Published Airpower Journal - Fall 1987
| However much you may wish for peace, never forget military skill if you do not wish
to suffer the same fate as the Byzantine Monarchy. Peter the Great |
As the second issue of the Airpower Journal was being prepared for publication, the Air Force celebrated a milestone event, the 40th anniversary of its creation as a separate service. As we consider those 40 years, the immense changes that have taken place dominate our thoughts. In that time we have gone from the B-29 to the B-1 and from the P-51 to the F-16. We see change everywhere we look.
Change is a necessary part of a vital military force. At the same time, some basic concepts have remained constant over the 40 years and longer. Among them is the notion that to be a truly prepared Air Force we must develop a wide base of professional knowledge. Professional knowledge is something that is cultivated through years of experience and study. Its development is, in fact, one of the constant responsibilities in a military career. Far too often, we assume that all the professional knowledge necessary will be given to us through the various professional military education courses we take in our career, either in residence, by seminar, or by correspondence.
While these courses are an important contribution to that professional base, they cannot provide it all. The Air Force has other structured programs such as Project Warrior that are important, and well-chosen civilian education plays a part as well. But there is still more. The professionals should undertake programs of self-education and development and should strive to develop a military orientation in every professional endeavor. We must regard our jobs as part of an overall combat mission. Regardless of Air Force Specialty Code, we must understand the overall purposes of military air power and then see how our individual duties support those purposes.
To fully develop this professional knowledge base and orientation, supervisors and commanders must be involved. We need to recognize and support the value of professional courses and participation in Project Warrior discussion groups. Above all, we need to set an example in getting our people to study, think about, and discuss air power and those elements in all our jobs that contribute to the effective application of combat power. The days when the majority of our people had combat experience have passed. Very few of our company grade officers or junior enlisted members have any combat or related experience. Our combat seasoned leaders at every level need to make a positive effort to transfer their wartime experience and combat-related peacetime experience to our middle ranking and junior people.
The consequence of not developing a broad professional base can be disastrous in warfare. But a lack of professional knowledge has extremely adverse results in peacetime as well, for it is in peacetime that we develop the orientations we will use in fighting the next war. We must be prepared to give the best possible professional advice to our leaders and our subordinates. This is true whether we are talking about large scale operations in a dangerous area of the world or the day-to-day operation of a security police squadron here in the United States.
As leaders we need to encourage the development of professional knowledge in our people, As subordinates we need to glean as much as we can from our leaders' experiences. As Douglas MacArthur reminded us, "In no other profession are the penalties for employing untrained personnel so appalling or so irrevocable as in the military." KWG
The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.
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