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Published Airpower Journal -
Spring 1998
LT COL JAMES W. SPENCER, EDITOR
THESE DAYS IT SEEMS that everyone has an op-ed on the problems with the military. They warn of giants in the land: the decline of the warrior culture, caving in to feminism, and attacks on the relevance of character and values. I enjoy reading them as much as you do. My favorites--Kate O'Beirne (National Review), Walter McDougall (Commentary), Wesley Pruden, and Suzanne Fields (Washington Times)--package their reasoning in something instructor pilots hopefully gave up years ago: fear, sarcasm, and ridicule. Unfortunately for many of you, we can't publish fear, sarcasm, and ridicule. We report our ideas in a format that's sensitive to the dialectic--we present both sides.
We need you to come forward with cogent arguments that are well researched and documented to prove that the warrior culture--the American fighting man's and woman's way of war--is or isn't on its way out. Are we too hunkered down in our "don't ask/don't tell" or counterfeminist revetments to even comment? We've received a number of innovatively thoughtful spleen-ventings, but usually all we can offer in response is some gel caps. Your ideas need to be professionally presented, or they're no better than the "I feel better" pieces that run in Air Force Times. We've said it before--scholarship and passion are not mutually exclusive.
The media types are running polemic after polemic, castigating our civilian leadership. A larger percentage of the executive branch and Congress lack military service, but the media isn't going to convince them of the existence of any cultural incorrectness if the media's support resembles flubber. In the early part of this century, A.J. Liebling first popularized the notion of criticizing the free press. A reporter himself, he once said, "Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one." If I owned some of the press, I wouldn't sleep at night. Although its commentaries are fun to read, the media isn't convincing anyone on this story for us. Besides, you should "never argue with people who buy ink by the barrel."
We need to hear from you on this subject very soon. From what we've seen already, we could conclude that there are giants in the land. Sensitive to the dialectic, we could be wrong. Give us something we can run. Need a place to start? Consider the advice of Merrit Malloy: "What we might consider is how we are good rather than how good we are."
When I received the singular honor of being selected for this position, I was once again experiencing the rare privilege of living out a chosen dream. The dream has since become reality, and the three complete volumes of Airpower Journal that record my name as editor will be conveniently easy to point to someday on a distant library shelf. Collectively, they represent--in microcosm--the professional era they chronicled.
Having had the very great fortune of working as caretaker of the professional dialogue during General Fogleman's tenure as chief of staff, I can understand why it's easy to see our success. From the confusion of our information-warfare cover on the Spring 1995 issue, to the clarity of four colors, to the expansion in our size and editorial focus, to the advocacy of a reinvigorated editorial-board process, to flagship publication status, to the increased readership garnered by our award-winning web site, it's easy to see why we're pleased with this body of work.
All commanders or division chiefs desire to conclude their tour of duty with a planned departure or a scheduled change-of-command ceremony. It appears mine will end that way in the next several months. That's part of the process of being selected to the next higher grade--an experience I share with only three other incumbents in the 50-year history of USAF professional journals.
It doesn't seem right that General Fogleman's departure was more hastily arranged. Although he confidently predicted that his action would be a "one-day" media event, the lingering effects of the professional echoes he left behind continue to gently remind us of how right he was for our times and how good he was for our service. Members of Congress bristled over the general's nerve (synonym for mettle or grit), but it seems as if the Washington elite has been only slightly annoyed by one man of principle whose earlier-than-expected retirement represents a casual irritant to agendas that rarely included his stock-in-trade--his military advice.
What hope is there for his successor? Should we ask the 107 highly promotable captains who won't be majors or the scores of top pilot-training graduates who won't be fighter pilots? If the new chief completes his tour on time, will it mean that he will have acquiesced in the face of similar circumstances?
What hope is there for my successors? I've taken the risk of more than slightly annoying the Washington elite by happily engaging in controversial dialogue, but I did so under the provision of top cover--from the chief of staff on down. Nevertheless, we inexorably remain a wholly owned subsidiary of the parent company that could, and should, remain the object of routine criticism from our published ideas. Will my successors commute to work wearing any less of a smile than mine?
Privately, I'll appropriately thank the people at Air University and the College of Aerospace Doctrine Research, and Education who have supported me so well. But when I leave, I will pay them no greater honor than to declare to you that not once was I told what to print and not once was I told how to print it by anyone in my chain of command. That is the best legacy any incumbent could leave. That is the legacy I hope for my successors--and for their chiefs of staff.
Disclaimer
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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