The Paths of Heaven counterbalances the Air Force's tendency to emphasize operational concerns at the expense of theory. Most of the fifteen essays are contributed by current or former faculty of the School of Advanced Airpower Studies at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Collectively, the authors trace the development of airpower theory from its origins with Giulio Douhet, through the formulation of airpower doctrine during the interwar years at the Air Corps Tactical School, to current efforts to codify a cogent theory of space power. In the words of retired chief of staff Gen Ronald R....

Colonel Erickson examines the use of space exploration as a tool to secure international prestige and national pride as part of the Cold War struggle with the Soviet Union during the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations. He looks at the creation of the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), the evolving NASA-DOD relationship, and the larger context in which this relationship was forged. He focuses on the human-spaceflight projects-Projects Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Dynasoar, and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory-by examining the geopolitical, domestic political, and...

With many scholars and analysts questioning the relevance of deterrence as a valid strategic concept, this volume moves beyond Cold War nuclear deterrence to show the many ways in which deterrence is applicable to contemporary security. It examines the possibility of applying deterrence theory and practice to space, to cyberspace, and against non-state actors. It also examines the role of nuclear deterrence in the twenty-first century and reaches surprising conclusions.

Tyler analyzes the Malayan Emergency of 1948-1960 focusing on the intelligence needs and methods of the British high commissioner, Sir Gerald Templer. He demonstrates the importance of information gathering and analysis in bringing about the ultimate British victory. Operational design is "a highly complex mental process that imagines the future, reflects on the past, and produces an understanding of both the problem and the optimal solution." Templer and his intelligence professionals did not-indeed could not-consciously use design as a methodology, they intuitively grasped and applied its...