The United States Air Force and U.S. National Security: A Historical Perspective 1947-1990
Abstract
Extraordinary international developments over the last few years have created the potential for a significantly different security environment as we approach the beginning of the 21st century. In anticipating and responding to these changes, the Air Force, under Secretary Cheney's guidance, has sought to capitalize on its inherent characteristics speed, range, flexibility, precision, and lethality to underwrite U.S. national security and complement the capabilities of our sister Services. The framework that evolved, captured in the USAF White Paper entitled Global Reach Global Power, serves as the basis for developing current and future Air Force plans. The purpose of this report is to provide a historical perspective on the Air Force's global reach and global power. The USAF has been actively involved in almost every crisis affecting U.S. interests since the formation of the Air Force as a separate Service in 1947. The over 570 separate operations laid out in the following pages illustrate the USAF's unique contributions to the many facets of evolving U.S. national security strategy. This new world we are rapidly moving into plays to Air Force strengths. Air power provides responsive, long-range, flexible, and lethal capabilities which, when applied in complementary fashion with the capabilities of our sister Services, can underwrite U.S. national security as we move into an era of almost unprecedented change.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA640646
Entities
Organizations
- United States Department of the Air Force