Tomorrow's Air Force

Abstract

The U.S. Air Force stands at a crossroads as it contemplates its long term future. It can retain its atmospheric orientation and find itself mired in endless and fruitless debates over which military tasks (e.g., anti-tactical missiles) best fit which medium--and thus service. Yet, aerospace is no longer the high ground of combat--the medium whose domination makes victory everywhere else a matter of effort rather than fortune. Information plays that role today. As the world's leading military service in the application of emerging technology, the Air Force will be best served by adopting an infospheric orientation. By doing so, it can lay claim to the three new missions of the 21st century: strategic defense, global transparency, and extended information dominance.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 1996
Accession Number
ADA394190

Entities

People

  • Martin C. Libicki
  • Richard Szafranski

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Battlespace
  • Cold War
  • Emerging Technology
  • Guidance
  • Military Aircraft
  • Munitions
  • National Security
  • Tactical Air Support
  • United States
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons

Readers

  • Economics
  • Educational Psychology
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.

Technology Areas

  • Space