Airmen!

  • Published
  • By Dr. Lani Kass
  • National War College
As newspaper headlines scream about the "failure of generalship", and the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) somberly ponders testimonies about the "broken Army", a quiet revolution is underway in the United States Air Force: a fundamental revitalization of America's youngest Service's warfighting ethos.

The United States Air Force is commonly perceived as the "high tech" service--a conglomeration of skilled technicians intent on developing and acquiring the latest technology. To the extent the American public even thinks about its winged defenders, it's usually in the context of beautiful flying machines, performing flawlessly at an air show. Support and empathy--as well as Congressional concerns--are increasingly reserved for "the troops", meaning the Army and Marines. Few, if any, ever note that it is people--Airmen--sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, who turn hunks of metal, buckets of bolts, microprocessors and circuitry into America's warfighting edge and winged defense. And, as such, they deserve no less empathy and support than our sons and daughters, sisters and brothers driving convoys and patrolling the streets of Iraq--especially since some 20,000 of those are Airmen too.

Because modern technology evolves quickly and costs a lot of money, the Air Force is all too often seen as a drain on national resources, chasing expensive technology seemingly for its own sake. Worse, as recent SASC deliberations suggest, it is also perceived as a convenient cash-cow to salve the conscience of manifesting "support for the troops," without having to sacrifice pet projects, or legislate allocation of a higher percentage of the GDP for national defense at a time of war.

Last, and perhaps most perniciously, there's a disassociation in the mind of the American people and their elected officials between the Air Force and the blood, sweat and tears that make up the enduring reality of war. Think about it: the one Service who has been in continuous combat the longest--16 straight years in South West Asia, with "minor" detours to win another war in the Balkans, spread its wings over America's cities after 9/11, and deliver life saving supplies in the wake of hurricanes and tsunamis--is set apart from "the troops" to whom we owe support. It's programs are the piggy bank to be raided to "support the troops".

Think about this too: the mission of the Air Force is to fly and fight in air, space and cyberspace--to go after the enemy, to control the battlespace, and secure freedom to attack and freedom from attack. How well has it done? The last time an American Soldier was killed by enemy aircraft was 1953. Desert Storm is commonly called the "100 hour war"--that's how long the ground campaign lasted--because airpower made it so. Operation Allied Force in the Balkans was won without a single American "boot on the ground". 

Brutal dictatorships were toppled in Afghanistan and Iraq in record time, with the Air Force responsible for most of the killing. So, how can anyone argue--as was, indeed, argued in front of the SASC--that the Air Force is sitting on the sidelines and, thus, instead of garnering recognition and support, it should sacrifice its technological edge to finance the admittedly needed growth in land power?

This isn't about inter-Service rivalries or competing claims on resources. It is about the Air Force refusing to cede the monopoly on valor and the intimate link with the American people exclusively to its ground brethren. This is about the Air Force reclaiming its rightful place in America's pantheon of heroes--and, thus, in Americans' hearts.

With these imperatives in mind, General T. Michael "Buzz" Moseley, the 18th Chief of Staff of the Air Force, issued a "CSAF Vector" that defines a new direction for the USAF. The publication was deliberately timed to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. April 18, 1942 is a date worth remembering, for it foreshadowed the American way of war and the manner in which World War II will end--just four months after the "day that will live in infamy", the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. On that day, 80 Airmen, led by Jimmy Doolittle, flew 16 B-25s into the heart of Imperial Japan to deliver a simple message: we'll go after you, exploiting the range and payload that are the heart and soul of airpower, and bring you to your knees by inflicting death and destruction the likes of which were never seen. Three years later, Imperial Japan signed the instruments of unconditional surrender without the unimaginable bloodshed that would have ensued if airpower didn't obviate the need for a ground invasion of the Home Islands.

This tradition of uncommon honor, valor, devotion, and mission-first attitude makes up the cornerstone of the USAF's recent rededication to the enduring warrior ethos and shared Warrior Virtues. All are reflected in the Chief's Vector, as well as the accompanying Airman's Creed. Its words are as simple as they are profound. They speak for themselves:

The Airman's creed
I am an American Airman.
I am a warrior.
I have answered my nation's call.
I am an American Airman.
My mission is to fly, fight, and win.
I am faithful to a proud heritage,
A tradition of honor,
And a legacy of valor.
I am an American Airman,
Guardian of freedom and justice,
My nation's sword and shield,
Its sentry and avenger.
I defend my country with my life.
I am an American Airman:
Wingman, leader, warrior.
I will never leave an Airman behind,
I will never falter,
And I will not fail.

Only the Air Force can claim that it is the Nation's sword, shield, sentry and avenger-all at the same time. Airmen are the guardians who patrol the skies over our cities and maintain an ever-vigilant over-watch over both foe and friend They are the air bridge to provide humanitarian assistance around the globe--and supply, support, and evacuate our ground warriors. Airmen are the top cover for troops in contact in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, just like in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, Airmen fly into danger to deliver death and destruction to those who would do us and our allies harm. Only Airmen are--at once--warriors, wingmen and leaders. And only Airmen truly never leave a comrade behind: combat search and rescue is a sacred duty for Airmen and the motto "so others might live" is taken quite literally by those who fly Vietnam-era rescue helicopters into places the devil himself doesn't dare to tread, to pick up downed warriors--US and allied, Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force.

In publishing the new Vector and Creed, the USAF leadership aims at both internal and external audiences--that is, Airmen and the American people. Internally, the intent is to enhance cohesion, to ensure Airmen everywhere recommit themselves to a single purpose as America's winged defenders: "fly, fight, win". The Vector also reflects the leadership's recognition that, over the years, the Air Force has become so technologically proficient that it grew into a patchwork of functional communities, living in highly specialized, distinct technical disciplines. Hence a concerted effort to refocus the Service on a common touchstone--the profession of arms, with its distinct values and ethos. Hence the emphasis on what being an Airman means at the core, foundational level: a Warrior, Wingman and Leader--first and foremost.

Professional specialties and operational systems are merely the instruments through which these core values are actualized. The shared, unifying mission is as simple as it is profound: fly, fight, win--defend America "with my life". Concurrently, the new Vector and Creed unabashedly aim to reconnect America to its Airmen, reminding the public that those who wear Air Force blue are proud members of the profession of arms--the few who have answered the Nation's call to service and sacrifice . Airmen are heirs to the same glorious tradition of honor, valor and devotion that unifies Warriors across centuries and warfighting domains. Airmen fly, fight, and win in air, space and cyberspace--that is what they do. More importantly, that is who they are. At this intersection of history and destiny, with human lives in the balance, the Nation could ask no more--and no less--from its youngest Service.
The Creed published on April 18 is the creed for all Airmen, for all time. It links the Air Force's glorious heritage to its boundless horizon.

As the Air Force flys and fights around the globe in the defining struggle of our generation, prepares for tomorrow's uncertainties, and pleads for attention in the halls of Congress, one thing has definitely changed. Anywhere one finds the Air Force, one will find Wingmen, Leaders, and Warriors. One will find Airmen.


Dr Lani Kass is a Professor of Military Strategy at the National War College, currently on sabbatical as Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, USAF. These views are her own and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the Department of Defense, the US Air Force, or the National Defense University.