Air University (AU) > AUPress

Sept. 1, 2011
The Credibility of America's Extended Nuclear Deterrent

As Iran moves ever closer to a nuclear weapons capability, will other area powers such as Turkey decide to acquire their own nuclear weapons and embark on a crash nuclear weapons program to provide their own deterrent? Or will Turkey’s leaders trust in the United States’ extended nuclear
July 1, 2011
General McChrystal’s Strategic Assessment: Evaluating the Operating Environment in Afghanistan in the Summer of 2009 [ONLINE ONLY]

This narrative focuses on General McChrystal and his strategic assessment team’s analysis. It describes the assessment team and covers some of the early friction between the members of the team who had arrived with the new commander and the existing headquarters staff. It then dissects the
June 1, 2010
On the Fly: Israeli Airpower against the Al-Aqsa Intifada, 2000–2005

Perhaps the greatest lesson the Israeli Air Force should have learned from the five-year campaign against Palestinian militants in the Occupied Territories was the danger inherent in planning from past success. It had long been accustomed to fight short, sharp, conventional wars. Operation Ebb and
May 1, 2010
AF Symposium Series 2010-2, Future Operator Symposium Proceedings

In July 2009 the Air Force Research Institute invited more than 270 active duty personnel, 14 general officers, and Department of Defense civilians to a “Future Operator Symposium” at Maxwell Air Force Base. The objective was to discuss what operators should look like in the future by
April 1, 2010
RPAs: Revolution or Retrogression?

Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) are in a way merely the continuation of the old human longing for methods of striking or observing one’s enemies while remaining safe. This essay explores the advantages and disadvantages of the systems, and briefly speculates about the future of unmanned
Dec. 1, 2009
Reflections of a Middling Cold Warrior: Should the Army Air Corps Be Resurected?

The need for the justification of an autonomous Air Force seems to be increasingly questioned. This article will argue the issue arises from a bad case of “presentism” that will make it inevitable that we will again be accused of having prepared for the last war in future conflicts. In
Nov. 1, 2009
Leveraging Affective Learning for Developing Future Airmen

This study is intended to help AF leadership and educators better understand the importance of affective learning in the development of Airmen as life-long learners. Affective learning concerns learners' attitude, motivations, beliefs, and emotions. Unfortunately, the affective domain has been a
Aug. 1, 2009
Challenging Nuclear Abolition [ONLINE ONLY]

Tough choices regarding defense spending and national security strategy are likely to come in 2009 and 2010, and may significantly affect nuclear weapons policy. Although the president’s efforts to develop a “new New Deal” may overshadow shifts in nuclear weapons policy, the
March 1, 2009
The Machinery of Government Needs A Tune-Up

This study examines the history, likes and differences of the US National Security Council system and its organizational prototype, the pre-World War II British Committee of Imperial Defence, their structures, purposes, functions, leadership, and the significant changes each experienced their
March 1, 2009
Learning to Fight Together: The British Experience with Joint Air-Land Warfare [ONLINE ONLY]

Applying a methodology that is best described as “inductive synthesis,” this research paper examines the elusive quest for effective integration between air and land forces in the context of joint operations. It draws on the British experience from the first attempts to provide air