Chief of staff of the Air Force reading list announced

  • Published
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  Officials announced the new chief of staff of the Air Force reading list here Oct. 13.

"Our reading list is a link from our heritage to the horizon before us," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley. 

"It's essential that we fully understand the heritage upon which we're building our future. We must understand the history that's made us the Air Force we are today, and we must understand the historical and political contexts that framed the debates of the past and color people's thinking today," the general said.

The general also issued his latest  "letter to Airmen" to unveil the new list. 

The general wrote that he believes knowledge isn't a final destination -- something we "get" and hold on to forever -- but is instead a never-ending pursuit.

The new books include:

-- "The Philippine War 1899-1902" by Brian McAllister Linn
-- "The Last Days of Innocence: America At War 1917-1918" by Meirion and Susie Harries
-- "The Air War: 1939-1945" by Richard J. Overy
-- "Victory on the Potomac: The Goldwater-Nichols Act Unifies the Pentagon" by James R. Locher III
-- "Master of Airpower: General Carl A. Spaatz" by David R. Mets
-- "I Could Never Be So Lucky Again: An Autobiography of General James H. 'Jimmy' Doolittle"  by General Doolittle with Carrol V. Glines
-- "Beyond Horizons: A Half Century of Air Force Space Leadership" by David N. Spires 
-- "Courage and Air Warfare: The Allied Aircrew Experience in the Second World War" by Mark K. Wells
-- "Chennault: Giving Wings to the Tiger" by Martha Byrd
-- "Bury Us Upside Down" by Rich Newman and Don Shepperd
-- "Learning Large Lessons: The Evolving Roles of Ground Power and Air Power in the Post-Cold War Era" by David E. Johnson
-- "10 Propositions Regarding Air Power" by Phillip S. Meilinger
-- "Sir John Fisher's Naval Revolution" by Nicholas A. Lambert
-- "Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation" by James P. Womack and David T. Jones
-- "Leading Change" by John P. Kotter
-- "From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting the Middle East" by Bernard Lewis
-- "Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2000 Years" by Bernard Lewis
-- "A History of the Arab Peoples" by Albert Hourani
-- "The Dream Palace of the Arabs" by Fouad Ajami
-- "The Foreigners Gift" by Fouad Ajami

The chief of staff of the Air Force reading list can be accessed at http://www.af.mil/library/csafreading complete with links and book reviews. The books will also be available through Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., and Air Force libraries.