The Politics of Air Power: From Confrontation to Cooperation in Army Aviation Civil-Military Relations, 1919-1940
Abstract
During the interwar period, civil-military relations between Army aviation leaders and civilian officials developed unevenly from confrontation to cooperation. In the early 1920s, rebellious airmen became entangled in politics as they tried to force the creation of an independent air force against presidential wishes. In order to sway public opinion and elected officials, air leaders used propaganda to arouse public sentiment and circumvented military and civilian superiors to appeal directly to like-minded congressmen. The aviators skirted established procedures to try and obtain a program unsupported by the majority of the country's elected representatives. Brigadier General Billy Mitchell led the early efforts and stood out as the most visible rebel against the norms of military subordination to civilian authority. He and his supporters left a legacy of conflict, and interwar air leaders operated under the stigma of insurrection. After his court martial, airmen treaded carefully so as not to distress presidents, Congresses, and an American public upset at Mitchell's challenges to civilian control over the military.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 30, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA403298
Entities
People
- Rondall R. Rice
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology