This thesis investigates the U.S. Air Force's reaction to the Vietnam War, focusing on the period between 1975 and 1991. It explores how Air Force officers assessed the war during this time, and to...Show moreThis thesis investigates the U.S. Air Force's reaction to the Vietnam War, focusing on the period between 1975 and 1991. It explores how Air Force officers assessed the war during this time, and to what extent the experience of Vietnam led to concrete changes in the Air Force. The thesis finds that the Air Force's deeply ingrained institutional culture prescribed particular views about the use of airpower, and that this prevented them from conducting proper evaluations of the war. This adherence to their institutional culture was not a new development. Rather, it was a continuation of Air Force attitudes from the time between World War II and the Vietnam War.Show less
