Prophecy Fulfilled: 'Toward New Horizons' and Its Legacy,
Abstract
Since the days of ancient warfare, commanders have relied on science and technology for success in war. Their use in military affairs increased dramatically after the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions, particularly in the nineteenth century. For example, chemists and metallurgists contributed greatly to World War I, while World War II is sometimes referred to as the physicists' war. During the fifty-year conflict known as the Cold War, scientists from diverse disciplines collaborated to multiply the effectiveness of military force and meet national security needs. Of all the federal organizations devoted to science and technology, none has been more important or influential than the U.S. Air Force's Scientific Advisory Board. In the midst of World War lithe Com- manding General of the Army Air Forces, Henry H. 'Hap' Arnold grasped the absolutely essential relationship between post-war science and national security. To realize his objective of inextricably linking science to air power, he called upon his friend, the brilliant Hungarian physicist Theodore von Karman, to assess and predict the future of military aeronautics. In Where We Stand and in Science, the Key to Air Supremacy, Karman and his hand-picked staff devised a multi-disciplinary approach to preserving the technical advantage gained by U.S. air power during the war. Both of these seminal reports are herein reprinted.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA305537
Entities
People
- Michael H. Gorn
Organizations
- United States Department of the Air Force