After an illustrious showing in World War II, Hoyt S. Vandenberg was named Air Force chief of staff in 1948, and in that position he played an important role in the significant events of his time: the formation of Strategic Air Command, unification of the armed services, formation of an independent air force, the Berlin airlift, the B36/supercarrier controversy with the Navy, the development of the hydrogen bomb, and the Korean War. Graduating from West Point in 1923, Vandenberg served as a fighter pilot for the next decade, becoming one of the Air Corps's outstanding fliers. When war broke out in Europe, he was assigned to the Air Staff in Washington as an air planner for the North African and Normandy invasions, as a diplomat in Moscow, chief of staff of the Twelfth Air Force, deputy commander of the Allied Expeditionary Air Forces, and commander of the Ninth Air Force, the largest tactical air unit in history. After the war, Vandenberg returned to Washington where, after brief stints on the Air Staff and as the War Department's intelligence chief, President Harry S Truman named him director of Central Intelligence. Returning to uniform in 1948, he became Spaatz's deputy and won a fourth star. When Spaatz retired, Vandenberg was named chief of staff, a position he held for over five years.
His life is told in my work, Hoyt S. Vandenberg: The Life of a General (Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press,1989). I concluded that Vandenberg was an exceptionally wellrounded officer: an outstanding pilot, accomplished planner and staff officer, effective commander, and passable diplomat. Moreover, his personality was one of his greatest strengths; he made very few enemies. In short, he was the superb blend of leader and manager needed to get the new Air Force off the ground.
In retrospect, perhaps I underestimated his effectiveness as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After writing this book, I was assigned to the Air Staff at the Pentagon and saw for myself the extremely competitive environment existing among the services. As a consequence, I can now better understand the challenges facing an infant service led by such a youthful general. The fact that the Air Force not only survived but indeed thrived-receiving nearly half of the entire Defense budget by 1953-is a clear tribute to Vandenberg's exceptional political and organizational skills.
There are two other works on Vandenberg: dissertations by Jon A. Reynolds, "Education and Training for High Command: Hoyt S. Vandenberg's Early Career," Duke University, 1980; and Robert L. Smith, "The Influence of USAF Chief of Staff General Hoyt S. Vandenberg on United States National Security Policy," American University, 1965. Reynolds takes an interesting approach, studying the early career of a future general. Although little personal documentation is left from Vandenberg's early life, Reynolds did an indepth examination of the operational units that Vandenberg was assigned to during the interwar years. This was not only an invaluable foundation to my own study, but allowed him to construct a portrait of what life was like for a junior officer during the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression.
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 US Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.
Return: American Airpower Biography
Home Page | Feedback? Email the Editor