Reforging the sword: United States Air Force tactical air forces, air power doctrine, and national security policy, 1945-1956

The evolution of the United States Air Force tactical air forces from the end of World War II through the first administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower provides a useful case study of the complex interrelated factors which shape military forces and their operational concepts. This study illustrates the dominant role of national security policy and Air Force basic doctrine in shaping the tactical air forces of the 1950s. The tactical component of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II was an extensive, powerful combat structure which virtually disappeared during the rapid post-war demobilization, only to be reborn during the build up of NATO and the defense of Korea. The national security policies and service doctrine guided the development of the new tactical air power, and provided the justification for the tactical air forces in the intense interservice and intraservice competition for restricted budgetary resources.;Presidential emphasis on controlling defense costs and developing cost effective defense programs produced national security policies which supported the extensive integration of nuclear weapons into the American military force structure. The Air Force used this to reinforce its claim to be the premier instrument of national defense, arguing that decisive results could be gained quickly in any future war through nuclear strategic air offensive.;The nuclear orientation of the national policy, the competition for resources and the emphasis on offensive operations in Air Force doctrine also influenced the development of the tactical air forces for theater warfare and limited war situations. United States Air Force planning for virtually all types of contingencies emphasized the "decisive" application of nuclear firepower. This situation produced a tactical air force structure, equipment procurement programs, and training patterns which emphasized nuclear operations, while also relying on the flexibility of air power to conduct conventional operations if needed. Although the tactical air forces were criticized for the heavy nuclear orientation during the 1950s, and especially after the emergence of the "Flexible Response" policy in the 1960s, these forces represented a significant combat capability which accurately represented the realities of the national security policies and the Air Force doctrine which spawned them. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.).