DTIC ADA476454: Air Force Roles and Missions: A History

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Air Force Roles and Missions: A History
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Air Force Roles and Missions:
A History
Warren A. Trest
AIR FORCE HISTORY AND MUSEUMS PROGRAM
Washington, D.C.
1998
i
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Trest, Warren A.
Air Force Roles and Missions: A History/Warren A. Trest.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
I. United States. Air Force—History. I. Title
UG633.T74 1998
358.4`00973—ddc21
98-44142
CIP
ii
Preface
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book is a progeny of kindred minds. Its central themes were handed
down from the men and women who made air power history via those who wrote
it.To friends and colleagues sharing both the burden and the birthright, I am for-
ever grateful.
I must acknowledge above all others the support, guidance, and encourage-
ment given to me by Herman S. Wolk, Senior Historian of the Air Force History
Support Office. As true friend and “book doctor,” he had the leading role in
sheparding this volume through the minefields of bureaucratic review to its final
objective. I owe a special tribute to the late Col. John F. Shiner, former Deputy
Chief, Office of Air Force History (AFCHO), whose loyalty and devotion to Air
Force History nurtured my enthusiasm for doing this study. Mrs. Tammy
Rodriguez, Editorial Assistant at the Air Force Historical Research Agency
(AFHRA), Maxwell AFB, Alabama, deserves much of the credit for timely com-
pletion of the manuscript.
I am indebted to Dr. Richard P. Hallion, the Air Force Historian, for the vision
he brought to the Air Force historical Program. I also wish to thank two former
Chiefs of Air Force History, Dr. Richard H. Kohn and Maj. Gen. John W. Huston,
for their friendship and support. Other key supporters were Col. Richard S.
Rauschkolb, Commander of the AFHRA; Col. John Schlight, formerly Deputy
Chief AFCHO; Col. Elliott Converse, formerly Commander AFHRA; and Mr.
Lloyd H. Cornett, Jr., formerly AFHRA Director.
Other colleagues in the Office of Air Force History who helped with plan-
ning, researching, or writing the volume include Jacob Neufeld, Bernie Nalty,
Dan Mortensen, Wayne Thompson, George Watson, William C. Heimdahl,
Walton Moody, and Richard I. Wolf.
Within AFHRA, I am indebted to the late Richard B. Morse and his succes-
sor, Lynn Gamma, for the superb research assistance provided by the Archives
Branch. I wish to thank in particular Joseph Caver, Archie Difante, Essie G.
Roberts, Ann D. Webb, and Sandi Smith for their archival support. Hugh
Ahmann, Faye Davis, and Pauline Tubbs of the Oral History Program and James
S. Howard also assisted. Edward Russell, Edward Cummings, Peggy Selman, and
TSgt. Douglas Bagley helped in countless ways. Two former editorial assistants,
Lois Wagner and Yolanda Alston, gave unstintingly of their time and expertise.
A special salute is due to Gen. Jacob E. Smart (USAFRet.); Brig. Gen.
Edwin H. Simmons, Director of Marine Corps History; I. B. Holley, Jr.; Robert F.
Futrell; Edward J. Marolda; Col. Phillip S. Meilinger; Col. Dennis M. Drew;
David MacIssac; and James Titus for their support.
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FOREWORD
The twentieth century witnessed the emergence of three-dimensional-
ity in war: surface forces now became prey for attackers operating above and
below the earth and its oceans. The aerial weapon, prophesied for centuries,
became a reality, as did air power projection forces. This insightful book by
Warren A. Trest traces the doctrinal underpinnings of the modern United
States Air Force, the world’s only global air force. We—the men and women
who serve in the Air Force, but also our fellow airmen in America’s other mil-
itary services—are the heirs and beneficiaries of a long heritage of doctrinal
development and military thought.
Our predecessors pursued a vision of airborne global reach and power
that often put them at odds with those who could not break free of the confines
of conventional thought and lock-step traditionalism. Fortunately, they had the
courage of their convictions and the faith in their vision to continue to pursue
the goal of global air power despite such resistance. Today, America is a gen-
uine aerospace power, and that pioneering vision dating to the days of the
Wright brothers, has expanded to encompass operations in space and between
the mediums of air and space. As we approach the new millenium, it is well
to ponder the lessons and the history of how a small group of truly gifted air-
men transformed their nation’s military establishment, and, in so doing, the
world around them.
Dr. Richard P. Hallion
The Air Force Historian
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Preface
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iii
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Chapter I
Origins: Emerging Military Aviation Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Chapter II
Transitions: Evolving Interwar Roles and Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Chapter III
Patterns: World War II and the Dawn of Global Air Power . . . . . . . . . . .63
Chapter IV
Foundations: Framing Roles and Missions under Unification . . . . . . . .109
Chapter V
New Dimensions: the Air Force and Massive Retaliation . . . . . . . . . . .151
Chapter VI
New Directions: the Vietnam War and Flexible Response . . . . . . . . . . .187
Chapter VII
Change and Consequence: the Maturing of Roles and Missions . . . . . .227
Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .263
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323
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