The United States Air Force became separate military service on September 18, 1947 with the enforcement of the National Security Act of 1947. The Act created the National Military Establishment, later renamed the US Department of Defense, consisting of four out of five branches, the Angkatan Land, Marine Corps, Navy, and the newly created Air Force. Prior to 1947, the responsibility of military aviation was shared between the Army for ground operations and the Navy and Marine Corps for marine operations of aircraft carriers and seaplanes. The Army created the first Air Force antecedents on August 1, 1907, which through a series of organizational changes, titles, and missions advanced toward the division eventually 40 years later. His predecessor organization that led to the US Air Force today is:
- Flight Division, Signal Corps (August 1, 1907 - July 18, 1914)
- Flight, Signal Corps (July 18, 1914 - May 20, 1918)
- Aeronautical Military Division (May 20, 1918 - May 24, 1918)
- Air Services, US Army (May 24, 1918 - July 2, 1926)
- US. Army Air Corps (July 2, 1926 - June 20, 1941) *
- US. Air Force Air Force (June 20, 1941 - September 17, 1947) **
* The Air Corps became a subordinate element of the Air Force of the Army on June 20, 1941, and was abolished as an administrative organization on March 9, 1942. It continues to exist as a branch of the Army (similar to the infantry, quartermaster, or artillery) to the reorganization provisions of the National Security Law 1947 (61 Stat . 495), July 26, 1947.
** Air Force Air Force abolished by Order Transfer 1, Office of the Minister of Defense, September 26, 1947, apply the same provisions. Order Transfer 1 was the first of 200 Army-Air transfer agreements made in June and July 1947, and ordered the transfer of all Army Air and Army personnel to the Air Force Department and USAF. The final transfer order was signed June 22, 1949.
Video History of the United States Air Force
World War I and between wars
World War I
In 1917, after the United States entered into World War I, the U.S. flight combat troop. The first major was formed when Air Service was formed as part of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). Major General Mason Patrick ordered Air Services from AEF ; his deputy was Brigadier General Billy Mitchell. These flight units, some of which are trained in France, provide tactical support for the US Army, especially during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne attacks. Among the A cards of AEF Air Service are Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and Lieutenant 2 Frank Luke. Along with the formation of these combat troops, the formation of US Army flights in the United States was removed from the control of the Signal Corps and placed directly under the US Secretary of War. A secretary assistant was created to direct the Air Force Services, which has double responsibility for aircraft procurement and procurement, and air unit upgrades and training. With the end of the First World War, the AEF Air Service was dissolved and the Air Force Services in the United States were largely demobilized.
In 1920, Air Service became a branch of the Army and in 1926 was renamed Army Air Corps. During this period, Air Corps began experimenting with new techniques, including air-to-air refueling and the development of B-9 and Martin B-10, the first all-metal monoplane bombers, and new fighters.
Billy Mitchell's Billy_Mitchell: _Air_power_court_martialed "Billy Mitchell: Air force trials demonstrated
America was fascinated by aviation in the 1920s and 1930s and refused to allow the War Ministry's conservatism to block innovation. General Billy Mitchell, deputy director of Air Services seeks control of coastal defense from the Navy. He went publicly insisting that his plane could sink a warship every day, a claim proved with a series of tests culminating in the sinking of Ostfriesland. Mitchell lost control of himself in 1925 when he accused the Navy in a press release of "incompetence, criminal negligence, and a defensive state defense administration." He accepted the widely publicized military court he wanted, and was allowed to explain his theory that air power alone was enough to win the next big war. He was punished, and resigned. He became a popular hero and public opinion forced the War Department to strengthen Air Corps. Mitchell's main argument is that air power must be autonomous - must be controlled by leaflets that understand new technologies, new tactics, new strategies, and who will not waste valuable air assets in the effort to help ancient forces and navies. Until his death in 1936, Mitchell, as a civilian, was a tireless prophet of air power before many civilian hearings, but he lost contact with the development of aviation and no longer had an effect on service. Indeed, his almost hysterical assault made many generals hostile. The Air Corps managed some publicity stunts, but it always seemed to be overshadowed by glamorous civilians like Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes or Amelia Earhart. In 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt, who was at odds with the airline industry, suddenly changed airmail shipments to the Air Corps. Multiple collisions by an inexperienced Air Corps pilot on mediocre aircraft with poor navigation equipment emphasized the fragility of the new service, and undermined his claim that in wartime it could do wonders. Roosevelt, however, has become a strong believer of air power and has behind him both public opinion and Congress. When mobilization began in the spring of 1940, Roosevelt was as energetic as anyone in expanding the Air Corps role, calling 50,000 planes a year, and sending the best new models to England for his war against the Luftwaffe.
Command structure
In 1935, as a result of the recommendations of two civil review boards, the subsequent progress towards independence for the Air Force occurred when all the flying units, which had previously been distributed to various ground orders, were grouped together as air task forces under one air. commander as General Air Force Headquarters . The Air Corps, headed by the Head of the Air Corps, continued as before, but now holds responsibility solely for supplies, airfields and training, which essentially breaks the Air Force into two parts. Both were ordered by the great generals (Frank Andrews and Oscar Westover, followed by Henry H. ("Hap") Arnold).
Technology
In 1937, the B-17 Flying Fortress first appeared. In an impressive navigation achievement for the moment, three B-17s intercepted the Italian passenger ship Rex at sea. Although intended to demonstrate the ability of the Air Corps to defend the country's coast, the mission also shows the doctrine that appears in the Air Corps from the supremacy of strategic bombing.
During World War I, aviation technology developed rapidly; However, the army's reluctance to use new technology began to make the pilots think that as long as the Army controlled the flight, development would be hampered and potentially valuable forces were ignored. Senior Air Service officer Billy Mitchell began campaigning for an independent Air Force, which is equivalent to the Army and Navy. But his campaign offended a lot and produced a military court in 1925 that effectively ended his career. His followers, including future aviation leaders "Hap" Arnold and Carl Spaatz, saw the lack of public, congressional, and military support Mitchell received and decided that America was not ready for an independent air force. Under the leadership of his chief of staff Mason Patrick and, later, Arnold, the Air Corps waited until the time to fight for independence resurfaced.
Maps History of the United States Air Force
World War II
The Air Force came of age in World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt led, calling for a highly enlarged air force based on long-range strategic bombing. Organizationally, this organization became independent of the Armed Forces in 1941, when the Air Force Air Force became part of the new Air Force Air Force (AAF), and the GHQ Air Force redesigned the Subordinate Command Command. In a massive reorganization of the Army by the Department of War Circular 59, effective 9 March 1942, the newly formed Air Force Air Force earned the same sound as the Army and Navy to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the complete autonomy of the Army and Army Service Supply , serves as a separate service in all but the name. The reorganization also eliminates both the Combat Command and Air Corps as the organization (the latter remained an army fighter battle until 1947) supporting an efficient command system and numbered air forces for the decentralized management of the developing Air Force Air Force.
The reorganization combines all the flight elements of the former Air Corps into the Army Air Force. Although the Air Corps is still officially there as an army branch, the position and Head Office of the Air Corps are dissolved.
Major General Carl A. Spaatz took command of the Eighth Air Force in London in 1942; with Brigadier General Ira Eaker as the second commander, he oversaw the strategic bombing campaign. At the end of 1943, Spaatz was appointed commander of the new US Strategic Air Force, reporting directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Spaatz embarked on a daytime bombing operation using the doctrine of a flying bomber's prideat in close formation, relying on their combined defensive weapons for protection from attacking enemy aircraft rather than supporting escort escorts. This doctrine proved flawed when deep penetration missions beyond the reach of the guard fighters were attempted, as German warplanes were overwhelmed with US formation, shooting down bombers that exceeded "acceptable" losses, especially in combination with large bulletproof bulletproof batteries that defended Germany's main targets. The American leaflets took many casualties during the raids at the Ploie oil refinery? Ti, Romania, and soccer factories in Schweinfurt and Regensburg, Germany, and that is the level of losses in the crew and not the material that brought a setback from offensive strategies in the fall of 1943.
The Eighth Air Force has tried to use the P-47 and P-38 as his bodyguard, but while Thunderbolt is a competent dog fighter, it has no reach, even with the addition of a drop tank to expand its reach, and Lightning is mechanically unreliable at altitude cold where the mission was championed. Bomber protection greatly improved after the introduction of North American Mustang P-51 aircraft in Europe. With a long range and competitive or superior performance characteristics compared to all existing German piston engined fighters, Mustang is an immediate solution available for the crisis. In January 1944, the Eighth Air Force took priority in equipping its group, so in the end 14 of its 15 groups deployed Mustangs. The P-51 escort began operations in February 1944 and increased their numbers rapidly, allowing the Luftwaffe to suffer increased combat losses in air involvement beginning with Big Week in early 1944. Allied fighters were also given freedom in attacking German combat airspace, both in pre- Mission-planned and temporary back to base from escort duty, and the main Luftwaffe's threat to Allied bombers was greatly diminished by D-Day.
At the Pacific Theater of Operations, AAF provided major tactical support under General George Kenney to Douglas MacArthur in the Southwest Pacific theater. Kenney pilots created a jumping-jump technique for Japanese ships. Kenney troops claimed the destruction of 11,900 Japanese planes and 1.7 million tons of shipments. The first development and ongoing implementation of air freight by American air forces occurred between May 1942 and November 1945 when hundreds of transportation flew over half a million tons of supplies from India to China during Hump.
AAF created the Twenty-Second Air Force to use long-distance B-29 Superfortress bombers in strategic attacks in Japanese cities. The use of front bases in China (required to reach Japan by the loaded B-29s) is ineffective because of the difficulties in logistical support of the entire air base from its main bases in India, and because of continuous threats. against the Chinese airfield by the Japanese army. After the Mariana Islands were captured in mid-1944, providing the location for a sea-supplied air base, Arnold transferred all B-29 operations there in April 1945 and made General Curtis LeMay the commander of the bomber (reporting directly to Arnold, who personally ordered Twentieth Air Force through July). LeMay argues that the Japanese economy, many of which are home-based industries in densely populated urban areas where manufacturing and assembly plants are also located, are highly vulnerable to area attacks and leave behind inefficient high-precision bombs in support of low-level burner bombs aimed at destroying urban areas big. On the night of 9-10 March 1945, the bombing of Tokyo and the fires that occurred resulted in the deaths of more than 100,000 people. 350,000 people died in 66 other Japanese cities as a result of a shift to the firebomb bombing. At the same time, B-29 is also used in mining of Japanese port and sea lane. In early August 1945, the Twenty-Second Air Force launched an atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in response to Japan's rejection of the Potsdam Declaration outlining the terms of surrender for Japan. Both cities were devastated by massive loss of life and psychological shocks. On August 15, Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender of Japan, stating:
In addition, the enemy has begun using the new and most cruel bombs, the power to do damage is incalculable, taking the casualties of many innocent lives. Should we continue to struggle, it will not only result in the destruction and the utter destruction of the Japanese, but will also cause the total extinction of human civilization. That's what happened, how We saved millions of Our people; or to redeem Himself before the holy spirit of our Imperial Ancestors? This is the reason why We have ordered acceptance of the provisions of the Joint Declaration of Power.
Cold War and war in Korea
In practice, the Army Air Force became almost independent of the Army during World War II, but its leaders wanted formal independence. In November 1945, General Dwight D. Eisenhower became Army Chief of Staff, while General Carl Spaatz began to accept the assignment of the Commander-General, the Army Air Force, in anticipation of General Arnold's retirement. One of General Eisenhower's first actions was to appoint a board, headed by Lieutenant General William H. Simpson, to prepare a definitive plan for the reorganization of the Army and the Air Force that could be carried out without enacting the law and would provide for the separation of the Air Force from the Army. On 29 January 1946 "General Eisenhower and Spaatz approved an Air Force organization composed of Strategic Air Command, Air Defense Command, Tactical Air Command, Air Transport Command, Air Service Technical Command, Air Training Command, Air University and Air Force Center. "
Upon continuing objections from the Navy, afraid of losing the air arm and its strategic role to the new service, the US Department of the Air Force was established by the National Security Act of 1947. The action became effective on September 18, 1947 when the first Air Force secretary , Stuart Symington, took over the office. In 1948, the head of the service approved the use of air assets under the Western Key Agreement.
"In 1947 President Truman signed the National Security Act establishing this new defense organization, and at the same time the formation of the US Air Force as an independent service, similar to the US Army and US Navy The official anniversary of the US Air Force is September 18 1947. "
On September 18, 1947, the Air Force Air Force became the United States Air Force as a separate and equal element of the United States Armed Forces. The new Air Force quickly builds its own identity. The Air Force Airfield was given the name of the Air Force and personnel were immediately given a new uniform with a new ranking badge. After the new Air Force was free of army domination, its first job was to abandon the old and inadequate structure of the army's land organization. This is the "Basic Plan" in which the commander of the combat group reports to the base commander, who is often a regular army, with no flying experience.
General Carl A. Spaatz set a new policy, "There is no tactical commander who should be a subordinate to the station commander." This results in a search for better settings. The 15th Air Force Commander, Major General Charles Born, proposed a Provisional Interim Plan, which basically reversed the situation and placed the wing commander over the base commander. The basic organization unit of USAF becomes Base-Wing.
Under this plan, basic support functions - supplies, basic operations, transport, security, and medical are assigned to the squadron, usually ordered by Major or Lieutenant Colonel. All of these squadrons are assigned to the Combat Support Group, led by the Base Commander, usually a Colonel. Combat fighter or bomber squadron is assigned to Combat Group, a retention of USAAF Group. All of these groups, both combat and combat support, are in turn assigned to the Wing, commanded by Wing Commander. In this way Wing Commander orders both combat operational elements at the base and non-operational elements. Wing Commander is an experienced air combat leader, usually a Colonel or Brigadier-General. All hierarchical organizations carry the same numerical designation. In this way, for example, the 28th will be the name for the Wing and all subordinate groups and squadrons below it. As a result, the bases and wings are one and the same unit. On June 16, 1952, inheritance combat groups were attenuated and the Operational Combat Squadron was assigned directly to the Wing. The history, genealogy, and honor of World War II of the fighter group were given to Wing at the time of inactivation.
The USAAF wing was then redesigned as an Air Division, ordered to the Brigadier General or higher, which ordered two or more wings normally, but not always, on a base. The Numbered Air Forces (NAF) ordered the Air Division or Wings directly, and the NAF was under the Main Command (SAC, TAC, ADC, etc.).
After World War II, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union began to deteriorate, and the period in history known as the Cold War began. The United States entered an arms race with the Soviet Union and a competition aimed at increasing the influence of every country around the world. In response, the United States expanded its military presence worldwide. USAF opened air bases across Europe, and later in Japan and South Korea. The United States is also building an air base in Britain outside of Britain in the British Indian Ocean Region and Ascension Island in the South Atlantic.
The first test for the USAF during the Cold War came in 1948, when the Communist authorities in East Germany cut off roads and air transport to West Berlin. The USAF, together with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Commonwealth air forces, supplied the city during Berlin air transport under Operation Vittles, using the C-54 Skymasters. This air force effort saved the city from starvation and forced the Soviets to retreat in their blockade.
The conflict over post-war military administration, particularly relating to the role and mission to be assigned to the US Air Force and Navy, led to an episode called "Revolt of the Admirals" in the late 1940s, where the high ranking Navy Officers debated not successful for the case for carrier-based aircraft rather than strategic bombers.
In 1947, USAF initiated Project Sign, a study of unidentified flying objects that will be twice revived (first as Project Grudge and eventually Project Blue Book) and which will last until 1969.
In 1948, the Women's Armed Integration Act granted permanent status to women in the regular Army and Air Force Reserve. On July 8, 1948, Esther McGowin Blake became the first woman in the Air Force, who registered the first minute of the first hour of the first day of regular Air Force assignment given authority to women.
During the Korean War, which began in June 1950, the Far Eastern Air Force (FEAF) was one of the first units to respond to the North Korean invasion, but quickly lost its main air base at Kimpo, South Korea. Appointed to provide close air support to Pusan ​​defenders of the base in Japan, FEAF is also conducting a strategic bombing campaign against the potential of North Korean warfare simultaneously. The landing of General Douglas MacArthur at Inchon in September 1950 enabled FEAF to return to Korea and develop the basis from which they supported MacArthur's efforts to the Korean-Chinese border.
When the People's Liberation Army invaded in December 1950, USAF provided tactical air support. The introduction of Soviet MiG-15 fighter aircraft posed problems for B-29s used to bomb North Korea, but the USAF replied to the MiG with the new F-86 Saber jet fighters. Although both air superiority and close air support missions succeed, the long effort to block the communist supply line with air strikes was not as successful and was replaced by a systematic campaign to incur substantial economic costs for North Korea and Chinese troops during the war, including attacks on the capital of Pyongyang and against North Korea's hydroelectric system.
Vietnam War
USAF was greatly deployed during the Vietnam War. The first bomb attack on North Vietnam occurred in 1964, following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. In March 1965, a sustained bombing campaign began, code-named Operation Rolling Thunder. The aim of the campaign is to crush the will of North Vietnam to fight, destroy industrial bases and air defense, and to stop the flow of people and supplies to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, while forcing the North Vietnamese to hold peace talks. The USAF dropped more bombs on all combat operations in Vietnam during the period 1965-68 than during World War II, and the Rolling Thunder campaign lasted until the US presidential election of 1968. Except for damaging the economy and infrastructure of North Vietnam, Rolling Thunder failed in goal political and strategic.
The USAF also played an important role in defeating the Easter Attack of 1972. The rapid deployment of combat aircraft, bombers and attack aircraft helped the South Vietnamese Army repel the invasion. The Linebacker operation showed North and South Vietnam that even without significant US Army ground forces, the United States could still influence the war. Air war for the United States ended with Operation Linebacker II, also known as "Christmas bombing." This helps to complete the peace negotiations of Paris.
The rebellious nature of combat operations at the start of the war, and the need to ban regular North Vietnamese troops and supply lines in third-party countries in Southeast Asia led to the development of significant special operations capabilities within the USAF. Temporary and experimental concepts such as air and airborne command, tactical missions such as Operation Ivory Coast are partially successful within enemy territory, and a dedicated Battle and Rescue Battle mission resulted in the development of operational doctrine, units and equipment.
Fighting operation since 1975
USAF modernized its tactical air forces in the late 1970s by introducing F-15, A-10 and F-16 fighters, and realistic training scenarios under the auspices of the Red Flag. In turn, it also enhances the equipment and capabilities of the Air Component (ARC) Component by equipping the National Air Guard and Air Force Reserve with first-line aircraft.
Extending its power structure in the 1980s to 40 fighter wings and drawing further lessons from the Vietnam War, USAF also presented units and aircraft for Electronic Warfare (EW) and Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). The embarrassing failure of the April 1980 rescue mission of Eagle Claw Operations in Iran resulted directly in the increased emphasis of the USAF on participation in the Joint Special Operations doctrine, equipment, personnel and planning.
The USAF provided attack, air freight and combat support capabilities for operations in Grenada in 1983 (Operation Urgent Fury), Libya in 1986 (Operation El Dorado Canyon), and Panama in 1989 (Operation Just Cause). The lessons learned in this operation were applied to his strength structure and doctrine, and became the basis for successful air operations in the 1990s and after September 11, 2001.
The development of satellite reconnaissance during the Cold War, the extensive use of strategic and tactical airborne reconnaissance during combat operations, and the prevention role of the USAF nuclear war resulted in the recognition of space as a possible battleground. The emphasis on "aerospace" operations and doctrine grew in the 1980s. The missile warning and space operations were combined to form the Air Force Space Command in 1982. In 1991, Operation Desert Storm gave emphasis to a new focus of command in support of combat operations.
The creation of the internet and the universality of computer technology as a fundamental tool of war resulted in the development of priority cyber and defense techniques of the USAF.
Gulf War
The USAF provided most of the Allied air power during the 1991 Gulf War, flying alongside US Navy and RAF planes. Fighter's F-117 Nighthawk stealth capability was demonstrated on the first night of the air war when he was able to bomb the central Baghdad and avoid a sophisticated Iraqi anti-aircraft defense. The USAF, along with the US Navy and RAF, then patrolled the skies of northern and southern Iraq after the war to ensure that Iraqi air defense capabilities could not be rebuilt. Operations Deliver Leisure 1991-96 and Northern Watch Operations 1997-2003 - a no-fly zone north of the 36th parallel north and Operation Southern Watch - a no-fly zone to the south of the 33rd parallel to the north.
In 1996, Operation Desert Strike and Operation 1998 Desert Fox, USAF bombed Saddam Hussein Iraq.
Bosnia and Kosovo
USAF led NATO action in Bosnia with Operation Deny Flight 1993-96 and in 1995 with air strikes against Bosnian Serbs (Operation Deliberate Force). This is the first time that the USAF aircraft took part in military action as part of the NATO mission. USAF leads the strike force as NATO Air Force (in addition mainly consisting of RAF and Luftwaffe aircraft) with the greatest ability to launch air strikes over a long period of time. In 1999, USAF led NATO air strikes against Serbia during the Kosovo (Operation Allied Force) War.
Global War on Terror
In 2001, the USAF was deployed against Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Operations from Diego Garcia, B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bombers attacked the Taliban's position. USAF deploys a daisy cutter bomb, dropped from a C-130 Hercules cargo plane, for the first time since the Vietnam War. During this conflict, the USAF opened its base in Central Asia for the first time.
USAF was deployed in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. After the defeat of Saddam Hussein's regime, the USAF took over Baghdad International Airport as a base. The USAF aircraft were used to provide support to the Coalition and Iraqi forces in major operations to abolish rebel activity centers and supplies in northern and western Iraq. Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq show the effective utility of unmanned aerial vehicles, the most prominent of which is the MQ-1 Predator. Fifty-four USAF personnel were killed in the Iraq War.
USAF maintains Air Combined & amp; Space Operations Center in Qatar to direct air combat operations and Predator action.
In March 2011, the USAF jet bombed military targets in Libya as part of an international effort to enforce a UN resolution imposing a no-fly zone above the state and protecting its people from civil war that occurred when dictator Muammar Gaddafi pressed protests calling for the end of his regime. Protests were inspired by revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt.
In the summer of 2014 President Obama announces the return of US forces to Iraq. The US Air Force is making a significant humanitarian effort to help the threatened minority of Iraq. When permission was then awarded for the USAF airstrikes, it was on the condition that the type of aircraft was not announced so as to obscure which country they were.
2010s
Currently, the United States Air Force is the largest, most capable, and most technologically advanced air force in the world, with approximately 5,778 manned aircraft operating, about 156 Unmanned Air Combat Vehicles, 2,130 Aircraft Cruise Missiles, and 450 intercontinental ballistics. missile. USAF has 328,439 active personnel on duty, 74,000 in Personal Ready and Ready Reserves, and 106,000 at the Air National Guard. In addition, the Air Force employs 168,900 civilian personnel including indirectly hiring foreign nationals. However, after two decades of failure to recapitalize its aircraft under Clinton and both Bush, USAF has the oldest and most outdated fleet ever. Tactical plane purchases were delayed while fifth generation fighter jets were delayed, swelling costs and reductions and a program to replace the 1950s bomber and tanker bombers just started again after many attempts were canceled.
An Air Force pilot died on February 20, 2008 after two F-15C jets collided during training in the Gulf of Mexico.
The US Air Force on February 29, 2008 announced one of the largest military acquisition programs in US history, saying that the service has selected Northrop Grumman over Boeing to replace an aging fleet of fuel tankers.
F-16C F-16C F-16C fighter jet pilot in remote areas about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix, Arizona was killed when the plane crashed. The plane was seen late on March 13, 2008. Rescue workers were able to reach the site only by helicopter and arrived at dawn March 15, 2008. There were 17 other accidents at the Air Force Base Luke F-16 since 1998, and only one resulted in death. The accident occurred in May 2004, when a pilot with the Republic of Singapore Air Force died after his jet crashed during a training mission in various Air Force bombings in southwest Arizona. The latest crash occurred in 2006. The pilot came out safely from the F-16 in April 2006 after a single engine on the jet exploded right after takeoff from the base. The plane crashed in the cornfield.
On June 5, 2008, Robert Gates announced the results of an investigation into the mismanagement of four assembly vehicles re-entering MK-12 to Taiwan. The investigation, conducted by Admiral Kirkland H. Donald, director of the US Navy's Nuclear Propulsion Program, found that the Taiwan missile incident, in the words of Gates, "Declines in authority, standards of excellence and technical competence in the nation's ICBM Similar to specific nuclear weapons disbursement incidents in August 2007 Minot-Barksdale, this incident occurred in an environment greater than a decrease in the mission's focus and performance of the Air Force's mission "and that" the investigation identifies the similarities between the August 2007 Minot incident and the [Taiwanese] event. "In his investigative report, Donald stated that the problem identified by his investigation is, "Indications of the overall decline in stewardship of Air Force nuclear weapons, problems that have been identified but not handled effectively for more than a decade.Nine Minot-Barksdale nuclear weapons and Taiwan negligence incidents, while differing specifically , has the same origin: e gradual stages of nuclear standards and lack of effective oversight by Air Force leaders "
As a result of the investigation, Gates announced that, "A large number of Air Force officers and colonels have been identified as potentially subject to disciplinary action, ranging from dismissal from command to letter of reprimand," and that he has accepted the resignation. USAF Secretary Michael Wynne and USAF Chief of Staff Michael Moseley. Gates added that he had asked James R. Schlesinger to lead a senior-level task force to recommend improvements in stewardship and operation of nuclear weapons, shipping vehicles and sensitive components by the US Department of Defense. Members of the task force are from the Defense Policy Board and the Council on Defense Sciences.
In 2012, the USAF found that their multibillion-dollar investment in the Expeditionary Combat Support System "has not produced significant military capability" and that it required investing billions of dollars more to earn even a quarter of its planned capabilities.
In 2012, the USAF received backlash from Congress on plans to attract some reserve squadrons, leading to the creation of a National Commission on Air Force Structures to complete the right balance between active and reserve air forces. This was followed in 2013 by the Total Unit Taskforce in an effort to address budget disagreements between active forces and reserve forces.
In 2014, the USAF 30-year strategy document cites the need for low end and high end capabilities, and calls for high demand UAV cuts to support maintaining "outdated fighter planes that will not survive in high-level conflicts".
See also
- National Museum of the United States Air Force
Notes and references
Further reading
- John T. Correll, Air Force and Cold War (2002), short official USAF history
- Correll, John T. "EAF in Peace and War." Air Force Magazine 85: 24-31 July 2002 on World War I
- Craven, Wesley, and James Cate, eds. Air Force Air Force In World War II official history. (1948-55; also reprinted)
- Volume One: Early Plan and Operation January 1939 to August 1942
- Volume Two: Europe: Torch to Pointblank August 1942 to December 1943
- Volume Three: Europe: Arguments for V-E Day January 1944 to May 1945
- Volume Four: Pacific: Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944
- Volume Five: Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki June 1944 to August 1945
- Volume Six: Men and Aircraft
- Volume Seven: Worldwide Services
- Futrell, Robert F. United States Air Force in Korea; 1950-1953 (1983).
- Futrell, Robert F. Ideas, Concepts, Doctrines: History of Basic Thinking in the United States Air Force, 1907-1984 (2 vols, Air University) vol 1, volume 2 comprehensive history of doctrine
- Alfred Goldberg. History of the United States Air Force, 1907-1957 (ISBN 0-405-03763-5) (1972)
- Maj Roger F. Kropf, "US Air Force in Korea: Problems Experiencing Air Power Effectiveness," Airpower Journal (spr 1990)
- United States Air Force: History and Guide to Resources (ISBNÃ, 1-4116-3638-4)
- Paul Conners, "The concept of AEF has been successful," May 5, 2004, [2] & lt;/ref & gt;
External links
- "United States Air Force And The Antecedents: Publishing and Printing Unit History, Bibliography" (PDF) .
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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