From the air: rediscovering our raison d'etre

Although the Air Force certainly had to support the Army and Marine Corps during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, these joint efforts might cause a large cadre of Airmen to identify more with supporting ground operations than with fighting and winning the nation's wars through the strategic application of air, space, and cyberspace power. Hence, these Air Force officers could lose that aspect of "air-mindedness," which could have negative consequences as land operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia wind down and the international emphasis shifts toward East Asia, where air and sea operations would predominate. This problem is exacerbated by the fiscal challenges facing the Department of Defense. Given the daunting issues confronting the Air Force, Airmen would do well to look back at the service's reason for being and remember why the nation established an independent air arm. Adapted from the source document.