Grounded: The Case for Abolishing the United States Air Force is a 2014 nonfiction book by Robert Farley, published by University Press of Kentucky. The book argues that the United States Air Force (USAF) missions should be distributed as organic to other military forces, specifically the "other" air forces: Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and CIA, and the Air Force be disestablished as a separate component of the United States Department of Defense.[1]
Farley was a University of Kentucky professor at the time of publishing.[2] He was awarded a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Washington in 2004.[3]
Reactions
editAn American Enterprise Institute scholar wrote that the book was flawed by not recognizing the strategic bombing or space and missile missions of the Air Force, calling them "indispensable capabilities that neither the Army nor the Navy can or will replicate",[4] with the book and the particular critique both predating the 2019 foundation of the United States Space Force. A USAF Air University official wrote that assigning capabilities to organic support would lose currently existing global capabilities and result in a "territorial air [force] tied to national ground units" such as that of the Royal Canadian Air Force.[1]
References
editSources
edit- Wright, Steve (April 25, 2014), "Grounded: The Case for Abolishing the United States Air Force", Air and Space Power Journal (book review), United States Air Force
- Auslin, Michael (August 13, 2013). "Why America Needs The Air Force: Rebuttal To Prof. Farley". Breaking Defense.
- Blanchard, Charles (July 20, 2014). ""Grounded: The Case for Abolishing the United States Air Force," by Robert M. Farley". Lawfare (book review).
Further reading
edit- Diane Tedeschi (October 2015), "Is It Time to Abolish the U.S. Air Force?", Smithsonian (author interview)
- Srdjan Vucetic (February 25, 2015), "Grounded: The Case for Abolishing the United States Air Force, by Robert Farley", International Journal (book review), 70 (1), Canadian International Council: 164–165, doi:10.1177/0020702014563034 (subscription required)
- "Do we really need the Air Force". Weekend Edition. NPR. March 9, 2014. Rachel Martin interviews the author