Book contents
- Building an Air Force
- Cambridge Military Histories
- Building an Air Force
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Photographs
- Figures
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Thoughts on Future War
- 2 Commercial Aviation and Air Racing
- 3 Technology: Engine Development
- 4 Technology: Structural Design
- 5 Air Corps Procurement: The Contract System and Decision-Making
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
1 - Thoughts on Future War
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 April 2026
Book contents
- Building an Air Force
- Cambridge Military Histories
- Building an Air Force
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Photographs
- Figures
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Thoughts on Future War
- 2 Commercial Aviation and Air Racing
- 3 Technology: Engine Development
- 4 Technology: Structural Design
- 5 Air Corps Procurement: The Contract System and Decision-Making
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Professional military education was a critical part of the US Army and thus the Air Service and then Air Corps. Officers who aspired to higher rank were required to attend their branch school, the Command and General Staff School, and perhaps even the Army War College. This chapter examines these various schools, especially the Air Corps Tactical School, to show what was being taught. Significantly, air theory was separate and significantly different from the official employment doctrine taught by the Army as a whole. In addition, the Army and Air Corps doctrine was shaped by the isolationism prevalent during the 1920s and 30s, as well as the Great Depression.
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- Building an Air ForceThe Air Corps and the Formation of US Airpower, pp. 21 - 61Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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