Professional Military Education for Air Force Officers: Comments and Criticisms

This study is based on an examination of professional military education (PME) for United States Air Force officers that was conducted in 1988 at the Airpower Research Institute (ARI), Air University Center for Aerospace Doctrine, Research, and Education (AUCADRE), Maxwell AFB, Alaoam% The original study researched the history and evolution of the Air Force's PME system, assessed the current status of Air Force PMB, and compared the PME systems of the other US military services to that of the Air Force. This extract, however, restricts itself to the history of Air Force PME between 1946 and 1987. Originally, seven ARI officers, including the editors of this study, worked on the project. Collectively, they examined more than 345 documents-letters, regulations, manuals, studies, reports, catalogs, and histories-in an effort to fully understand the criticisms made of Air Force PME throughout its history.