Air Force F-4 pilot

"Organizational responsiveness to rapidly changing external threats will require an adaptive structure and leadership committed to synergistic employment of all US and coalition forces. This book is 'out of the box' thinking and is very timely given the recent and evolving Air Force roles and missions."—Brigadier General Al Rachel, USAF (Ret.)

From the Publisher

With the Air Force bracing itself for a future of tight budgets, rapid technological change, and strategic uncertainty, its leaders at all levels must begin to ask themselves and each other some tough questions about the direction in which their service is headed. Those airmen willing to actively engage such discussions would do well to turn to Smith's book as the basic point of departure for debates concerning the intricate relationship between the Air Force's past, present, and future.

Strategic Studies Quarterly

"Organizational responsiveness to rapidly changing external threats will require an adaptive structure and leadership committed to synergistic employment of all US and coalition forces. This book is 'out of the box' thinking and is very timely given the recent and evolving Air Force roles and missions." —Brigadier General Al Rachel, USAF (Ret.)

Brigadier General Al Rachel

"According to Smith, leadership must adapt and prepare for a future battle space that is more technologically dependent, operationally dispersed, and focused away from air combat to air support and enhancement. It is a bold and courageous clarion call from a highly respected serving officer that should be read and heeded by anyone interested in the future of the US Air Force." —Everett Dolman, School of Advanced Airpower Studies

Everett Dolman

"Col. Smith has a great grasp of what the forthcoming debate will require. The Congress must reduce the spending at the very time our enemies are overtaking our capabilities. The debate needs to be engaged now. This book comes on the scene at just the right time." —Denny Smith, former US Congressman and Air Force F-4 pilot

Denny Smith