Philip Shackelford, "Survival Instincts: Communications Intelligence and Service Autonomy in the U.S. Air Force"

Based on the author’s forthcoming book, Rise of the Mavericks: The U.S. Air Force Security Service and the Cold War, this presentation explores efforts undertaken by the Army Air Forces and newly independent U.S. Air Force to overcome dependence on the U.S. Army in matters of intelligence.  As World War II ended and the Cold War began, Air Force leaders understood that an effective cryptologic capability would be crucial for maintaining and enhancing the Air Force as a strategic and decisive component of America’s national defense. Successfully deploying air-atomic strategy in the event of a future war would require reliable information on the capabilities, intentions—and potential targets—of an opposing force, in particular the Soviet Union. Communications intelligence would be a critical source of this information, and Air Force leaders were adamant that their service not remain dependent on other service structures for this capability. The Air Force Security Service rose to…