Locating Air Force Base Sites History’S Legacy
Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy Edited by Frederick J. Shaw Preface Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy Frederick J. Shaw Editor Updated Edition 2014 Air Force History and Museums Program United States Air Force Washington DC 2004 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Locating air force base sites : history’s legacy / Frederick J. Shaw, ed. p. cm. 1. Air bases—United States—History. 2. Air bases, American—History. 3. Air bases—Location—United States. 4. United States. Air Force—History. I. Shaw, Frederick J. ck J. UG634.49.L63 2004 358.4’17’0973 2004026963 Preface Preface This is a an updated edition created in 2014. It adds chapter 5 on the Base Realign- ment and Closure Commission, 2005, and chapter 6 on the Joint Basing Initiative. The original Preface is continued below Over the past twelve years, the base infrastructure of the United States Air Force (USAF) has shrunk rapidly to accommodate force downsizing engendered by the ending of the Cold War. Still more radical changes are necessary to efficiently sup- port the agile forces required to wage the “Global War on Terrorism.” Historically, the ebb, flow, and utilization of Air Force installations are interconnected to changes in the size, composition, and capabilities of major flying and nonflying organizations. As a result, the number of USAF installations has fluctuated accord- ing to the complex interaction of the perceived global threat, technology, strategy, tactics, and projected force structure. This study describes military, technical, eco- nomic, and political reasoning that has influenced the location, or basing, of major flying and nonflying units in the continental United States, excluding Alaska, between 1907 and 2003.
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