DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A Approved for Public Release Distribution Unlimited Golden Legacy, Boundless Future Essays on the United States Air Force and the Rise of Aerospace Power Proceedings of a symposium held on May 28-29, 1997 at The DoubleTree Hotel, Crystal City, Virginia Rebecca H. Cameron Barbara Wittig Editors Air Force History and Museums Program 2000 _20050429 014 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Golden legacy, boundless future : essays on the United States Air Force and the rise of aerospace power: proceedings of a symposium held on May 28-29, 1997 at the Double Tree Hotel, Crystal City, Virginia / Rebecca H. Cameron, Barbara Wittig, editors. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. United States. Air Force-History-Congresses. 2. Aeronautics, Military- United States-Congresses. 3. Astronautics, Military-United States-Congresses. I. Cameron, Rebecca Hancock. It. Wittig, Barbara. UG633.G613 2001 358.4'00973-dc2i 2001016089 REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved 0704-0188 I_ OMB No. The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 2. REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 2000 na/ 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Golden legacy, boundless future: n/a essays on the United States Air Force and the rise of aerospace power: 5b. GRANT NUMBER proceedings of the Aim High symposium held on May 28-29, 1997 at the n/a Double Tree Hotel, Crystal City, Virginia 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER n/a 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER Cameron, Rebecca and Wittig, Barbara editors. n/a 5e. TASK NUMBER n/a 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER n/a 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NUMBER Air Force History Support Office REPORT 3 Brookley Avenue Box 94 n/a Bolling AFB DC 20032-5000 9. SPONSORINGIMONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR'S ACRONYM(S) n/a n/a 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR'S REPORT NUMBER(S) n/a 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES n/a 14. ABSTRACT In 1997, a gathering of notable civilian and military personnel met in a symposium to celebrate the United States Air Force's fiftieth anniversary. Among the papers presented were those covering individual reminiscences and the results of historical research encompassing not only the germinal Army Air Service but also futuristic aerospace concepts. 358 pp. 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE ABSTRACT OF Richard I. Wolf PAGES U U U 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) UUU358 202-404-2186 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8/98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 Dedicated to the memory of, THE HONORABLE EUGENE M. ZUCKERT 1911-2000 GENERAL BRYCE POE II 1924-2000 Foreword The last century of the second millennium has been called the "American Century." That same century witnessed the transformation of the world from a two- to three-dimensional movement, triggering, among other effects, a revo- lution in military affairs. The achievements of the United States Air Force in developing and exploiting aerospace technology bridge all of these. As the century opened, Wilbur and Orville Wright's dreams were realized in a few moments of flight at Kitty Hawk. By its close, military aircraft routinely flew faster than sound and satellites operated in earth orbit. Using these capabilities, the Air Force had taken the lead in military operations, humanitarian missions, and nation-building efforts, and had revolutionized electronic and information warfare. In less than a half-century we had gone from little fabric and wood biplanes flying aerial reconnaissance over the trenches of World War I to unmanned satellites able to pinpoint and photograph any position on the earth's surface. In 1997, the Air Force History and Museums Program held a symposium marking the fiftieth anniversary of the United States Air Force. It celebrated the technical and operational achievements and the leaders of those years and their predecessors. The papers delivered during the symposium offer glimpses into the history of the United States' air arm during the twentieth century. The reminiscences of the great airmen and civilian leaders who participated give human coloration to that story. The Air Force History and Museums Program hopes that the proceedings collected in this volume will prove of value as an introduction to the service and its history. RICHARD P. HALLION The Air Force Historian Table of Contents Roundtable: Turning Points Gen. Bryce Poe II, USAF (Ret.), Moderator .................... 3 Gen. BernardA. Schriever, USAF (Ret.) ...................... 5 Gen. Jacob E. Smart, USAF (Ret.) ........................... 9 Lt. Gen. Devol Brett, USAF (Ret.) .......................... 18 Lt. Gen. Thomas G McInerney, USAF (Ret.) .................. 21 The Road to Independence Air Power Engineer: Maj. Gen. Mason M. Patrick and the Air Force Road to Independence ....................... 29 Robert P White The U.S. Army Air Corps and the Search for Autonomy, 1926- 1943 ....................................... 39 Roger G Miller Arnold, Eisenhower and Norstad: The Fight for Air Independence ..... 59 Herman S. Wolk The Evolution of the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force ..... 69 George M Watson, Jr. Luncheon Address History as Biography .................................... 79 The Honorable Eugene M Zuckert Roles and Missions The Air Force and Strategic Air Power: Defining the Mission ..... 87 Walton S. Moody Air Force Space Missions: Prophecy Fulfilled? A Historical Overview .............................. 93 George W. Bradley III Combat Support Fifty Years of Air Force Logistics, 1947-1997 ................ 101 William W Suit Eight Decades of American Military Airlift .................. 132 DanielL. Haulman U.S. Air Force Peacetime Airborne Reconnaissance During the Cold War, 1946-1990 ..................... 142 Vance 0. Mitchell v Keynote Address Turning Points ........................................ 163 Gen. John T Chain, Jr. USAF (Ret.) Remarks Golden Legacy, Boundless Future ......................... 171 Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman Doctrine for Strategic Air Attack Technology, Thought, Troops: Gen. Carl A. Spaatz and the Dawn of the Nuclear Age ........................... 179 David R. Mets The War from above the Clouds: B-52 Operations during the Second Indochina War and the Effects of the Air War on Air Power Doctrine ................................ 196 William P Head Should Deterrence Fail: Strategic Attack Theory in the Nuclear E ra ............................................ 216 Mark J Conversino The Air Force at War New Perspectives on the Combined Bomber Offensive: Results of a Statistical Analysis ....................... 243 Richard G Davis Command and Control of Air Operations: A Chimera of the Korean War ...................................... 259 William T Y'Blood A Different Air Force: War and Change from Vietnam to Bosnia ..... 268 Wayne Thompson Advances in Technology Air Power and the Modem World ......................... 277 Richard P Hallion Developing Missile Flight Controls: From Guide Sticks to Impulse Thrusters ................................. 291 Donald R. Baucom The Satellite-From Definite Possibility to Absolute Necessity: Five Decades of Technological Change ................. 311 Rick W Sturdevant Luncheon Address History and Its Uses .................................... 329 Gen. Bryce Poe II, USAF (Ret.) G lossary ............................................... 337 vi C ontributors ........................................... 343 In d e x ................................................... 35 1 vii Gen. Bryce Poe 11,moderator of the Roundtable, stands flanked by two of his presenters, Lt. Gens. Devol Brett (left) and Thomas G. Mclnerney (right). Seated are his other two panelists, Gens. Bernard A. Schriever (left) and Jacob E. Smart (right) who, along with The Honorable Eugene M. Zuckert (his address to this symposium appears later in the pro- ceedings), witnessed the creation of the U.S. Air Force in 1947 and experienced careers significantly intertwined with the Air Force's first fifty years. Roundtable: Turning Points Gen. Bryce Poe II, USAF (Ret.) The heritage of our United States Air Force is abundant with examples of action, change, problems, successes, failures, accomplishment, frustration, poverty, and riches. Any one might mark a turning point, for better or worse. On balance, we have been exceptionally fortunate in dealing with the negative, learning from it, and preparing for and taking advantage of the positive. The Air Force that today celebrates fifty