Air Force United States Air Thesis

The Air Force relies heavily on a common understanding of the service's mission to promote cohesion among airmen. Its identity is based largely on its organizational and conceptual history and the primacy of technology over warfighting theory. This leads to a culture in which small, often technology-based, subcultures flourish, a condition that requires a common, service-wide understanding of the Air Force mission to hold things together. (Thomas, 2004)

History plays a significant role in shaping an organization. Of the American military services, the Air Force has the most limited historical basis for its identity. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps each trace their organization's history back to the Revolutionary War.

The Air Force started as branch of the Army, and airmen waged political battles for its independence. The Air Force was created for a specific purpose: the exploitation of a technology that had come of age. A unique Air Force identity developed over time as airpower became better understood, doctrine was developed, and new traditions were started.(Thomas, 2004)

Technology, the identification with the mission of nuclear deterrence, and the values derived from early experiences provided a common set of beliefs and assumptions for airmen regarding the role of the Air Force -- the culture. The identification of oneself as "an airman" is one of the associational aspects that define service in the Air Force as a profession. (Thomas, 2004)

Bibliography

Air Force Link. August 2008. 14 November 2008 http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id+2.

Grabianowski, Ed. "How the U.S. Air Force Works." How Stuff Works. 13 November 2008 http://www.science.howstuffworks.com/air-force.htm.

Saunders, Roger. "The History of the United States Air force." 12 November 2008. Modern U.S.

History. 15 November 2008 http://wwwmodern-us-history.suite101.com/article.cfm....

Thomas, Major William C. "The Cultural Identity of the United States Air Force." 30 January 2004. Chronicles Online Journal. 14 November 2008 http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/cc/thomas.html.

U.S. Air Force - USAF History. 12 November 2008 http://www.airforce.com/mission/history......