Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz announced his 2012 reading list, which includes 13 books. "We airmen are innovators because we embrace the word 'why' and mine it for better, smarter ways to operate," wrote Schwartz in
a letter to airmen dated Jan. 6. This year's list includes, for the first time, supplementary films, treatises, and Internet-based resources. The list of topics includes foreign policy, diversity, technology, the US Constitution, and reality-based fiction, according to the letter. Schwartz said he will highlight a few of the books each quarter of the year in an effort to "foster our steady professional development." For the first three months, he recommends:
Airpower for Strategic Effect by Colin Gray;
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand; and
Start with Why by Simon Sinek. (SAF/PA
release) (See also the
2011 list.)
Air Frame: Year in Review, July 2011: The Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on July, 21, 2011, shown here, ending three decades of US shuttle flights. The next day, President Obama certified the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell law that banned homosexuals from openly serving in the US military. Also in July, Leon Panetta was sworn in as the 23rd Defense Secretary, replacing Robert Gates. The Air Force Scientific Advisory Board began reviewing the F-22's onboard oxygen-generation systems following the fleet-wide grounding in May 2011. And, on July 14, 2011, the Pentagon unveiled its first cyberspace strategy. The Air Force also approved a plan in July to beddown 36 F-35 strike fighters at Nellis AFB, Nev., to support test activities and weapons school training there. Eglin AFB, Fla., also received its first two F-35As. NASA photo