Seeing It Coming: Revitalizing Future Studies in the US Air Force

Abstract

In the Department of Defense during the first decade of the twenty-first century, a contrast existed, on the one hand, between intellectual emphasis on transformations, revolutions in military affairs, and next-generation warfare, and, on the other hand, the realities of insurgents on horseback and renewed piracy on the open seas. We must not allow ourselves to use the failure to anticipate the current alternative future of 2012 as a condemnation of future studies. Instead, the repercussions of this unexpected shift should motivate the Air Force to turn away from the myopic tendencies that have become so prevalent and renew its focus on future studies. Anticipation of the next decade promises to be equally challenging, but service leaders must cultivate the disciplines of forecasting and planning to prepare themselves for the possibilities ahead.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA568338

Entities

People

  • John F. Price Jr.

Organizations

  • Air University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Force
  • Defense Systems
  • Delphi Method
  • Department Of Defense
  • Force Structure
  • Health Care
  • Homeland Security
  • Information Operations
  • Leadership
  • Lessons Learned
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Planning
  • Military Research
  • Peripheral Vision
  • Terrorists

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Economics
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.