Educating air forces: global perspectives on airpower learning

Intro -- Half title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword -- Introduction -- I. The Interwar Years -- The RAF Staff College in the Interwar Years: The Birth of Air Power Education in the RAF -- Giulio Douhet and the Influence of Air Power Education in Interwar Italy -- The Birth of the École supérieure de guerre aérienne and the Strategic Education of the French Air Force -- Luftwaffe Officer Training in the Interwar Period -- II. The Cold War -- Air Force Education at the RCAF Staff College, 1945-1955 -- Sustaining Disruption: The Creation of the Air University and the Air Force Academy, 1918-1955 -- Interests Aligned but Not Integrated: The Royal Canadian Air Force Staff College and Inter-Service Staff Education After the Second World War -- III. Post-Cold War Education -- The Air Corps Tactical School and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies: Educating America's Air Force Then and Now -- Air Power Education in Australia: The Influence of the Air Power Development Centre -- Square Pegs in a Round Hole: John Boyd, John Warden, and Airpower in Small Wars -- Educating Strategic Leaders: The Foundations of Strategic Level PME at the Canadian Forces College -- Icarus Meets Mars: A Case for Teaching Airpower History in Academe -- The Education of an Air Force-A Royal Air Force Perspective -- Acknowledgments -- Contributors -- Index.

"Compared to armies and navies, which have existed as professional fighting services for centuries, the technology that makes air forces possible is much newer. As a result, these services have had to quickly develop methods of preparing aviators to operate in conditions ranging from peace or routine security to full-scale war. The first book to address the history and scope of air power professionalization through learning programs, Educating Air Forces offers valuable new insight into strategy and tactics worldwide. Here, a group of international experts examine the philosophies, policies, and practices of air service educational efforts in the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, Canada, and the UK. First, the contributors discuss the founding, successes, and failures of European air force learning programs between the Great War and World War II. Chapters in section two explore how the tense political climate during the Cold War influenced the creation, curriculum, and results of various programs. The final section addresses the post-Cold War era, specifically examining how educational programs are adapting to soldiers' needs and the demands of modern warfare. Featuring contributions from eminent scholars in the field, this volume surveys the learning approaches globally employed by air forces in the past century and evaluates their effectiveness. Educating Air Forces reveals how experiential learning and formal education are not only inextricably intertwined, but also necessary to cope with advances in modern warfare"--

"Compared to armies and navies, which have existed as professional fighting services for centuries, the technology that makes air forces possible is much newer. As a result, these services have had to quickly develop methods of preparing aviators to operate in conditions ranging from peace or routine security to full-scale war. The first book to address the history and scope of air power professionalization through learning programs, Educating Air Forces offers valuable new insight into strategy and tactics worldwide. Here, a group of international experts examine the philosophies, policies, and practices of air service educational efforts in the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, Canada, and the UK. First, the contributors discuss the founding, successes, and failures of European air force learning programs between the Great War and World War II. Chapters in section two explore how the tense political climate during the Cold War influenced the creation, curriculum, and results of various programs. The final section addresses the post-Cold War era, specifically examining how educational programs are adapting to soldiers' needs and the demands of modern warfare. Featuring contributions from eminent scholars in the field, this volume surveys the learning approaches globally employed by air forces in the past century and evaluates their effectiveness. Educating Air Forces reveals how experiential learning and formal education are not only inextricably intertwined, but also necessary to cope with advances in modern warfare"--