1
The 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR); The National Security Strategy of the United
States; The Secretary of Defense’s Annual Report to the President and Congress; The 1998
National Defense Panel; P.L. 105-261, Title IX, Subtitle A, Sec. 903; The 2001 QDR.
2
Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, 2001 Annual Report to the President and the Congress;
George W. Bush, “A Period of Consequences,” speech at the Citadel, Sept. 23, 1999.
3
Eliot Cohen, “ Defending America in the Twenty-first Century,” Foreign Affairs, Nov. 2000.
Congressional Research Service { The Library of Congress
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Order Code RS20859
Updated January 18, 2006
Air Force Transformation
Christopher Bolkcom
Specialist in National Defense
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Summary
Many believe that the Department of Defense (DOD) — including the Air Force
— must transform itself to ensure future U.S. military dominance. The Air Force has
a transformation plan that includes advanced technologies, concept development, and
organizational innovation. Issues for Congress include the efficacy of this plan, its
feasibility, and the attendant costs. This report will be updated.
Introduction
Over the past several years, observers have discussed the need for DOD to transform
in light of rapidly changing international circumstances.
1
Both the Clinton and George W.
Bush Administrations argued that the United States must embark on a transformation path
today, to meet a range of future security challenges.
2
While the United States is today’s
dominant military power, past dominant powers have been surprised by changing
circumstances and unforeseen threats.
3
Further, the need for DOD to confront non-state
actors (e.g., terrorists, insurgents, international organized crime, narco traffickers) — a
very different challenge than confronting nation-states, may grow in the future.
In May 1996 the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff published Joint Vision 2010,
a conceptual template for how America’s armed forces may exploit technological
opportunities to achieve new levels of effectiveness in joint military operations. This
transformation guide was updated, expanded, and republished in May 2000.
DOD’s 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) described six critical goals to
focus transformation efforts: (1) protecting critical bases of operations and defeating
weapons of mass destruction; (2) assuring information systems and conducting effective
