Selected Works: 1990-1994
Abstract
General Merrill A. McPeak became the 14th chief of staff of the Air Force in the fall of 1990, as the nation was beginning to adjust to the reality of Western victory in the cold war. Desert Shield was ongoing; Desert Storm was only a few weeks away; other international crises -- Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti -- lay ahead. A significant downsizing of resources available to the Air Force had been under way for half a decade, and there was every reason to believe this trend would continue. In such circumstances, the Air Force could have adopted a "wait and see" attitude, just doing the best job they could with the hand they were dealt. Instead, General McPeak launched the most far-reaching reorganization in the Air Force's history, often getting "ahead of change" at a pace that confounded the Air Force rank and file. This volume is a collection of documents authored by General McPeak. These documents cover the period from late October 1990 when he was confirmed as chief of staff to March 1995, after his retirement from active service. Many of the documents are speeches, but there also are briefings, messages, congressional testimony, a press conference transcript, a letter to the president-elect, two magazine articles, an Air Force policy directive, and the only letter to an editor written by the general during his tenure. Each document presents an account of his perspective on an important issue. Together, these documents add up to a body of work that at the same time is both wide-ranging and has an impressive constancy of themes. (88 figures)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA421979
Entities
People
- Merrill A. Mcpeak
Organizations
- Air University Press