Office of Air Force History

Strengthening Usaf Airlift Forces, 1961-1964 Office of Air Force History

Publisher Marketing: Concurrently with the buildup of its general purpose forces to deter or win limited conflicts instigated by Communist nations, the Air Force strengthened its airlift forces appreciably. This was a logically necessary step, since Army as well as USAF combat units would depend on efficient airlift to deploy quickly to widely scattered locations where aggression against U. S. allies appeared likely to occur. Strengthening USAF Airlift Forces, 1961-1964 is an account of the airlift buildup and should be read in conjunction with the author's previous study, Strengthening USAF General Purpose Forces, 1961-1964 in a sense a companion monograph. The writer has emphasized generally the viewpoint of planners in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force and Headquarters USAF. At the same time, he has discussed the relationship of their planning to the broader national military policy enunciated by the President and the Secretary of Defense. Dependence of the Army on airlift for the movement of its combat units also necessitated close cooperation between Air Force and Army, and this sometimes led to sharp differences of opinion and heated controversy. Prepared as part of the continuing History of Headquarters USAF, this study is being issued separately to make it available quickly in convenient form.