The Air Force Historical Foundation’s 2011 Symposium, co-hosted with the Air Force Historical Studies Office, to focus on post-9/11 air power and operations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) October 25, 2011 -- Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, October 25, 2011 – The Air Force Historical Foundation, together with its co-host the Air Force Historical Studies Office, is bringing together noted historians, analysts and military personnel for its biennial symposium, which this year will feature presentations, panel discussions and debates on the theme of “Air Power and Global Operations: 9/11 and Beyond.”

Hosted on November 17-18 in the Air Force Conference Center at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, this special two-day event is to address such subjects as new operational paradigms in Air Force Special Operations, lessons learned for emergency response, air war aberrations and the U.S. Air Force’s role in reconstitution of the Iraqi Air Force.

The symposium also will feature keynote addresses by Undersecretary of the Air Force Erin C. Conaton and former first United States Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.

Ridge will be the opening day speaker, providing his perspectives as a leader in the development of national strategy following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. During his tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security, Ridge worked with more than 180,000-plus employees to create an agency that facilitated the flow of people and goods, instituted layered security at air, land and seaports, protected critical infrastructure, integrated new technology and improved information sharing worldwide.

Undersecretary Conaton, who will be the symposium’s keynote speaker on November 18, is responsible for affairs of the Department of the Air Force on behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, including the organizing, training, equipping and providing for the welfare of its 334,000 active duty men and women, 176,000 members of the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve, 170,000 civilians and their families.

During the symposium’s November 18 luncheon, the Foundation will recognize individuals for their far-reaching contributions to air power history with its most significant honors:

The General Carl “Tooey” Spaatz Award, which recognizes those who have provided significant contributions to the making of Air Force history. Receiving this year’s award is the sitting Director of National Intelligence Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper, Jr., who followed 32 years of Air Force service with key posts in the U.S. intelligence community – including Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. Clapper was named Director of National Intelligence in August 2010.

The Major General I.B. Holley Award, given annually for a sustained, significant contribution to the documentation of Air Force history during a lifetime of service. This year’s recipient is Joseph D. Caver, Chief of Circulation at the Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama – where he has worked since 1981. Caver also is an adjunct history instructor at Alabama State University.

The Best Air Power History Article Award, to be presented this year to Dr. Benjamin S. Lambeth for his article “Reflections on the Balkan Wars” – which appeared in the Spring 2010 edition of the Foundation’s official publication, Air Power History. This expansive piece reviewed the Balkan Wars of the early 1990s, and considered their effects on the uses of air power since that time.

The Best Air Power History Book Award, which will be received on November 18 by Robert S. Ehler for “Targeting the Third Reich, Air Intelligence and the Allied Bombing Campaigns.” This distinction is given annually following a three-judge panel’s careful consideration of all books reviewed in Air Power History during the year. Its criteria calls for the book to be of high quality, to contribute to an understanding of air power, and for the author(s) to have had a connection to the U.S. Air Force or be a member of the Air Force Historical Foundation.

Tickets for the Air Force Historical Foundation’s 2011 Symposium and awards luncheon are available for purchase on the Foundation’s website: www.afhistoricalfoundation.org – which also provides a schedule of events.

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About The Air Force Historical Foundation (www.afhistoricalfoundation.org)

Founded on May 27, 1953 by Gen Carl A. “Tooey” Spaatz and other air power pioneers, the Air Force Historical Foundation (AFHF) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to the preservation, perpetuation and appropriate publication of the history and traditions of American aviation – with emphasis on the U.S. Air Force, its predecessor organizations, and the men and women whose lives and dreams were devoted to flight.

The Foundation serves all components of the United States Air Force, and strives to make available to the public and today’s government planners and decision-makers information that is relevant and informative about all aspects of air and space power. By doing so, the Foundation hopes to assure the nation profits from past experiences as it helps keep the U.S. Air Force the most modern and effective military force in the world.

Follow The Air Force Historical Foundation on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AFHF.

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