ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the successful model of high command through the perspectives of three visionaries: Lord Hugh Trenchard, air power’s prototype high commander; General Billy Mitchell, its necessary populist champion; and General Hap Arnold, who conducted the first master class in air power. These pioneers offered a model that rests on four key components that are as important now as they were then: organisation, intellect (strategy), politics, and inspiration (leadership). They were committed to innovative, strategic thinking and did not shy away from opposition. The chapter argues that the greatest challenge for great leaders lies in the contest of ideas, because that contest shapes war-winning strategies, concepts, and force structures. Entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with its emphasis on autonomous and remotely controlled weapon systems, the contest for ideas assumes even greater importance. The author asserts that the West dominates in the air and struggles on the ground; it has become evident during the past seven decades that war is now more concerned with acceptable political outcomes than with occupying and holding ground. It has also become evident that air power can influence and at times control events in all domains. Consequently, future high commanders must overcome entrenched land-centric military thinking and inform the strategic debate with vision and courage.
