Culture trumps strategy every time. The author proposes that the Department of Defense has mistakenly focused too much on a strategy to combat sexual assault without due recognition of military cultural factors. Colonel Lee concludes that while there is enough evidence to suggest that the military is demographically and culturally predisposed to a higher-than-average frequency of interpersonal violence and sexual assault, more research on who joins the military (and why) is needed. To reduce interpersonal violence and sexual assault, the military must confront its members’ beliefs—not just their behaviors. The author illustrates not only how organizational change theory can be used to empower those most at risk of sexual assault to avoid becoming victims but also how to make the military a less friendly environment to would-be offenders prior to them getting the chance. [Lt Col Peter J. S. Lee, USAF / 2016 / 89 pages / ISBN: 9781585662623 / AU Press Code: DP-113]

his study examines the career of Gen Thomas Sarsfield Power, third Commander-in-Chief of Strategic Air Command, and especially his forgotten contributions to the early Air Force space program. The author describes the modern search for an Alfred Thayer Mahan for space, or a space war-fighting icon for the Air Force. The study identifies three major contributions to the Air Force space program Power had, using I.B. Holley’s three-step organizational model to develop superior weapons from new technology. [Maj Brent D. Ziarnick / 2019 / 129 pages / AU Press Code: DP-0034]

Tough Tommy’s Space Force: General Thomas S. Power and the Air Force Space Program by Major Brent D. Ziarnick. Drew Paper. Air University Press.

This study examines the development and effectiveness of Lt Gen William H. Tunner’s Leadership during the interwar years, World War II, and early Cold War. This thesis draws upon current Air Force leadership doctrine and proposes an Air Force Leadership framework with which to assess the relationships between personal experience, leadership competencies, leadership actions, and the results they produce. The author begins with Tunner’s early experiences, to include military education, training, and operational practice. The focus then shifts to Tunner’s progression in Ferrying Command and the development of his leadership competencies. Next, the author presents Tunner’s leadership actions during the Hump airlift operation and the Berlin Airlift. The study concludes with a critique of Tunner based on Air Force leadership doctrine. Tunner was brilliant at improving airlift efficiency and safety, but his single-minded focus limited his leadership accomplishments. Nonetheless, his contributions to the airlift element of airpower confirm that while often underappreciated, Lieutenant General Tunner was a major force in the development of air transportation and a successful Air Force leader. [Lt Col David S. Hanson, USAF / 2008 / 92 pages / ISBN: 978-1-58566-183-1 / AU Press Code: P-58]

Historians and other military analysts often use the term “strategic initiative.” Most assume a common understanding of this term. But the concept has been neither carefully defined nor examined in depth. This thesis contributes to the elimination of that gap by answering the question, what factors lead to shifts in strategic initiative during the conduct of modern, conventional war? The Russo-German War of 1941-1945 and the Pacific War of 1941-1945 provide the historical evidence for this study. Both conflicts progressed through three distinct phases in which the Axis combatant first seized the strategic initiative, the initiative then fell into dispute, and the initiative eventually shifted to control of the Allied combatant. Four factors contributing to strategic initiative have been examined for each phase of each war: resources, intelligence, strategic acumen, and operational and tactical methods. [Major Sean M. Judge / 2008 / 111 pages / ISBN: / AU Press Code: P-72]

This study analyzes Australia’s involvement in the 1975–99 East Timor crisis and examines how global and regional power dynamics have influenced Australia’s pursuit of the national interest. It addresses the question of why Australian support for military intervention in East Timor took 25 years to develop. To answer this question, the study is divided into three key periods of East Timorese history covering major shifts in great-power dynamics and significant changes in Australia’s strategic outlook. More specifically, these divisions represent periods of Australian dependence on great-power patronage and periods where Australia leveraged national power to alter the direction of Southeast Asian security. [Angus L. Porter, Wing Commander, Royal Australian Air Force / 2017 / 99 pages / ISBN: AU Press Code: DP-118]