Publisher's Synopsis
Today's Air Force is experiencing an institutional identity crisis that places it at an historical nadir of confidence, reputation, and influence, wrote Thomas Ehrhard in his 2009 work for the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments entitled An Air Force Strategy for the Long Haul. His assertion is not new--it has been made often enough since the end of the Cold War that it has become trite. This thesis explores the roots of the Air Force's identity problems by applying a theoretical construct to explain why many previous identity initiatives have been so startlingly unsuccessful. The paper concludes that senior Air Force leaders have failed, in part, because of their disregard for the powerful roles that organizational cultures play in the day-to-day lives of the average Airman.
