A legacy of excellence the USAF weapons school's challenge to maintain standards

Abstract

This thesis investigates the effects of resource strains on the United States Air Force Weapons School (USAFWS). Highly regarded as the Combat Air Force's (CAF) Center of Excellence, the USAFWS is responsible for producing a weapons officer who is finely tuned in the skills of communication, integration of joint forces, large force mission planning, training plan development, and tactical leadership. The CAF demands a weapons officer who is highly skilled and possesses traits and values above the norm. The USAFWS has translated these objectives into an exemplary standard that pervades the institution, its graduates, and thus the CAF itself. During this period of transformation and global war (circa 2005), the CAF is continually seeking ways to "do more with less." This thesis provides a framework for assessing whether this is continually possible without adversely affecting the USAFWSâ s training standard. The graduate can be seen as a product of objectives (ends) plus training concepts (ways) plus resources (means). All three components are rigorously examined. Everything under the USAFWS's control has been optimized, leaving the shrinking pool of resources as a contentious but unavoidable problem.