The Evolution of the US Air Force

Organizational Culture and Preparedness for War
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-1-032-74485-8
Verlag: Taylor & Francis

Buch, Englisch, 284 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 576 g

Reihe: Cass Military Studies

This book looks at the history of the US Air Force through the lens of its (lack of) preparedness for major wars, which is shown to be a result of its organizational culture.

The U.S. Air Force is probably the most powerful military force in history, both in its destructive firepower and in its ability to project it globally. Yet, despite its unparalleled power, the Air Force entered its first three pivotal conflicts – World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War – unprepared. But surprisingly, it was remarkably well prepared for its fourth major war: the Gulf War of 1991. Could there be an underlying trait or characteristic, which influenced the Air Force between the wars, that historically caused the US Air Force to be unprepared for war or prepared for the wrong type of war? Surprisingly, there is such a factor which was quite prominent in the Air Force’s complex identity – its organizational culture. Besides providing a historical description of the Air Force, this book demonstrates clearly how its organizational culture evolved and how it caused the US Air Force to be prepared for the wrong war. It also shows that when the organizational culture changed, the Air Force changed its focus and arrived prepared for the following war: the 1991 Gulf War.

This book will be of interest to students of air power, strategic studies, US public policy, and security studies in general.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate, Professional Reference, and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Guy, Israel

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Militärwesen Nationale und Internationale Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Staatsbürgerkunde, Staatsbürgerschaft, Zivilgesellschaft
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Militärgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Besondere Kriege und Kampagnen
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Amerikanische Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Militärwesen Luftstreitkräfte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1:  Background and Terminology

Chapter 2: The Evolution of Airpower Theory and Doctrine

Chapter 3: World War I and the Interwar Years

Chapter 4: The Air War in World War II

Chapter 5: The Air Force and the Cold War

Chapter 6: Korea: The War that Nobody Expected

Chapter 7: From Korea to Vietnam

Chapter 8: The Air War in Vietnam

Chapter 9: The Renaissance of the US Air Force

Chapter 10: The Proof of the Pudding - the Gulf War

Chapter 11: Discussion and Conclusions

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Israel Guy holds a Ph.D. in history from Bar Ilan University, Israel, and a B.Sc. in mathematics and physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has served in both the Israeli Army, where he served in a combat role, and the Israeli Air Force, where he specialized in operational systems and software development, project management, and flight test management. Afterward, he cofounded and managed a software house specializing in defense systems, chaired a high-tech startup, and was involved in mergers and acquisitions in the Israeli software market. This is his first book.