Document created: 4 September 03
Air & Space Power Journal - Fall 2003

American Military Aviation: The Indispensable Arm by Charles J. Gross. Texas A&M University Press (http://www.tamu.edu/upress), John H. Lindsey Building, Lewis Street, 4354 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-4354, 2002, 382 pages, $35.00 (hardcover).

Dr. Charles Gross, a retired Air Force officer with active, Reserve, and Guard experience, has surveyed a century of the history of American military airpower. His chronological narrative advances five broad theses. First, he makes the uncontroversial assertion that airpower “has become an indispensable element” of American power. His next two theses present the contrasting ideas that leaders have consistently overestimated airpower’s effectiveness yet have disparaged airlift and air refueling as “the neglected stepchildren of airpower” (p. 8). His final two simply contend that “air power has transformed warfare by extending the range and destructiveness of combat operations” and that airpower “has had a significant impact on American culture and economy” (pp. 8–9). Consistent with his wide-ranging theses, the author takes a broad perspective of airpower. He discusses aviation’s growing importance in each US military service and addresses nearly all airpower roles. Embedding airpower’s economic and cultural aspects deeply into his narrative, he even addresses space power briefly. Gross does not explicitly emphasize a joint-airpower perspective but does highlight contributions of the Reserve and Guard components- especially since the Vietnam War. Since Dr. Gross currently serves as chief of the Air National Guard’s history program, his generous attention to airpower’s total-force aspects is understandable.

No airpower zealot, the author presents generally evenhanded historical interpretations, critiquing Air Force icons such as Billy Mitchell and remaining skeptical of the Combined Bomber Offensive: “Tactical air power . . . not strategic bombers, made the most significant contribution to Allied victory” (p. 119). For the most part, he praises recent, dramatic advances in military aviation technology and in leaders’ attention to airlift and air refueling, yet offers cautious appraisals of airpower’s performance during Operation Desert Storm and the recent Balkans campaigns.

Neither a new historical interpretation nor a reference work, American Military Aviation resists categorization. Because it relies almost entirely on secondary sources, readers will find few original insights- but the author adds value by assembling information into a fast-paced narrative based on his five theses. Gross does a good job of summarizing key airpower trends yet assumes that readers are already acquainted with the history he describes. The book has an encyclopedic tone because it covers diverse airpower topics and contains extensive endnotes and bibliographic references. However, the lack of an index hinders its utility as a reference source. Overall, American Military Aviation will prove most useful to readers who, though already familiar with the history of American military airpower, seek a balanced, sweeping overview of the topic.

Lt Col Paul D. Berg, PhD, USAF
Maxwell AFB, Alabama

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.