America's First Air Battles: Lessons Learned or Lessons Lost?
Abstract
In his 1973 Chesney Memorial Gold Medal acceptance lecture, Professor Michael Howard made the following statement about military doctrine: "I am tempted indeed to declare dogmatically that whatever doctrine the armed forces are working on now, they have got it wrong I am also tempted to declare that it does not matter that they have got it wrong What does matter is their capacity to get it right quickly when the moment arrives," There are two key assertions in Howard's observation. First, in times of peace, armed forces imperfectly prepare for their next conflict, Second, their ability to make adjustments to overcome this shortcoming is critical to their combat success. This thesis examines the validity of these two assertions in U.S. Air Force (USAF) experiences during the initial period of operations in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Operation Desert Storm%, The analysis of the USAF's preparation for and adjustment during each of these conflicts' initial period of operations consists of a four-step process, In the first step, the thesis assesses the readiness of the USAF to engage in combat operations both in general and in the specific theater on the eve of war, This includes an assessment of the USAF's pre-war strategy, doctrine, command and control (C2), aircrew training, and equipment, It also addresses the degree to which these five factors - and the previous war's influence on them - resulted in success during the initial period of operations, The second step is an analysis of the effectiveness with which the USAF performed% its primary missions of air superiority, CAS, and interdiction, In the third step, the thesis examines the USAF adjustments to its pre-war strategy, doctrine, C2 system, crew training, and equipment, The fourth step is an assessment of the degree to which these adjustments enhanced the USAF's air superiority, CAS, and interdiction missions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA420501
Entities
People
- Aldon E. Purdham Jr.
Organizations
- Air University