Maxwell AFB Rethinking Approach To War

The United States launched air strikes on targets in Syria this week, working to destroy the ISIS terrorist group.

 

Members of Air University help dictate the strategy behind military action, but Matthew Stafford with the school says it’s about more than just air strikes.

 

“This isn’t just an ISIS problem. This is an ebola problem, we’re talking about disaster relief. We’re talking about intelligence. All of these things are driven by the mind of the war fighter,” said Stafford.

 

Almost every officer in the Air Force attends the school.

That’s part of why Col. Thomas McCarthy says it’s so crucial to have discussions like this.

 

“If we don’t get together ourselves within the university, we don’t have that feedback. Only by challenging each other and each other’s assumptions and thoughts to we identify the underlying weaknesses,” said Col. McCarthy.

 

He said in his presentation that the military has to change.

 

Targets like ISIS are getting smaller and more mobile, and our weapons are becoming more digital. 

 

One of the faculty members in the audience says he hopes to include more than just airmen at the next event. 

 

“The vision is that we’ll do this multiple times throughout the year and we’ll involve people at the local universities and colleges so that we can exchange ideas with them and they will have an opportunity to share their ideas and research,” said Chris Cain with the school’s academic affairs office.

 

Thousands of airmen and women come through air university and take the skills they learn into the battlefield.