In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Korean War, the official history offices of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force and their respective historical associations collaborated to sponsor as comprehensive a symposium as possible, including as participants some of the coalition partners who contributed forces and weapons to the war. The intent of this symposium, titled Coalition Air Warfare during the Korean War, 1950 -1953, was to focus not only on the contributions made by the armed forces of the United States, but also on those of America's allies. The diverse group of panelists and speakers included not only scholars with subject matter expertise, but also veteran soldiers, sailors, and airmen who had served in that conflict. It was hoped that the melding of these diverse perspectives would provide interesting, if sometimes conflicting, views about the Korean War. The symposium organizers designated an agenda of six specific panels for investigation, including Planning and Operations; Air Superiority, Air Support of Ground Forces; Air Interdiction and Bombardment, Air Reconnaissance and Intelligence, and Logistical Support of Air Operations. Each session began with commentary by the panel chairman, which was followed by formal papers, and in some instances included a lively question and answer session. The papers and most of the proceedings found their way into print and are recorded here in an effort to permanently capture the activities, challenges, contributions, and heroics of the coalition air forces and the airmen who fought during the Korean conflict.

When, on June 5, 1998, Falcon Air Force Base, ten miles east of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was renamed in honor of General Bernard A. Schriever, USAF (Ret.), it marked a singular event. Normally, such an honor is bestowed posthumously, but in this case, the renaming ceremony proved the exception. Although World War II had sparked an effusion of scientific and technical developments, among them radar, electronic warfare, jet engines, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, and data-processing technology, the two innovations of unprecedented character that had the greatest affect on the Air Force and the world balance of power were nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Gen. Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, who led the Army Air Forces in World War II, believed correctly that the Air Forces' future lay in adapting scientific and engineering advances to air warfare. He was determined to continue in peacetime the cooperation between the Air Force, university scientists, and industry that had paid such handsome dividends during the war. One of the men selected to help fashion the technology of the postwar Air Force was a young colonel named Bernard Schriever, who combined some uncommon personal attributes with engineering training and combat experience. Schriever was to become the officer most closely associated with the development of ballistic missiles. Ultimately, he would be responsible for research, development, and acquisition of all new weapons used by the United States Air Force. Recognized as an unusually intelligent man, Bennie Schriever had a strong character and a precise, disciplined, but creative mind, determined to master any task he undertook, and willing to make hard decisions. He is generally known as the "father of Air Force missiles and space." United States Air Force, Office of Air Force History. 1903 - 2003 Flight: the 100th Anniversary Commemorative Edition.

Orville and Wilbur Wright first flew from the sands of Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. In 1999, to mark the first century of manned, powered flight, Congress created the Centennial of Flight Commission to coordinate national commemoration activities and to act as an international information resource. To manage its own participation in commemorative events around the world, the United States Air Force established a Centennial of Flight Office in 2001. The Air Force History and Museums Program, through its own activities, played a significant part in those events. Recognizing that the centennial of flight celebration offered the public a golden opportunity to better appreciate air and space power history and the innovations and adaptations that have enabled aviation to transform the world, the George Bush School of Government and Public Service and the Air Force History and Museums Program jointly sponsored a symposium, A Century of Air Power Leadership: Past, Present, and Future. The symposium was held on October 29-31, 2003, in the Leonore and Walter Annenberg Presidential Conferenc Center at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the grounds of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. The Wright brothers brought to their great achievement-the development of a new technology-extraordinary inventiveness and diligence that still inspire America's commitment to aviation excellence. Aircraft changed the natural order of things, while the effective use of air power added a third dimension to war. The advances that took us from the Wright brothers' biplane to Neil Armstrong's and Buzz Aldrin's lunar lander occurred at blinding speed. No technical innovation has altered human affairs more rapidly, widely, or significantly than the science of flight. United States Air Force leadership in air and space has been essential to victory in war during the last century. Today, air and space operations offer unprecedented global reach, power, and vigilance in support of worldwide joint operations around the clock. The symposium explored aspects of military leadership over the past 100 years, highlighting factors that encouraged success or inhibited innovation. Among the crucial issues discussed were problems in doctrinal, technological, and weapons innovation and differences among air power leaders. Although focusing on the past, the symposium proceeded from the proposition that air and space power leadership had revolutionary effects on strategy and security. This book is intended to help readers who are interested in the impact of leadership on military affairs. As the symposium and the book make abundantly clear, the role of the individual in the saga of air power has far outweighed any other single factor, including technology. The symposium featured presentations by distinguished airmen, scholars, and public figures. All shared their knowledge and insights on key events, issues, and lessons before a diverse audience. Former President George H. W. Bush, Dr. James G. Roche, Secretary of the Air Force, and Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force Chief of Staff, were keynote speakers. Few American leaders can match President George H. W. Bush in dealing with the transformation of American air power. Before a crowd of 400 attendees, he spoke of what his World War II combat experiences meant to him and candidly assessed the leadership challenges ahead. Secretary Roche and General Jumper discussed the implications of air and space power for America's national security and, in tackling tough, politically charged issues, demonstrated those qualities of leadership we most admire. Air Force History and Museums Program.

The history of the United States Air Force is inextricably bound up in the history of aerospace technology. Major revolutions have influenced the evolution of Air Force capabilities and systems, most notably those of atomic weaponry, the turbojet revolution, supersonic flight, avionics, aerial refueling, space flight, precision weaponry, electronic flying controls, composite materials, and stealth.

Following World War II, the onset of nuclear weapons, long-range jet bombers, and ballistic missiles radically changed American foreign policy and military strategy. The United States Air Force accepted the challenge of organizing and leading a massive research and development effort to build ballistic missiles. This manuscript addresses the first generation of ballistic missiles - the intercontinental Atlas and Titan, and the intermediate range Thor. During the period addressed in this book, missiles advanced from drawing board to alert status, where the next generation now remains poised to deter war.

The Air Force Historical Foundation convened a historical symposium on the United States Air Force's experience in the development of space systems and their military applications. This is an overview and summary of those events. Topics addressed are: The Formative Years, 1945- 1961; Mission Development and Exploitation Since 1961; and Military Space Today and Tomorrow. The manuscript includes notes, abbreviations and acronyms, an index, and photographs.

First published in 2005. Contains papers from a symposium in commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the Korean War. Focuses on contributions made by the armed forces of the United States and its allies to the air warfare during the Korean War.

Following World War II, the onset of nuclear weapons, long-range jet bombers, and ballistic missiles radically changed American foreign policy and military strategy. The United States Air Force, led by men of far-sighted vision and uncommon dedication, accepted the challenge of organizing and leading a massive research and development effort to build ballistic missiles. In the quarter of the century since, these weapons have constituted one of the tree legs of the strategic triad, the basis of America's strategy of deterring nuclear war, yet they have received less attention from the public and within the Air Force than the more glamorous manned bombers of the Strategic Air Command or the missile-launching submarines of the U.S. Navy. This volume attempts to correct the imbalance by telling the story of development of Air Force ballistic Missiles. It concentrates on the first generation of ballistic missiles: the intercontinental Atlas and Titan, and the intermediate range Thor. Although the effort to develop rockets has a longer history than commonly assumed, the modern history spans the relatively short era from 1945 to 1960. During this brief interval, missiles advanced from drawing board to alert status, where the next generation now remains poised to deter war.

Contains papers presented at the Air Force Historical Foundation Symposium, held at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, on September 21-22, 1995. Topics addressed are: The Formative Years, 1945- 1961; Mission Development and Exploitation Since 1961; and Military Space Today and Tomorrow. Includes notes, abbreviations and acronyms, an index, and photographs.