Tomorrow’s Air Force: Tracing the Past, Shaping the Future

Col. Smith, an Air Force pilot and dean of the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies at Maxwell Air Force Base, analyzes the history of the Air Force as a means to understanding its past and predicting its future. Smith concise book is an important analysis of the factors that influence the Air Force’s operational approach to warfare. Well-researched and informed by both contemporary and historical airpower experiences, the work focuses on the interactions between three powerful factors that affect organization dynamics: culture, leadership, and external influences. The book is divided into three sections reflecting the three periods of “major organizational change” within the Air Force: WWI and WWII; the limited engagements of the Cold War period; and the Air Force’s experience in the post–Cold War era. Though he organizes the book chronologically, Smith also pays equal attention to the important factors of culture and leadership in each part. His analysis of culture is particularly well done, addressing how the currently dominant fighter pilot culture is being heavily and appropriately challenged by a coalition of support cultures, including intelligence, space, and operations specialists. Smith’s book is a must read for all Air Force leaders, and though it is directed towards a specialized audience, it will prove invaluable for those interested in organizational change, military affairs, and airpower. (Nov.)