This paper examines the organizational responses to the emergence of air and space as warfighting domains and, using these experiences as points of comparison, applies the same logic to consider the question: Should the Department of Defense create an independent US Cyber Force? The author determines that the Army Air Forces had achieved de facto independent status within the War Department by 1942, but airpower advocates continued to press for separation to more effectively advocate for budget share. [Lt Col Matthew Hyland, USAF/2019/86 pages/AU Press Code DP-0032]

This work studies American civil-military relations at the level of an individual military service and considers the impact of the Air Force’s organizational culture on its civil-military relationship. Whereas most of the literature on civil-military relations treats the military as a unitary actor, this study considers the services as separate entities with unique self-interests. [Lt Col Jeffrey W. Donnithorne, USAF / 2013 / 123 pages / ISBN: 978-1-58566-225-8 / AU Press Code: P-101]

A comparative history of Afghanistan and the post-Civil War US South societies reveals the sharing of three important traits: highly differentiated class structures, ethnically and economically diverse societal mosaics, and a belief in peripheral and societal autonomy. The author of this paper explores the prospects for either renewed civil war or stable peace in Afghanistan after US and coalition military forces withdraw. The comparison with the South after April 1865 suggests that political reconciliation with Taliban leaders, sustained peace, and stable economic growth are possible. The study concludes that Afghanistan’s fate rests with the Afghan people and not the international community, despite the weight of effort expended by the US and coalition nations since October 2001. [Lt Col Marc E. Greene, USAF / 2015 / 111 pages / ISBN: 978-1-58566-236-4]

This study proceeds in two parts. The first section is a theoretical and historical review of the role of logistics—enabled military presence as a part of coercive strategies. The second section of the work systematically examines the United States’ current aerial port technologies and concepts of operations. [Maj Steven Scott Byrum /2019 / 72 pages / AU Press Code: DP-0030]

Women have always participated in armed conflict, most often as active supporters of the armies they have followed. Some women, usually the wives of soldiers, served as nurses, laundresses, cooks, and seamstresses. Other women chose active participation in battle, including the famed Molly Pitcher. Mary Hays McCauly earned this moniker during the Battle of Monmouth in 1778 when she provided pitchers of water and medical care to members of the Continental Army fighting the British. After shrapnel struck her husband, McCauly took up his position as a cannoneer so that the artillery crew could continue to fight. Gen George Washington rewarded her bravery by making her a noncommissioned officer.* The story of Molly Pitcher symbolizes the realities of women and war. War has always affected women to some capacity despite civilized society’s best attempts to protect the gentler sex from war’s brutality. Yet, despite Molly Pitcher’s successes on the battlefield, which included picking up an injured soldier to save him from charging British soldiers, American culture has traditionally deprecated female participation in war. In most cultures, even today, a woman engaged in combat operations represented an anathema, such as the reactions to Jeanne d’Arc by political and religious leaders. [Kristal L. M. Alfonso / 2009 / 137 pages / ISBN: 978-1-58566-196-1 / AU Press Code: P-74]

Russia’s actions in Ukraine and Crimea ushered in a return to great power competition. The Eastern European NATO members, especially the Baltics, are at risk of territorial annexation by Russia. This thesis examines deterrence within the broader framework of strategic coercion and analyzes conventional deterrence before and after the Cold War to build a historical reference. A significant historical finding is a trend towards a decreased reliance on forward presence, in favor of power projection through expeditionary forces. A robust deterrent policy through diplomacy and military forces is critical to deter Russian aggression. [Maj Morgan P. Lohse, USAF/2019/58 pages/AU Press Code DP-0033]

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether or not America’s kinetic emphasis represents an effective method to achieve the stated political objectives of the global war on terror. The author addresses four questions: What constitutes an effective military strategy? Does America exhibit a characteristic method of waging war? If so, what traits best depict that model? What model would best represent the antithesis of America’s preferred form of warfare? [Lt Col Thomas D. Torkelson, USAF 2008 / 151 pages / ISBN: 978-1-58566-178-7 / AU Press Code: P-55]

The presidencies of Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon are examined through the lens of image and cognitive theory to help answer the question of how their perceptions (which often can create their own reality) of the Vietnam War affected their agendas and the outcomes of the war that each inherited. By examining Vietnam in the context of presidential image—how presidents filter events based on the unique experiences they bring to office—it is the author’s hope that a broader conceptualization of “war as inheritance” will emerge. Ultimately, this study may help minimize current and future cognitive pitfalls in the development and execution of grand strategy, particularly when policy makers face the daunting challenge of inherited war. [Lt Col William R. Hersch, USAF / 2014 / 200 pages / ISBN: 978-1-58566-249-4 / AU Press Code: P-102]

This study finds that future swarms of small, remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) might provide significant force-projection capabilities using global military and commercial logistics infrastructures. This conclusion results from an examination of air operations during the Vietnam War, Operations Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom, existing RPA research and development, and projected Department of Defense developmental milestones involving swarms of small RPAs. The study also proposes a concept of operations, designated Locust Swarm, and a new logistics construct, called Instant Basing, that exploit the future capabilities of small, unmanned aerial vehicles. Such concepts may provide national policy makers relatively low-cost, low-risk options for international crises requiring the rapid deployment of airpower. [Jonathan E. Burdick, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF / 2016 / 127 pages / ISBN: 978-1-58566-252-4 / AU Press Code: P-109]

Tyler analyzes the Malayan Emergency of 1948–1960 focusing on the intelligence needs and methods of the British high commissioner, Sir Gerald Templer. He demonstrates the importance of information gathering and analysis in bringing about the ultimate British victory. Operational design is “a highly complex mental process that imagines the future, reflects on the past, and produces an understanding of both the problem and the optimal solution.” Templer and his intelligence professionals did not—indeed could not—consciously use design as a methodology, they intuitively grasped and applied its essence. [Brian J. Tyler, Lt Col, USAF / 2014 / 143 pages / ISBN: 978-1-58566-233-3 / AU Press Code:]