"A capacity, and taste, for reading, gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved problems. And not only so. It gives a relish, and facility, for successfully pursuing the [yet] unsolved ones." – President Lincoln
Airmen,
Since America's Bicentennial, Black History Month marks an annual observance that celebrates the contributions and achievements of African Americans. This year we also recognize the 75th Anniversary of Executive Order 9981, signed by President Truman to ban segregation within the armed forces. Within the first service to complete integration, Lt Col James Harvey III and Lt Col Harry Stewart, Jr. discuss demonstrating their talent in "Tuskegee Top Gun" by breaking barriers so all could contribute their abilities within an Air Force that reflected the country they served.
Within today's dynamic geopolitical environment, we need talent as diverse as the challenges our Nation faces. In The Prepared Leader: Emerge From Any Crisis More Resilient Than Before, Dean of the Wharton School Erika James & Simmons University President Dr Lynn Wooten break down the heuristics of crisis to provide strategies for understanding risk, managing uncertainty, and calibrating resilience.
The one-year mark of Russia's invasion of Ukraine underscores that our understanding of the operational environment is synonymous with acute crisis management. In Mitchell Institute's Aerospace Advantage Podcast Russian Airpower in Ukraine: Lessons From the West, Dr. Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute provides a masterclass into tactical and operational insights from the Ukrainian battlefield while challenging us to rethink the modern air campaign.
It's been said that "data is the new oil," but no other global industry today represents a potential flashpoint for crisis as evidenced by the microchip. Chris Miller provides a gripping historical account of semiconductors in Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology. The interplay of technology, economics, manufacturing, and national defense aligned once before during the Cold War. This historical lesson over the strategic importance of this critical resource serves as a blueprint for our ability to prevail in 21st-century competition.
This President's Day Weekend, HISTORY Channel's Abraham Lincoln reminds us how far we've come while harboring no illusions about the work that remains. Under the gravity of crisis during the Civil War President Lincoln displayed humility, courage, and resolve-virtues synonymous with our Air Force Values. I am inspired by his legacy.
Fly, Fight, & Win…Airpower Anytime, Anywhere!
Sincerely,
CHARLES Q. BROWN, JR.
General, U.S. Air Force
Chief of Staff
