06/29/2011 As Second Line of Defense launches into its second month of the issues forum, I borrow liberally from President Bill Clinton’s rather famous 1992 political campaign rallying cry of “It’s the Economy, Stupid” to draw attention to the single most critical building block upon which a rebuild of the United States Air Force must be anchored. Over the next month, we will undoubtedly be treated to a number of thoughtful papers focusing on funding, technology, politics and doctrine…but at the end of the day, if the Air Force does not attract, cultivate and empower a generation of aggressive, confident and forward-looking leadership, nothing else really matters.
The nation faces some daunting challenges over the next decade if we are to restore the capabilities of the most dominating air power on the planet. And, it’s certainly much easier to slide down a slippery slope than it is to claw one’s way back to the top. The climb will be long and painful. During stabilization and the climb, this country and our allies will be at risk, as will the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who are protected by air power. The next generation of Air Force leadership will have to manage that significant risk, while rebuilding all components of our Air Force. Too timid, and we will continue the slide down that slippery slope. Too reckless, and we fall off a cliff. Bold leaders with a long view and a solid plan will allow this nation a systematic and managed way to slowly and effectively claw back up that hill again.
So, now hear is the rub. Honestly, great leaders are a rare commodity. And, even among the greatest leaders, only a small number of them are really effective in managing through a crisis…and make no mistake, this is a crisis. The Air Force is blessed to have had a number of leaders in its history who stood in the face of extraordinary challenge to build the Service to its present position of dominance in power projection. Whether we look for inspiration to Billy Mitchell, Hap Arnold or the amazing courage of then Lt. Col. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. who literally stared down fierce opposition in the US Congress to keep the Tuskegee Airmen in the fight in Europe during World War II and not relegated to a training base in Alabama, we see the leadership qualities critical to the future of our Air Force. Now, that new group of Air Force leadership will need top cover to be effective…senior leadership within OSD, on Capitol Hill and in the White House who possess the managerial confidence of a Lee Iacocca, to embrace, rather than be intimidated by, people with extraordinary brains, commitment and vision…and allow the energy and experience of these individuals to be unleashed to aggressively move the ball forward.
This new generation of leaders will have to tell our nation and its elected leadership things that no one wants to hear…things highlighting vulnerabilities that are really pretty self-evident, but are just a whole lot easier to ignore. The message will be ugly and unpleasant. But, as Adlai Stevenson said, “all progress has resulted from people who took unpopular positions.” And our future Air Force leaders will have to possess the courage to communicate the truth no matter how uncomfortable. For, as President George W. Bush said, “a great leader must be able to act as the calcium for the backbone.”
The challenges will be immense for those tasked with rebuilding our Air Force, and the dampening effects of a heavily-bloated bureaucracy will not make things any easier. Luckily, it may be possible to walk in the shoes of some leadership giants.
The first one is very close to home for military types. General Colin Powell may have developed the most concise explanation of essential leadership attributes in his “Leadership Primer”. The “Manager of the Century”, former GE CEO Jack Welch built the most admired company in the world by developing passionate leaders who break down barriers and execute with precision. See: http://www.welchway.com/. As a product of the GE system, I was amazed at the similarity of approach between General Powell and Jack Welch…though maybe I shouldn’t be…those uniquely qualified to move complex organizations toward the horizon and inspire even under the worst conditions are obviously cut from the same cloth. Powell and Welch essentially agree on the following key attributes of an effective leader…the absolute required attributes for those who will lead the rebuilding of America’s Air Force: (1) positive energy/passion…ability to take the hill…and knowing that making tough decisions means sometimes pissing people off, (2) edge…having the critical skill sets of daring, risk, speed and agility…and the courage to “go with your gut”, (3) empowerment…the ability to attract the best people, energize others, while at the same time sweating the details, (4) breaking down barriers and simplifying the most difficult of messages.
A few years ago, much was made of a supposed malady known as “Next-War-itis”, as if the condition was a flaw in leadership to be avoided. The passage of time has certainly proven that assumption dead wrong. I would submit in this challenging environment that within the Air Force…and for that matter in the entire Department of Defense…” Next-War-itis” should certainly not be seen as a disease, but rather an absolute requirement for anyone holding any strategic position within the Pentagon.
The leaders willing to stand and face the firestorm that will be necessary to position our Air Force to continue to do the job in the 21st century will learn from direct line of fire experience that “command is lonely”. They will have to practice the principle that leadership does not emerge from blind obedience. They will have to be willing to sacrifice themselves and their careers for the greater good of the Air Force and, more generally, the security of the United States and our allies. As I was reminded recently, physical courage is not moral courage, so courage on the battlefield does not necessarily equate to the kind of courage required of leaders who will rebuild US air power. These extraordinary individuals may well be hard to spot. Is there a Billy Mitchell among us to claw back up that slippery slope?
The Honorable William C. “Bill” Anderson served as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force from 2005-2008. He can be reached at CO2RCR@hotmail.com
Awesome article…completely agree.