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…a journal of
CAP history,
feature articles,
scholarly works,
and stories of
interest.
CIVIL AIR PATROL
CAP National Historical Journal
Volume III, Issue I: JAN-MAR 2016
The Civil Air Patrol National Historical Journal is published quarterly by professional volunteer staff. As academic historians by trade,
we recognize the demand for quality publications reflecting a variety of interests to Civil Air Patrol readers, and strive to provide the
best in feature and thought provoking articles. We trust you will enjoy what the e-journal has to offer and will consider contributing
to the mission of our staff in providing a forum for the great traditions of our organization.
CIVIL AIR PATROL: 75 Years of
Service
present a coherent review of the major issues in play
Richard Mulanax, PhD.
year history of Civil Air Patrol is appreciated. The major
Prologue
he first history of Civil Air Patrol, Flying
T
Minutemen, written by Robert Neprud in 1948,
covered the Army Air Forces period of CAP’s inception in
1941 through World War II, with the creation of the
United States Air Force in September of 1947.
The final chapter in Neprud’ s book, CAP Looks Ahead,
was particularly concerned about the future of CAP in
with Civil Air Patrol so the continuum of the entire 75
issues faced by the organization throughout its history
included the following:
A.
Organizing the contribution to American air
(later aerospace) education.
B.
Defining Civil Air Patrol’s proper peacetime
relationship with the United States Air Force after CAP
became the official auxiliary of the Air Force in 1948.
C.
Focusing on changing priorities within the threepart mission of CAP: Emergency Services, Aerospace
Education, and Cadet Programs.
the immediate post-war period because it appeared to
some to no longer have a mission once at war’s end. He
hoped that CAP would lead the way in creating an
interest in, and enthusiasm for, aviation amongst the
American public.
Introduction
Civil Air Patrol never operated in a vacuum. Its mission
and membership waxed and waned with current events
and public awareness of its role in contributing to
successfully coping with the needs of the nation.
Whether it through day to day activities such as
Your author has reinterpreted some of events chronicled
by Neprud so that they address issues raised from 1947
into the 21st Century. These events are addressed within
the context of events since the original publication of
Flying Minutemen. This is so that your author may
aerospace education, or threats made to the American
people via armed attack or the more likely scenario of
natural disasters, CAP responded. This has been
reflected in the history of Civil Air Patrol throughout its
75 year history. CAP was not static; events caused
1
changes in public and Air Force perceptions of CAP’s
70s, and 80s. As public support for the Vietnam War
usefulness to the Air Force and the nation. This was
waned, public and Air Force interest in CAP plummeted
reflected
and CAP was marginalized by both.
in
membership
numbers
and
public
appreciation of CAP. The American public has often been
unwittingly unaware of CAP’s many contributions to the
The end of the Cold War and the first Gulf War changed
safety of America, and the existence of CAP itself. These
the nation’s focus. Overnight, the Soviet threat vanished,
events are addressed in greater detail following the
and Soviet inspired and funded insurgencies throughout
Introduction.
the developing world disappeared. The Air Force, and
W
consequently CAP, was faced with redefining its mission
orld War II resulted in the creation of the
focus in the light of these events. CAP became more
Office of Civilian Defense (OCD), with CAP as its
involved with disaster relief and drug interdiction
air arm. There was heavy public involvement and
missions.
interest in the CAP mission in the beginning, and this
lasted through the end of the War. However, with
The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New
postwar demobilization and a return to peacetime
York, the Pentagon building in Washington, and the
pursuits, there was a question of whether CAP should
downing of an airliner in Pennsylvania changed the
continue to operate, and if so, what should its
presumptive role of the U.S. Armed Forces. The Federal
relationship be with the Army Air Forces, soon to be
Government consolidated homeland threat missions
reorganized and renamed the United States Air Force
into one agency, the Department of Homeland Security,
(USAF).
focusing public attention on terrorist and natural
disaster threats to the nation. CAP became more
The Cold War and Korea renewed Air Force and public
involved with supporting Air Force-related homeland
interest in CAP because of the immediate and continuing
security missions.
threat of nuclear war associated the Soviet Union and its
client states, especially China. In times of international
crisis, CAP membership improved and the Air Force was
actively involved with CAP. In particular, there were
I
n 2015, the Air Force announced a new role for CAP
as part of the Total Force, making CAP an integral
part of planning and non-combatant support for the Air
internal conflicts between the National Commander and
Force. This reflected a closer relationship with the Air
the Air Force-staffed headquarters (CAP-USAF). John F.
Force than had existed for many years.
Kennedy’s election to the presidency saw the new policy
Continued on page 4
of Flexible Response to Soviet aggression. His critics
would later charge that this led directly to the Vietnam
War and other East-West confrontations of the 1960s,
2
Staff & Acknowledgements
it has in the past—when the operational duties utilizing
National Commander
Maj Gen Joseph R. Vazquez
the CAP air fleet increase, the visibility of the
Chief Historian
Col Frank A. Blazich Jr.
National Historical Editor
Lt Col Richard B. Mulanax
National Historical Journal Editor
Maj Kurt Efinger
organization will follow.
T
he plethora of technologies that have come to the
forefront of aerial war and surveillance in less than
two decades into the 21st century have necessitated a
review of the USAF’s own operational policies. Though
there is no “hard-evidence” as to exactly what those
changes will be, it might be fair to say that the USAF is
Editor's Column: The Coming Tide
only one step-ahead of the capabilities themselves. In
K.J. Efinger, MMH
other words, leading a supposed Revolution in Military
I
t has been the opinion of more than just a handful of
Affairs (RMA) upon which the civilian world rides the
CAP members that the recent move by the USAF
coattails. The idea of a RMA or as some see,
assigning the Civil Air Patrol to Air Combat Command for
technological determinism, is a doctrinal point of view. It
Emergency Services operational missions translates to a
is promoted at various levels of government, taught at
more active role in recognizing the organization’s future
academic
potential as an augmentation force of civilian volunteers.
supported by large names within the established genre
institutions
around
the
country,
and
of military historians and scientists.1 Its adherents are
Whatever the case, the Civil Air Patrol has been placed
very faithful to the systematic construct that says
on a footing that fundamentally mirrors that of its
technology “ups the ante” a little bit with each new
wartime forbearers, and must be prepared to engage
application.
the expanding responsibilities it will assuredly have. By
no means can this be interpreted to denote a military
Detractors of the ideology will quickly point to the
function of the organization. What it does do is provide a
application
clearly defined niche in which CAP will find its place
combating the new-tech, simply arguing that there is no
among volunteer and reserve organizations and units
“revolution” as such, but rather a continuation of “tit-
that support the USAF in order that it may direct
for-tat” evolutionary movements in warfare. Therefore,
of
countermanding
technologies
in
resources where most efficient and central to its
purpose.
Consequently—and to restate the obvious—the Civil Air
Patrol might well be a far more visible force of
volunteers among the nation’s uniformed services than
1
The broad-spectrum of views on whether the RMA's exist
is a subject of great debate—one which is best left to discuss at
another time. Suffice it to say, a brief understanding of its application
and influence in military thinking is necessitated by its mere mention
in this essay. Jeffrey McKitrick, James Blackwell, Fred Littlepage,
George Kraus, Richard Blanchfield, Dale Hill, Robert Kim, Marl
Jacobson, John Moyle, and Steven Kenney, Battlefield of the Future:
21st Century War Issues, ed. Barry R. Schneider and Lawrence Grinter
(Montgomery: Air University Press, 1998), 65.
3
there is no “revolution” per se, but a progression
Civil Air Patrol leadership has yet to define the new
towards
previous
relationship, and as such, leaves much to speculation.
generational approaches obsolete—the supposition
This would certainly create relevance far greater in
being that changes in doctrine are the result of changes
scope for the organization. Being part of the future use
in technology. Though the “detractor’s” view is more in-
of aviation assets and personnel is where CAP began,
line with my own thinking, I defer to the unprecedented
and presumably where it will be in the future.
number of air-power gadgetry that has inundated the
Maj Efinger serves as SER HQ Historian, and is the CAP
National Historical Journal Manager at CAP NHQ. He is a fulltime teacher of Economics and Adjunct Professor of History at
Indian River State College in Ft. Pierce, FL.
advancement
that
renders
21st century’s first two decades. It is difficult to maintain
a stalwart view, and at the same time fail to
acknowledge the changes are impacting. DARPA, or the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is at the
Letters to the Editor
leading edge of many of these advancements.2 The
“technology frontier” is far and wide.
T
he recent policy change by the USAF allowing
enlisted airmen to fly Remotely Piloted Aircraft
(RPA) as opposed to only commissioned officers—a
move that was announced last year in some
publications3—is just one of many indicators that the
USAF is looking towards utilizing as many resources as
possible in overall air operations.4 This is not only a
The Editor at the CAP NHJ welcomes your comments
and feedback. Please submit letters for review by
emailing the editor at the address provided.
All comments will be reviewed by the entire editorial
staff prior to publication. The CAP NHJ Editorial Staff
reserves the right to refuse publication to any
member based on the content of the letter.
CAP members are encouraged to maintain a
professional and collegial attitude when submitting
correspondence. kefinger@sercap.us
policy change, but likely a doctrinal one as well. It may
be argued—though with little evidence—that CAP pilots
Continued from page 2
will see larger roles once fulfilled by USAF mission pilots.
Over the years, the Office of Civilian Defense, then
This is a statement of opinion rather than fact. However,
Headquarters Army Air Forces, and finally Headquarters
2
Chloe Olewitz, "DARPA’S New Gremlin Drones Fly Back to
Their 'Mothership' After Completing Recon Missions," Fox News, April
15, 2016, http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/04/15/darpas-newgremlin-drones-fly-back-to-their-mothership-after-completing-reconmissions.html. (Accessed April 15, 2016).
3
Stephen Losey, "RPA Officer Incentive Pay to Increase to
$35k Under New Law,"Air Force Times, November 27, 2015,
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2015/11/25/congresswants-to-hear-plan-to-boost-rpa-manning/76258546// (Accessed
April 15, 2016).
4
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, "AF Introduces
Enlisted Global Hawk Pilots," www.af.mil, December 17, 2015,
http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/637192/afintroduces-enlisted-global-hawk-pilots.aspx/ (Accessed April 15,
2016).
United States Air Force, delegated support for CAP to
various agencies and Major Air Commands under their
control, based on the their perception of where it could
provide the most use to them:
1 DEC 1941
29 APR 1943
4 MAY 1943
24 JUN 1943
31 JUL 1945
1 APR 1945
5 AUG 1945
1 JUL 1946
OCD
War (Army) Department
HQ US Army Air Forces (USAAF)
USAAF Technical Services Command
USAAF terminates CAP financial support
USAAF Training Command
Air Defense Command
USAAF Technical Training Command
4
18 SEP 1947
21 MAY 1948
11 JAN 1949
1 JAN 1949
1 JAN 1968
15 MAY 1978
1 JUL 1983
1 JUL 1993
C
USAAF designated United States Air Force
USAF Air Training Command
Headquarters Command USAF
Continental Air Command
Headquarters Command USAF
Air University
Air Training Command
1, 2, 3, 4
Air Education and Training Command
Public support for Civil Air Patrol over the last 75 years
was based on knowledge of CAP’s contribution to public
safety and security. Because the public was largely
unaware of CAP’s contributions, CAP did not exist for
them. This has been a recurring theme for CAP. Similarly,
CAP was generally unknown to the vast majority of rank
AP has come full circle with the Air Force. When
and file Air Force personnel during the 70s, 80s, and 90s,
the organization became the official Air Force
receiving relatively low support as a result.5 With the
Auxiliary in 1948, the Air Force regarded CAP’s mission
change in mission after 911 and the assignment of CAP
as
recruitment
to Air Combat Command, CAP’s mission and the Air
(essentially, the Cadet Program and Air Education), with
Force mission are now more closely aligned. CAP is now
a secondary mission of augmenting the Air Force search
in a position to provide vital support for the nation that
and rescue mission. Air (later Aerospace) Education was
is visible and perceived as essential to the nation.
primarily
supporting
Air
Force
essentially an element of the recruitment program. This
focus continued throughout the Cold War period, but
began to change in the 1990s, as post-Cold War
World War II and Demobilization (1941-1948)
Civil Air Patrol was born and nurtured in the cauldron of
demobilization tremendously reduced the manpower
World War II. War in Europe broke out in September of
needs of the Air Force.
1939, and as the war progressed it became increasingly
clear that the United States would be drawn in, and so
The introduction of The Drug Demand Reduction (DDR)
must prepare for the inevitable. Since the beginning of
Program and increased public and Air Force interest in
the 20th Century, America replaced Britain as the great
responding
a
balancer of wars: Whichever side received America’s
reprioritization in favor of Emergency Services. After
support would win, so even if the isolationists wished
911, CAP expanded its role as a vital component of the
not to be involved, America would be forced in by one
homeland security team in augmenting the anti-
side or the other because we were the tipper.
to
natural
disasters
resulted
in
terrorism effort and responding to natural disasters.
American military planners in the War and Navy
Departments strongly lobbied President Roosevelt to
initiate a major build up between 1939 and 1941,
1
Fact Sheet, Civil Air Patrol, USAF (AETC), 31 March 2009,
Air Force Historical Research Agency, http://afhra/af.mil/factsheets.
2
ostensibly as a deterrent to German aggression, but in
reality preparing to go to war in support of the Allied
Civil Air Patrol Lineage and Honors, Compiled by Col Len
Blascovich, August 2000, http://capnhq.custhelp.com.
3
Civil Air Patrol Joins Total Force “Airmen”, SSgt Whitney
Stanfield, Secretary of the Air Force Command Information, 28 Aug
2015.
4
CAPM 50-5, Apr 2013, Revision One, pp 15.
5
Your author served as an active duty Air Force officer and
CAP member from 1972 to 1992, and noted at the time that most Air
Force personnel, particularly senior officers, were generally unaware
of CAP’s contribution to the Air Force mission.
5
nations of Britain and France. General Headquarters Air
States. This perception quickly changed when German
Force (GHQ AF) was activated in 1935 to consolidate
U-Boats appeared off America’s coasts.
American combat air forces under one command,
reporting directly to the Chief of staff of the Army in his
role as wartime Commanding General of General
Headquarters US Army. The separate Army Air Corps
D
espite the pre-war buildup, American military
forces were unprepared to defend American
coastal shipping. American oil companies used fuel
(AAC) was responsible for training and logistics, and
tanker ships to move their products, which were vital to
concentrated on developing new combat aircraft for
the war effort, up and down the Atlantic and Gulf coasts,
GHQ AF. By 1941, the AAC was combined with the GHQ
and through the Panama Canal, where west coast fuel
AF, renamed Air Force Combat Command, as the USAAF,
could be transported to Eastern cities. The sheer volume
with Maj Gen Henry Arnold as Chief. In 1942, the AAC
and urgent need for fuel prevented switching to railroad
and the GHQ were deactivated, their components now
tank cars, and pipelines could not be built quickly
reporting directly to Headquarters USAAF, with Lt Gen
enough. Additionally, American Army and Navy aircraft
Arnold as Commanding General, USAAF. The USAAF was
and crews were in such short supply that they could not
designated one of three major components of the Army,
adequately patrol the shipping lanes along the coasts.
along with Army Ground Forces and Army Services
This led to oil company executives meeting with
Forces.
representatives of Civil Air Patrol and agreeing to
partially fund the creation of a CAP Coastal Patrol along
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) was created in 1941 as
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. This funded Coastal Patrol
the civilian corollary to the military buildup. Several
and protected the American coastline. It is important to
states created Aviation Departments in the 1930s, and
note that this was done at a time when CAP was under
there was an aviation component of state-controlled
the control of the OCD, not the Air Force, or it might not
National Guard units. A distinguished group of civil
have happened. The President of Sun Oil and other
aviators, led by Gil Robb Wilson, joined under the OCD
industry leaders were able to use their influence to
umbrella to form the Civil Air Patrol in December of
obtain US government support, and they donated
1941. This provided private pilots who were not in
$18,000 to help fund Coastal Patrol operations. The
military service to support the country and the AAC on a
Army and Navy leadership were hostile to the concept,
volunteer basis to augment the air forces of the country.
but were forced by political pressure to accept it.6
Early in the war, the USAAF had little interest in Civil Air
Coastal Patrol planes were light aircraft such as Piper
Patrol. Military leaders were not convinced that civilian
Cubs; they had virtually no combat value, even though
pilots without military training could provide any
they were eventually armed with small bombs for
worthwhile contribution to the air defense of the United
6
Robert Neprud, Flying Minutemen, NY, Duell, Sloan and
Pearce, 1948, p 10.
6
targets of opportunity (provided the other side was not
examination of all aspects of CAP activities, personnel,
firing on them). Their main purpose was to identify U-
and organization. The resulting report heavily criticized
Boats and hostile surface craft patrolling the coasts, and
the directly commissioned officers and the civilian
search for survivors of sunken Allied ships and aircraft. It
members of CAP, and charged that CAP members were
was not designed to provide a coordinated program to
more loyal to the Civil Air Patrol than to the Army Air
attack enemy vessels; it was important as a deterrent to
Forces. Although this was a false dichotomy, since CAP
U-Boats, whose captains were concerned that the small
members could be loyal to both, it led to the first effort
planes would call in a military attack by air or sea. It was
to define and rationalize the relationship between the
thus a credible deterrent and led to a decrease in U-Boat
civilian and military sides of CAP.7
attacks on coastal shipping.
The Cadet Program, created 1 Oct 1942, was of more
By 1943, U-Boat attacks in the coastal sea lanes had
interest to the USAAF because it provided aviation
diminished considerably, as the American Navy drove
training and motivation to high school graduates who
the German submarines out of the western Atlantic and
could fill the war-depleted ranks of the USAAF.8 As cadet
coastal air and sea defenses became adequately manned
membership soared, so did USAAF interest in the Cadet
by the military and naval forces. CAP in the meantime
side of CAP. CAP continued to support the war effort
expanded its participation in other wartime missions
both operationally and with the Cadet Program for the
such as border patrol, courier services for the Army Air
duration of the war, providing invaluable services to the
Forces, and forest fire spotting.
USAAF at a very low cost.9
W
hen CAP was under the OCD, the USAAF
Membership declined as the US Armed Forces
provided
small
demobilized in 1945-46. For CAP, this meant that the
administrative staff for CAP. Most of these individuals,
organization had to decide if it had completed its
including the National Commander, were commissioned
mission and should be disbanded; or if it had a place in
directly from civilian life, and were not part of the
the peacetime world. In the view some of the USAAF
regular military establishment; and CAP reported to the
leadership, the realignment of USAAF missions after the
OCD, not the USAAF. This changed in 1943 when CAP
war made CAP redundant. In January, 1946, General of
was transferred to the War Department and placed
the Army (later Air Force) Henry Arnold convened a
under the jurisdiction of the USAAF.
conference of Air Force officials and CAP wing
the
Commander
and
a
7
The USAAF immediately wanted to militarize CAP, so
that CAP would, in the USAAF view, fit better into the
total USAAF wartime mission. This led, in 1944, to USAAF
Air
Inspector
General
conducting
a
thorough
Summary Report of Air Inspector’s Investigation of the
Civil Air Patrol, dated 8 March 1944. Washington, DC, HQ Army Air
Forces.
8
Civil Air Patrol Historical Note, The Cadet Program, Lt Col
Leonard Blascovich, CAP National Historical Committee, Feb 1994.
9
Civil Air Patrol Report to Congress for May 1948, National
Headquarters Civil Air Patrol, p 2.
7
commanders to consider the future of CAP. The
supported by the Soviet Union, attempted coups in
Conference recommended that CAP incorporate as a
Greece and Turkey. This led to a series of events that
private organization or corporation.
culminated in the United States going on a war footing,
albeit in peacetime, to counter Soviet aggression. The
The USAAF withdrew its funding of CAP on 31 March
Berlin Blockade of 1948-49, followed by the Soviet
1946, and CAP was chartered by Congress as a civilian
Union’s acquisition of the atomic bomb and the
organization with the three-fold mission of Emergency
Communist takeover of mainland China the same year,
Services, Aviation Education, and Cadet Programs. This
led to the establishment of NATO that same year, 1949.
became the TRIAD of Civil Air Patrol. CAP also became
The Truman Administration responded by adopting the
the official auxiliary of the USAAF, and in 1948, after the
policy of containment to stop Soviet world expansion.
establishment of the USAF, the official auxiliary of the Air
The first armed application of this new policy was in
Force.10 Once the USAAF became a separate service in
Korea.
1947 as the United States Air Force (USAF), the Cadet
Program continued to be one of, if not the most,
important major interests of the Air Force in CAP up
through the 1990s.
T
he Communist North Korean attack on South
Korea in 1950 was instigated by the Soviet Union,
which provided logistical support for and stood behind
the North Koreans via their Chinese Communist
The Early Cold War and Korea (1949-1959)
Between World War II and the Korean War of 1950-
surrogates. The American response led to a dramatic
1953, CAP had different priorities than the Air Force and
well).11 As USAF search and rescue units were rapidly
focused on Cadet Programs and Emergency Services
(specifically search and rescue). The war era draft ended
in 1947, but because of Cold War tensions, was quickly
resumed in 1948, and ultimately greatly expanded
during the Korean War and remained high until the end
of the Vietnam War. This meant that the Air Force had a
continued intense interest in the CAP Cadet Program as
increase in the US military (and CAP membership as
moved to the Far East, CAP took over virtually all
stateside search and rescue (SAR) missions. This enabled
the Air Force to concentrate SAR efforts on Korea.12
After the end of the Korean War, Stalin’s death, and
Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration as President in 1953,
public concern about the Soviet Union diminished
considerably, and so did CAP membership.
a conduit for potential Air Force recruits.
The United States and the Soviet Union both publicly
The Soviet Union’s consolidation of control in Eastern
Europe from 1945 to 1948 was a piecemeal process
announced they were developing missile technology for
peaceful purposes, but both were quietly working on
which the United States was slow to respond. Events
came to a head, however, when Communist insurgents,
11
Julius Pratt et al, A History of United States Foreign Policy,
4 Edition, Prentice-Hall, Englewood, NJ, 1980, pp 399-408.
th
12
10
CAPM 50-5, Apr 2013, Revision One, pp 15-17.
Civil Air Patrol Annual Report to Congress for 1951, May
1952, “Activities During 1951…Operations”.
8
nuclear tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
In the midst of all this, the Soviet Union launched the
first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in 1957. This created a
near panic in America and the Western World. This led
to the first instance of what today we might call a
Science/Technology/Electronics/Math
(STEM)
panic
attack, the first in America’s recent history, as politicians
everywhere were sure we were falling behind the Soviet
Union. Not only did it cause us to question whether our
scientific and educational programs were up to par, but
it expanded the existing public fear of an ICBM nuclear
attack. There was a surge in CAP membership in 1957
that lasted several years. After the United States landed
a man on the moon in 1968, STEM panic abated, but it
continues to erupt from time to time, up to the present,
even though the US has been a world leader in science
and technology for almost 50 years. Prior to Sputnik,
most Americans were worried about bomber attacks;
after Sputnik, missiles became the concern as a result of
their efficient and destructive delivery systems that
could avoid the handicaps of bomber warfare. The Cold
War mentality caused citizens to build more bomb
shelters, practice nuclear war survival, and live under the
shadow of imminent nuclear destruction. This was the
world of Americans living between 1949 and 1991. Baby
boomers knew no other life than suffering the fear of
World War III from their childhood through their 40s.
The Late Cold War and Vietnam (1960-1988)
1960 was a year of decision for CAP. CAP National
Commander Air Force Brig Gen Stephen McEnroy wrote
a scathing denunciation of CAP’s civilian leadership, and
sent it to his supervisor, Lt Gen William Hall, the
Commanding General of Continental Air Command.
McEnroy argued that CAP was successful its first twenty
years
because
of
the
teamwork
between
the
USAAF/USAF and CAP, and particularly from 1948 to
1959 because of the close relationship of retired Gen
Carl Spaatz, former Chief of Staff of the Air Force, as
Chairman of the National Board of CAP, and Maj Gen
Lucas Beau and Maj Gen Walter Agee as National
Commanders during the same period. Brig Gen McEnroy
claimed that Lucas and Agee were responsive to the
needs of the Air Force while serving as CAP National
Commanders because they were Air Force officers, and
that civilian members of CAP were not, and would not
be, responsive to the needs of the Air Force in the
future. He noted a decline in Cadet membership from
50,000 to 28,000 in the previous decade, and attributed
this to the poor quality of civilian leadership in CAP.17
McEnroy stated emphatically that Civil Air Patrol had no
legal status as an official agency of the USAF—this is in
stark contrast to the Air Force’s view of CAP in 2016. In
fact, CAP membership had been fairly stable from 1958
through 1961. Brig Gen McEnroy was newly promoted
to Brig Gen when he was assigned as National
13,14,15,16
Commander CAP. Ironically, this was at the request of
the CAP members of the National Board, because they
13
th
Kennedy et al, The American Pageant, 12 Edition,
Houghton Mifflin, NY, 2002, pp 903-904.
14
15
Civil Air Patrol Annual Report for 1957.
See Appendix 1, Membership Statistics include combined
data provided by the CAP National Historian, Col Frank Blazich, and
the author from CAP Annual Reports to Congress and CAP Annual
Financial Reports.
16
Your author remembers drills in which we students
tucked our heads into our knees under our desks in order to survive
hydrogen bombs!
17
Headquarters Civil Air Patrol letter to Lt Gen William Hall
from Brig Gen Stephen McEnroy, 20 June 1960, Subject: Civil Air
Patrol – USAF Relationship.
9
thought a newly minted general would be a more
policy could lead to general nuclear war, so he modified
aggressive National Commander because he wanted to
it. His new policy of Flexible Response was designed to
be a Maj Gen. He was aggressive, but not in the way the
defuse the situation so that acts of Soviet aggression
National Board intended.18,19
would elicit graduated responses from the United States
appropriate to the aggression, and not a hair trigger
Brig Gen McEnroy left CAP a year and a half after
reaction of bombing the Soviets back into the Stone Age.
sending the letter referenced above. He remained a Brig
The Soviet response was to test the theory by a series of
Gen
National
incidents and provocations, such as placing missiles in
Commanders were Air Force colonels, and then general
Cuba and supporting a Communist insurgency in
officers
Vietnam. The Cuban Missile Crisis and the escalation in
until
retirement.
returned
as
The
next
National
two
Commander/USAF
Executive Director from 1967 to 1984.20
the Vietnam War resulted in a surge in Civil Air Patrol
membership.
I
n 1961, CAP developed its first long range strategic
plan, which placed an emphasis on Cadet recruiting.
In February, 1968, the massive North Vietnamese attack
The Long Range Plan called for a membership goal of
on South Vietnam during the Tet holiday (the Tet
160,000 (100,000 of which would be Cadets).
21
This
Offensive) caused American and South Vietnamese
concept of more cadets than senior members was
forces to suffer heavy losses. Even though the
consistent with CAP’s goal of emphasizing the Cadet
Communist Viet Cong and North Vietnamese were
Program through the 1940s and 1950s, a policy CAP
defeated, the series of battles convinced the American
intended to continue indefinitely.
people that the war was unwinnable, and CAP
membership declined along with public confidence in
During the Truman and Eisenhower years (1945-1961),
the military.
America’s primary military mission was to protect the
country by preventing nuclear attack, and if attacked, to
Membership increased somewhat during the early Nixon
strike back. This implied that the strength of the nation’s
administration, by about 10%. President Nixon promised
Armed Forces was designed to be a deterrent to attack
to “Vietnamize” the War and bring the troops home, but
by the Soviet Union. John F. Kennedy, who became
as this dragged on. Membership in CAP dropped by
President in January of 1961, was concerned that this
about 10%. In 1972, as public confidence in President
Nixon began to decrease, membership dropped 13%,
18
Headquarters Civil Air Patrol letter to Lt Gen William Hall
from Brig Gen Stephen McEnroy, 20 June 1960, Subject: Civil Air
Patrol – USAF Relationship.
below its Tet Offensive levels. The decline continued
through the Ford and Carter administrations, reflecting a
19
Hero Next Door, Frank Burnham, Fallbrook, CA, Aero
Publishers, 1974, p 61.
20
Civil Air Patrol Lineage, August 2000, National
Headquarters CAP, written by Col Leonard Blascovich.
21
serious malaise in national morale, when many
Americans lost confidence in their government and the
military, and by extension, CAP. A dramatic drop in CAP
Civil Air Patrol Annual Report for 1961.
10
membership of 9% occurred at the end of the first year
downsizing of the military services, including the Air
of the Carter administration, but began to climb again as
Force, was dramatic. US Forces were largely withdrawn
the public reacted angrily to the Iranian Hostage
from Europe, and Strategic Air Command (SAC) was
situation, and soared again by 12% during the first two
deactivated and its combat missiles and bombers
years of the Reagan administration, as public confidence
redistributed around the Air Force. The Soviet threat no
in
longer existed.
the
government
and
the
military
increased
dramatically.22
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, CAP membership
T
he former Soviet Union, now Russia, was not
happy with how the Cold War ended, but because
waxed and waned, but did so largely outside the public
its economy collapsed along with its military, it was
eye. Determined members of CAP continued to support
powerless to do anything about it. The new threat on
the three mission elements of Emergency Services,
the horizon was state sponsored terrorism, largely of
Aviation (now Aerospace) Education, and Cadet
Middle Eastern origin, which was shortly replaced by
Programs. Beginning in 1985, Civil Air Patrol became
terrorism based on ideology and religion. Events in
involved with Counter-Narcotics missions in support of
Somalia were a precursor of things to come, but initially
the Drug Enforcement Agency. CAP support for drug
the US Military was most concerned with responding to
demand interdiction missions continued to the present
the new relationships in the former Soviet bloc of states
time. Unfortunately, during the 70s and 80s, CAP was
in Eastern Europe, leaving little room for monitoring
frequently a stealth organization, often unknown by the
events in the Middle East. The new Russia was not
public and by most members of the Air Force.
pleased that it was no longer a super power, and it was
concerned when several of its former client states joined
Transition to the Post-Cold War Era (1991-2001)
With the end of the Cold War in 1989-91, Collapse of the
Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, and the emergence
of the United States as the only remaining Super Power,
NATO. A resurgent Russia in the last decade caused a
reorientation within the Air Force, as SAC resurrected as
Air Force Global Strike Command, consolidating ICBMs
and nuclear bombers once again in one command.
CAP membership fluctuated. The end of the Cold War
coincided with the end of the First Gulf War (Desert
Storm). President H W Bush presided over the end of the
911 and After (2001-2015)
After the end of the Cold War, the new military concerns
Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union. The threat
for the United States were terrorism, insurgencies, and
of general nuclear war that troubled the minds of the
local conflicts. CAP adapted to provide support in an
American public and the American military from 1949 to
environment more suited to CAP capabilities than it
1991 was gone. Abruptly, the American people were not
could possibly do supporting the Air Force in meeting its
faced with the imminent threat of nuclear war. The
Cold War responsibilities. Extremist Islamic terrorism
was on the rise in the 1990s, but insufficient notice was
22
See Appendix 1 for statistics cited in this paragraph.
taken until September 11, 2001 (911), with the
11
destruction of the World Trade Center. Suddenly,
Guard Auxiliary (USCGA).24 This was essentially a turf
America was faced with the specter of non-state
battle, and DHS sided with the USCG, which is part of
sponsored, religious-based terrorism.
DHS.
American military personnel were sent into combat in
Integration into the Total (Air Force) Force (2015-2016+)
On 4 June 2014, Maj Gen Chuck Carr, National
Iraq and Afghanistan in one form or another over the
next fifteen years. Reserve and National Guard troops
were more closely integrated into the Total Force, and
this increased hometown awareness of the War and
appreciation of the US Armed Forces across the country.
CAP membership surged again to over 64,000 in two
years, then fluctuated again through 2015, with a 2015
membership of 58,611.23
Commander of CAP, spoke to the Air Force Corona
Conference. Corona is the annual meeting of Air Force
Lieutenant and full Generals, including all Major Air
Command commanders. He briefed the senior Air Force
command staff on CAP’s missions and programs, but
most importantly, he highlighted the ways that CAP
could support the Air Force mission in an extremely costeffective way (remember 1946 above?).25
The American security establishment—including military
and civilian agencies—was realigned in response to the
new terrorist threat and the demands of Middle Eastern
war. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was
established to place domestic security agencies under
one organization which included border and coastal
protection, as well as internal security and disaster
response. These actions led to better coordination of
American internal security. CAP responded by increasing
its participation in natural disaster relief, as well as
supporting anti-terrorism efforts.
In 2012, the Government Accountability Office (GAO)
evaluated CAP’s potential for supporting homeland
security, and recommended increased use of CAP
This was followed on 23 June 2015 by a visit by Gen
Hawk Carlisle, Commander of Air Combat Command
(ACC), to CAP National Headquarters, where the General
was briefed on CAP’s missions and programs in
anticipation of CAP developing a closer relationship with
ACC.26 These events culminated in the announcement at
the 2015 CAP National Conference in August 2015 that
CAP would be integrated into the Air Force’s Total Force
and included in a non-combat role in the Air Force’s
future mission planning.
The Civil Air Patrol is poised to begin its 76th year with a
new public recognition of its importance to the nation’s
security. Over much of the last 75 years, CAP performed
resources in support of DHS’s aviation mission. The US
24
Coast Guard (USCG) objected because it had created its
own in-house Aviation Program within the US Coast
Homeland Security, Civil Air Patrol Involved in Certain
Missions, but DHS Should Assess the Benefits of Further Involvement,
Washington: GAO Report to Congressional Committees, 2012.
25
National Commander Addresses Air Force’s Top Leaders
at Corona, 4 June 2014.
26
23
See Appendix 1 for statistics cited in this paragraph.
ACC Commander Tours CAP National Headquarters, 23
June 2015.
12
its Emergency Services, Aerospace Education, and Cadet
the Air Force in its mission to defend the country in air
Programs with distinction, but spoke to a limited number
and space. This would reflect the close relationship of
of citizens and with too little appreciation by the
the organization with the Air Force in the same manner
leadership and the rank and file of the Air Force.
as the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary relates to the
United States Coast Guard.
CAP has come full circle now that it is integrated into the
Total Force. The Air Force has a renewed appreciation
for the contributions that CAP can make to accomplish
the Air Force mission. CAP for its part must always
A
s CAP embarks on its 76th year, the future is in our
hands and those of our successors, and will be
what we make of it as we respond to the needs of our
remember that CAP does not operate in a public
country.
relations vacuum: it must continually make itself known
Lt Col Mulanax holds a PhD in American History from Florida
State University and is the Research Division Head of the
National History Staff at CAP NHQ. He is a retired USAF officer
and a retired college professor.
to the public and the Air Force, and not rest on its past
laurels. Until CAP is a household name throughout the
country, and at every Air Force base, the job is a work in
progress. It will always be a work in progress, as any
educational endeavor is, as each new generation
acquires
the
knowledge and
experience
of
its
predecessors. In the last two years, CAP has taken bold
initiatives to accomplish this, and to align itself with the
Air Force Mission. The 2016-2020 Strategic Plan outlines
the many contributions CAP can and will make to the
nation’s security. Within the Strategic Plan, CAP’s
Alignment of Goals highlights the ways in which CAP will
actively integrate with the Air Force in the completion of
its missions, in support of the Departments of Defense
and Homeland Security, and in support of Aerospace
Education
programs
within
the
Department
of
Education.27
Civil Air Patrol and the Air Force must remember that
CAP is part of the Total Force as the official auxiliary of
the United States Air Force, and CAP exists to support
Call for Submissions
The Civil Air Patrol National Historical Journal (NHJ)
welcomes articles, essays, and commentaries on any topic
relating to the history of the Civil Air Patrol, or
military/civilian aviation history.
All historiographical works and essays must be submitted
in Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). Authors should submit
digital photographs (minimal resolution of 300 dots per
inch) and illustrations for publication. All content should be
the work of the author or open source. Adjustments to pixel
saturation, color and size will be made according to the
editorial staff’s recommendations. Please note that when
submitted to the editor at the Civil Air Patrol National
Historical Journal, all works and related media are released
from copyright infringements when published.
Editorial changes are at the sole discretion of the editorial
staff, but will be discussed with the author prior to
publication, and require release from the author.
The CAP NHJ editorial staff reserves the right to
refuse any work submitted. All submissions must be
sent as MS Word attachments and mailed to the
editor at kefinger@sercap.us.
27
See Appendix 2, Alignment of Goals, Civil Air Patrol
Strategic Plan, 2016-2020, Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters.
13
APPENDIX 1
CAP MEMBERSHIP STATISTICS 1945 - 2015
1945
135,000
End of WW2/Truman Pres.
1981
60,688
1946
NO REPORT
Demobilization
1982
64,669
"
1947
150,000
1983
67,773
"
1948
129,790
1984
66,505
"
1949
161,979
1985
65,771
"
1950
70,624
Korean War
1986
66,931
"
1951
77,412
Korean War Armistice
1987
72,969
"
1952
77,472
"
1988
72,836
"
1953
81,546
1989
67,339
GHW Bush President
1954
86,507
"
1990
60,226
Collapse of Soviet Union
1955
90,089
"
1991
57,790
Operation Desert Storm
1956
76,839
"
1992
55,679
1957
74,361
1993
53,316
1958
70,322
"
1994
51,041
"
1959
70,759
"
1995
52,225
"
1960
69,571
"
1996
53,585
"
1961
71,724
Kennedy President
1997
57,431
"
1962
76,358
Cuban Missile Crisis
1998
59,582
"
1963
82,406
Vietnam War/Johnson Pres.
1999
61,216
"
1964
86,473
"
2000
59,442
"
1965
80,245
"
2001
58,090
G Bush President/911
1966
79,537
"
2002
62,350
"
1967
85,341
"
2003
64,535
"
1968
67,122
Tet Offensive
2004
60,207
"
1969
63,600
Nixon President
2005
56,888
"
1970
73,348
Vietnam Drawdown
2006
56,363
"
1971
70,217
"
2007
56,464
"
1972
62,430
"
2008
54,383
"
1973
60,125
Middle East War
2009
58,660
1974
61,447
Ford President
2010
61,133
"
1975
64,978
Vietnam War Ends
2011
61,812
"
1976
64,516
2012
60,847
"
1977
63,373
2013
59,019
"
1978
57,641
2014
56,522
Soviet Invasion of Crimea
1979
59,552
2015
57,580
CAP in Total Force
1980
59,312
Berlin Blockade
"
Korean War Ends/Ike Pres.
Sputnik
"
Carter President
"
Iran Hostage Crisis
Reagan President
"
Clinton President
Obama President
"
14
APPENDIX 2
ALIGNMENT OF GOALS
Department of Education
CAP Goal
1. Increase College Access, Quality,
and Affordability
4.1. Sustain a first class Aerospace Education program
4.2. Position CAP to be America's leader in youth cyber defense education
4.5. Increase cadet educational opportunities by expanding our college and career school
scholarship programs
2.Improve Elementary and Secondary
Education
1.3. Position CAP to become the Air Force's single home for cadet (youth) programs, both
school-based and community-based
2.4. Increase community awareness of CAP AE programs through visits and presentations at
local schools and organizations
4.1. Sustain a first class Aerospace Education program
4.4. Increase the effectiveness of our cadet career exploration courses (NCSAs)
6.1. Produce first class leaders for tomorrow's CAP
6.4. Enhance our portfolio of cadet leadership and character development activities
Department of Homeland
Security
1. Prevent Terrorism and Enhance
CAP Goal
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
Security
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
2. Secure and Manage Our Borders
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
7.1. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
4. Safeguard and Secure Cyberspace
5. Strengthen National Preparedness
and Resilience
4.2. Position CAP to be America's leader in youth cyber defense education
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
2.2. Establish enduring partnerships
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
Defense Strategic Guidance
5. Operate Effectively in Cyberspace
and Space
CAP Goal
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill AF and other federal agencies' needs
4.2. Position CAP to be America's leader in youth cyber defense education
7. Defend the Homeland and Provide
Support to Civil Authorities
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
2.2. Establish enduring partnerships
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
10. Conduct Humanitarian, Disaster
Relief, and Other Operations
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' need
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
15
Quadrennial Defense Review
1. Protect the Homeland
CAP Goal
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
2.2. Establish enduring partnerships
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
3. Project Power and Win Decisively
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
4.2. Position CAP to be America's leader in youth cyber defense education
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
DoD Strategic Management Plan
1. Optimize DoD Personnel Through
Actions Focusing on Readiness
CAP Goal
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
3.2. Enhance education and training of our members
7.2. Improve CAP's culture across the full spectrum of missions, programs and processes
7.4. Implement a Safety Management System that imbeds risk management into every process of
the Corporation and instills a safety culture that becomes a way of life
2. Strengthen DoD Financial
Management/Public Confidence
3.1. Develop tools to simplify tasks and garner efficiencies
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
7.3. Enhance CAP's stewardship
4. Strengthen DoD Acquisition
Processes
Air Force Priority
1. Develop and Care for Airmen
and Their Families
7.3. Enhance CAP's stewardship
CAP Goal
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
1.3. Position CAP to become the Air Force's single home for cadet (youth) programs, both schoolbased and community-based
2.4. Increase community awareness of CAP AE programs through visits and presentations at local
schools and organizations
4.1. Sustain a first class Aerospace Education program
4.3. Make aviation more accessible to cadets
4.4. Increase the effectiveness of our cadet career exploration courses (NCSAs)
4.5. Increase cadet educational opportunities by expanding our college and career school
scholarship programs
5.2. Take care of our members
6.4. Enhance our portfolio of cadet leadership and character development activities
6.5. Support cadets in their efforts to improve their physical fitness
7.5. Maintain America's confidence in the CAP Cadet Program
16
2. Balancing Readiness and
Modernization
3.Making Every Dollar Count to
Ensure a Credible and Affordable
Force
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
3.2. Enhance education and training of our members
7.1. Improve CAP's culture across the full spectrum of missions, programs and processes
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
7.3. Enhance CAP's stewardship
7.4. Implement a Safety Management System that imbeds risk management into every process of
the Corporation and instills a safety culture that becomes a way of life
7.8. Aviation excellence- maintain and promote standardized excellence in CAP flight operations
1.1.
1.2.
3.1.
7.3.
Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
Develop tools to simplify tasks and garner efficiencies
Enhance CAP's stewardship
17
CAP history,
feature articles,
scholarly works,
and stories of
interest.
CIVIL AIR PATROL
CAP National Historical Journal
Volume III, Issue I: JAN-MAR 2016
The Civil Air Patrol National Historical Journal is published quarterly by professional volunteer staff. As academic historians by trade,
we recognize the demand for quality publications reflecting a variety of interests to Civil Air Patrol readers, and strive to provide the
best in feature and thought provoking articles. We trust you will enjoy what the e-journal has to offer and will consider contributing
to the mission of our staff in providing a forum for the great traditions of our organization.
CIVIL AIR PATROL: 75 Years of
Service
present a coherent review of the major issues in play
Richard Mulanax, PhD.
year history of Civil Air Patrol is appreciated. The major
Prologue
he first history of Civil Air Patrol, Flying
T
Minutemen, written by Robert Neprud in 1948,
covered the Army Air Forces period of CAP’s inception in
1941 through World War II, with the creation of the
United States Air Force in September of 1947.
The final chapter in Neprud’ s book, CAP Looks Ahead,
was particularly concerned about the future of CAP in
with Civil Air Patrol so the continuum of the entire 75
issues faced by the organization throughout its history
included the following:
A.
Organizing the contribution to American air
(later aerospace) education.
B.
Defining Civil Air Patrol’s proper peacetime
relationship with the United States Air Force after CAP
became the official auxiliary of the Air Force in 1948.
C.
Focusing on changing priorities within the threepart mission of CAP: Emergency Services, Aerospace
Education, and Cadet Programs.
the immediate post-war period because it appeared to
some to no longer have a mission once at war’s end. He
hoped that CAP would lead the way in creating an
interest in, and enthusiasm for, aviation amongst the
American public.
Introduction
Civil Air Patrol never operated in a vacuum. Its mission
and membership waxed and waned with current events
and public awareness of its role in contributing to
successfully coping with the needs of the nation.
Whether it through day to day activities such as
Your author has reinterpreted some of events chronicled
by Neprud so that they address issues raised from 1947
into the 21st Century. These events are addressed within
the context of events since the original publication of
Flying Minutemen. This is so that your author may
aerospace education, or threats made to the American
people via armed attack or the more likely scenario of
natural disasters, CAP responded. This has been
reflected in the history of Civil Air Patrol throughout its
75 year history. CAP was not static; events caused
1
changes in public and Air Force perceptions of CAP’s
70s, and 80s. As public support for the Vietnam War
usefulness to the Air Force and the nation. This was
waned, public and Air Force interest in CAP plummeted
reflected
and CAP was marginalized by both.
in
membership
numbers
and
public
appreciation of CAP. The American public has often been
unwittingly unaware of CAP’s many contributions to the
The end of the Cold War and the first Gulf War changed
safety of America, and the existence of CAP itself. These
the nation’s focus. Overnight, the Soviet threat vanished,
events are addressed in greater detail following the
and Soviet inspired and funded insurgencies throughout
Introduction.
the developing world disappeared. The Air Force, and
W
consequently CAP, was faced with redefining its mission
orld War II resulted in the creation of the
focus in the light of these events. CAP became more
Office of Civilian Defense (OCD), with CAP as its
involved with disaster relief and drug interdiction
air arm. There was heavy public involvement and
missions.
interest in the CAP mission in the beginning, and this
lasted through the end of the War. However, with
The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New
postwar demobilization and a return to peacetime
York, the Pentagon building in Washington, and the
pursuits, there was a question of whether CAP should
downing of an airliner in Pennsylvania changed the
continue to operate, and if so, what should its
presumptive role of the U.S. Armed Forces. The Federal
relationship be with the Army Air Forces, soon to be
Government consolidated homeland threat missions
reorganized and renamed the United States Air Force
into one agency, the Department of Homeland Security,
(USAF).
focusing public attention on terrorist and natural
disaster threats to the nation. CAP became more
The Cold War and Korea renewed Air Force and public
involved with supporting Air Force-related homeland
interest in CAP because of the immediate and continuing
security missions.
threat of nuclear war associated the Soviet Union and its
client states, especially China. In times of international
crisis, CAP membership improved and the Air Force was
actively involved with CAP. In particular, there were
I
n 2015, the Air Force announced a new role for CAP
as part of the Total Force, making CAP an integral
part of planning and non-combatant support for the Air
internal conflicts between the National Commander and
Force. This reflected a closer relationship with the Air
the Air Force-staffed headquarters (CAP-USAF). John F.
Force than had existed for many years.
Kennedy’s election to the presidency saw the new policy
Continued on page 4
of Flexible Response to Soviet aggression. His critics
would later charge that this led directly to the Vietnam
War and other East-West confrontations of the 1960s,
2
Staff & Acknowledgements
it has in the past—when the operational duties utilizing
National Commander
Maj Gen Joseph R. Vazquez
the CAP air fleet increase, the visibility of the
Chief Historian
Col Frank A. Blazich Jr.
National Historical Editor
Lt Col Richard B. Mulanax
National Historical Journal Editor
Maj Kurt Efinger
organization will follow.
T
he plethora of technologies that have come to the
forefront of aerial war and surveillance in less than
two decades into the 21st century have necessitated a
review of the USAF’s own operational policies. Though
there is no “hard-evidence” as to exactly what those
changes will be, it might be fair to say that the USAF is
Editor's Column: The Coming Tide
only one step-ahead of the capabilities themselves. In
K.J. Efinger, MMH
other words, leading a supposed Revolution in Military
I
t has been the opinion of more than just a handful of
Affairs (RMA) upon which the civilian world rides the
CAP members that the recent move by the USAF
coattails. The idea of a RMA or as some see,
assigning the Civil Air Patrol to Air Combat Command for
technological determinism, is a doctrinal point of view. It
Emergency Services operational missions translates to a
is promoted at various levels of government, taught at
more active role in recognizing the organization’s future
academic
potential as an augmentation force of civilian volunteers.
supported by large names within the established genre
institutions
around
the
country,
and
of military historians and scientists.1 Its adherents are
Whatever the case, the Civil Air Patrol has been placed
very faithful to the systematic construct that says
on a footing that fundamentally mirrors that of its
technology “ups the ante” a little bit with each new
wartime forbearers, and must be prepared to engage
application.
the expanding responsibilities it will assuredly have. By
no means can this be interpreted to denote a military
Detractors of the ideology will quickly point to the
function of the organization. What it does do is provide a
application
clearly defined niche in which CAP will find its place
combating the new-tech, simply arguing that there is no
among volunteer and reserve organizations and units
“revolution” as such, but rather a continuation of “tit-
that support the USAF in order that it may direct
for-tat” evolutionary movements in warfare. Therefore,
of
countermanding
technologies
in
resources where most efficient and central to its
purpose.
Consequently—and to restate the obvious—the Civil Air
Patrol might well be a far more visible force of
volunteers among the nation’s uniformed services than
1
The broad-spectrum of views on whether the RMA's exist
is a subject of great debate—one which is best left to discuss at
another time. Suffice it to say, a brief understanding of its application
and influence in military thinking is necessitated by its mere mention
in this essay. Jeffrey McKitrick, James Blackwell, Fred Littlepage,
George Kraus, Richard Blanchfield, Dale Hill, Robert Kim, Marl
Jacobson, John Moyle, and Steven Kenney, Battlefield of the Future:
21st Century War Issues, ed. Barry R. Schneider and Lawrence Grinter
(Montgomery: Air University Press, 1998), 65.
3
there is no “revolution” per se, but a progression
Civil Air Patrol leadership has yet to define the new
towards
previous
relationship, and as such, leaves much to speculation.
generational approaches obsolete—the supposition
This would certainly create relevance far greater in
being that changes in doctrine are the result of changes
scope for the organization. Being part of the future use
in technology. Though the “detractor’s” view is more in-
of aviation assets and personnel is where CAP began,
line with my own thinking, I defer to the unprecedented
and presumably where it will be in the future.
number of air-power gadgetry that has inundated the
Maj Efinger serves as SER HQ Historian, and is the CAP
National Historical Journal Manager at CAP NHQ. He is a fulltime teacher of Economics and Adjunct Professor of History at
Indian River State College in Ft. Pierce, FL.
advancement
that
renders
21st century’s first two decades. It is difficult to maintain
a stalwart view, and at the same time fail to
acknowledge the changes are impacting. DARPA, or the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is at the
Letters to the Editor
leading edge of many of these advancements.2 The
“technology frontier” is far and wide.
T
he recent policy change by the USAF allowing
enlisted airmen to fly Remotely Piloted Aircraft
(RPA) as opposed to only commissioned officers—a
move that was announced last year in some
publications3—is just one of many indicators that the
USAF is looking towards utilizing as many resources as
possible in overall air operations.4 This is not only a
The Editor at the CAP NHJ welcomes your comments
and feedback. Please submit letters for review by
emailing the editor at the address provided.
All comments will be reviewed by the entire editorial
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CAP members are encouraged to maintain a
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policy change, but likely a doctrinal one as well. It may
be argued—though with little evidence—that CAP pilots
Continued from page 2
will see larger roles once fulfilled by USAF mission pilots.
Over the years, the Office of Civilian Defense, then
This is a statement of opinion rather than fact. However,
Headquarters Army Air Forces, and finally Headquarters
2
Chloe Olewitz, "DARPA’S New Gremlin Drones Fly Back to
Their 'Mothership' After Completing Recon Missions," Fox News, April
15, 2016, http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/04/15/darpas-newgremlin-drones-fly-back-to-their-mothership-after-completing-reconmissions.html. (Accessed April 15, 2016).
3
Stephen Losey, "RPA Officer Incentive Pay to Increase to
$35k Under New Law,"Air Force Times, November 27, 2015,
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2015/11/25/congresswants-to-hear-plan-to-boost-rpa-manning/76258546// (Accessed
April 15, 2016).
4
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs, "AF Introduces
Enlisted Global Hawk Pilots," www.af.mil, December 17, 2015,
http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/637192/afintroduces-enlisted-global-hawk-pilots.aspx/ (Accessed April 15,
2016).
United States Air Force, delegated support for CAP to
various agencies and Major Air Commands under their
control, based on the their perception of where it could
provide the most use to them:
1 DEC 1941
29 APR 1943
4 MAY 1943
24 JUN 1943
31 JUL 1945
1 APR 1945
5 AUG 1945
1 JUL 1946
OCD
War (Army) Department
HQ US Army Air Forces (USAAF)
USAAF Technical Services Command
USAAF terminates CAP financial support
USAAF Training Command
Air Defense Command
USAAF Technical Training Command
4
18 SEP 1947
21 MAY 1948
11 JAN 1949
1 JAN 1949
1 JAN 1968
15 MAY 1978
1 JUL 1983
1 JUL 1993
C
USAAF designated United States Air Force
USAF Air Training Command
Headquarters Command USAF
Continental Air Command
Headquarters Command USAF
Air University
Air Training Command
1, 2, 3, 4
Air Education and Training Command
Public support for Civil Air Patrol over the last 75 years
was based on knowledge of CAP’s contribution to public
safety and security. Because the public was largely
unaware of CAP’s contributions, CAP did not exist for
them. This has been a recurring theme for CAP. Similarly,
CAP was generally unknown to the vast majority of rank
AP has come full circle with the Air Force. When
and file Air Force personnel during the 70s, 80s, and 90s,
the organization became the official Air Force
receiving relatively low support as a result.5 With the
Auxiliary in 1948, the Air Force regarded CAP’s mission
change in mission after 911 and the assignment of CAP
as
recruitment
to Air Combat Command, CAP’s mission and the Air
(essentially, the Cadet Program and Air Education), with
Force mission are now more closely aligned. CAP is now
a secondary mission of augmenting the Air Force search
in a position to provide vital support for the nation that
and rescue mission. Air (later Aerospace) Education was
is visible and perceived as essential to the nation.
primarily
supporting
Air
Force
essentially an element of the recruitment program. This
focus continued throughout the Cold War period, but
began to change in the 1990s, as post-Cold War
World War II and Demobilization (1941-1948)
Civil Air Patrol was born and nurtured in the cauldron of
demobilization tremendously reduced the manpower
World War II. War in Europe broke out in September of
needs of the Air Force.
1939, and as the war progressed it became increasingly
clear that the United States would be drawn in, and so
The introduction of The Drug Demand Reduction (DDR)
must prepare for the inevitable. Since the beginning of
Program and increased public and Air Force interest in
the 20th Century, America replaced Britain as the great
responding
a
balancer of wars: Whichever side received America’s
reprioritization in favor of Emergency Services. After
support would win, so even if the isolationists wished
911, CAP expanded its role as a vital component of the
not to be involved, America would be forced in by one
homeland security team in augmenting the anti-
side or the other because we were the tipper.
to
natural
disasters
resulted
in
terrorism effort and responding to natural disasters.
American military planners in the War and Navy
Departments strongly lobbied President Roosevelt to
initiate a major build up between 1939 and 1941,
1
Fact Sheet, Civil Air Patrol, USAF (AETC), 31 March 2009,
Air Force Historical Research Agency, http://afhra/af.mil/factsheets.
2
ostensibly as a deterrent to German aggression, but in
reality preparing to go to war in support of the Allied
Civil Air Patrol Lineage and Honors, Compiled by Col Len
Blascovich, August 2000, http://capnhq.custhelp.com.
3
Civil Air Patrol Joins Total Force “Airmen”, SSgt Whitney
Stanfield, Secretary of the Air Force Command Information, 28 Aug
2015.
4
CAPM 50-5, Apr 2013, Revision One, pp 15.
5
Your author served as an active duty Air Force officer and
CAP member from 1972 to 1992, and noted at the time that most Air
Force personnel, particularly senior officers, were generally unaware
of CAP’s contribution to the Air Force mission.
5
nations of Britain and France. General Headquarters Air
States. This perception quickly changed when German
Force (GHQ AF) was activated in 1935 to consolidate
U-Boats appeared off America’s coasts.
American combat air forces under one command,
reporting directly to the Chief of staff of the Army in his
role as wartime Commanding General of General
Headquarters US Army. The separate Army Air Corps
D
espite the pre-war buildup, American military
forces were unprepared to defend American
coastal shipping. American oil companies used fuel
(AAC) was responsible for training and logistics, and
tanker ships to move their products, which were vital to
concentrated on developing new combat aircraft for
the war effort, up and down the Atlantic and Gulf coasts,
GHQ AF. By 1941, the AAC was combined with the GHQ
and through the Panama Canal, where west coast fuel
AF, renamed Air Force Combat Command, as the USAAF,
could be transported to Eastern cities. The sheer volume
with Maj Gen Henry Arnold as Chief. In 1942, the AAC
and urgent need for fuel prevented switching to railroad
and the GHQ were deactivated, their components now
tank cars, and pipelines could not be built quickly
reporting directly to Headquarters USAAF, with Lt Gen
enough. Additionally, American Army and Navy aircraft
Arnold as Commanding General, USAAF. The USAAF was
and crews were in such short supply that they could not
designated one of three major components of the Army,
adequately patrol the shipping lanes along the coasts.
along with Army Ground Forces and Army Services
This led to oil company executives meeting with
Forces.
representatives of Civil Air Patrol and agreeing to
partially fund the creation of a CAP Coastal Patrol along
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) was created in 1941 as
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. This funded Coastal Patrol
the civilian corollary to the military buildup. Several
and protected the American coastline. It is important to
states created Aviation Departments in the 1930s, and
note that this was done at a time when CAP was under
there was an aviation component of state-controlled
the control of the OCD, not the Air Force, or it might not
National Guard units. A distinguished group of civil
have happened. The President of Sun Oil and other
aviators, led by Gil Robb Wilson, joined under the OCD
industry leaders were able to use their influence to
umbrella to form the Civil Air Patrol in December of
obtain US government support, and they donated
1941. This provided private pilots who were not in
$18,000 to help fund Coastal Patrol operations. The
military service to support the country and the AAC on a
Army and Navy leadership were hostile to the concept,
volunteer basis to augment the air forces of the country.
but were forced by political pressure to accept it.6
Early in the war, the USAAF had little interest in Civil Air
Coastal Patrol planes were light aircraft such as Piper
Patrol. Military leaders were not convinced that civilian
Cubs; they had virtually no combat value, even though
pilots without military training could provide any
they were eventually armed with small bombs for
worthwhile contribution to the air defense of the United
6
Robert Neprud, Flying Minutemen, NY, Duell, Sloan and
Pearce, 1948, p 10.
6
targets of opportunity (provided the other side was not
examination of all aspects of CAP activities, personnel,
firing on them). Their main purpose was to identify U-
and organization. The resulting report heavily criticized
Boats and hostile surface craft patrolling the coasts, and
the directly commissioned officers and the civilian
search for survivors of sunken Allied ships and aircraft. It
members of CAP, and charged that CAP members were
was not designed to provide a coordinated program to
more loyal to the Civil Air Patrol than to the Army Air
attack enemy vessels; it was important as a deterrent to
Forces. Although this was a false dichotomy, since CAP
U-Boats, whose captains were concerned that the small
members could be loyal to both, it led to the first effort
planes would call in a military attack by air or sea. It was
to define and rationalize the relationship between the
thus a credible deterrent and led to a decrease in U-Boat
civilian and military sides of CAP.7
attacks on coastal shipping.
The Cadet Program, created 1 Oct 1942, was of more
By 1943, U-Boat attacks in the coastal sea lanes had
interest to the USAAF because it provided aviation
diminished considerably, as the American Navy drove
training and motivation to high school graduates who
the German submarines out of the western Atlantic and
could fill the war-depleted ranks of the USAAF.8 As cadet
coastal air and sea defenses became adequately manned
membership soared, so did USAAF interest in the Cadet
by the military and naval forces. CAP in the meantime
side of CAP. CAP continued to support the war effort
expanded its participation in other wartime missions
both operationally and with the Cadet Program for the
such as border patrol, courier services for the Army Air
duration of the war, providing invaluable services to the
Forces, and forest fire spotting.
USAAF at a very low cost.9
W
hen CAP was under the OCD, the USAAF
Membership declined as the US Armed Forces
provided
small
demobilized in 1945-46. For CAP, this meant that the
administrative staff for CAP. Most of these individuals,
organization had to decide if it had completed its
including the National Commander, were commissioned
mission and should be disbanded; or if it had a place in
directly from civilian life, and were not part of the
the peacetime world. In the view some of the USAAF
regular military establishment; and CAP reported to the
leadership, the realignment of USAAF missions after the
OCD, not the USAAF. This changed in 1943 when CAP
war made CAP redundant. In January, 1946, General of
was transferred to the War Department and placed
the Army (later Air Force) Henry Arnold convened a
under the jurisdiction of the USAAF.
conference of Air Force officials and CAP wing
the
Commander
and
a
7
The USAAF immediately wanted to militarize CAP, so
that CAP would, in the USAAF view, fit better into the
total USAAF wartime mission. This led, in 1944, to USAAF
Air
Inspector
General
conducting
a
thorough
Summary Report of Air Inspector’s Investigation of the
Civil Air Patrol, dated 8 March 1944. Washington, DC, HQ Army Air
Forces.
8
Civil Air Patrol Historical Note, The Cadet Program, Lt Col
Leonard Blascovich, CAP National Historical Committee, Feb 1994.
9
Civil Air Patrol Report to Congress for May 1948, National
Headquarters Civil Air Patrol, p 2.
7
commanders to consider the future of CAP. The
supported by the Soviet Union, attempted coups in
Conference recommended that CAP incorporate as a
Greece and Turkey. This led to a series of events that
private organization or corporation.
culminated in the United States going on a war footing,
albeit in peacetime, to counter Soviet aggression. The
The USAAF withdrew its funding of CAP on 31 March
Berlin Blockade of 1948-49, followed by the Soviet
1946, and CAP was chartered by Congress as a civilian
Union’s acquisition of the atomic bomb and the
organization with the three-fold mission of Emergency
Communist takeover of mainland China the same year,
Services, Aviation Education, and Cadet Programs. This
led to the establishment of NATO that same year, 1949.
became the TRIAD of Civil Air Patrol. CAP also became
The Truman Administration responded by adopting the
the official auxiliary of the USAAF, and in 1948, after the
policy of containment to stop Soviet world expansion.
establishment of the USAF, the official auxiliary of the Air
The first armed application of this new policy was in
Force.10 Once the USAAF became a separate service in
Korea.
1947 as the United States Air Force (USAF), the Cadet
Program continued to be one of, if not the most,
important major interests of the Air Force in CAP up
through the 1990s.
T
he Communist North Korean attack on South
Korea in 1950 was instigated by the Soviet Union,
which provided logistical support for and stood behind
the North Koreans via their Chinese Communist
The Early Cold War and Korea (1949-1959)
Between World War II and the Korean War of 1950-
surrogates. The American response led to a dramatic
1953, CAP had different priorities than the Air Force and
well).11 As USAF search and rescue units were rapidly
focused on Cadet Programs and Emergency Services
(specifically search and rescue). The war era draft ended
in 1947, but because of Cold War tensions, was quickly
resumed in 1948, and ultimately greatly expanded
during the Korean War and remained high until the end
of the Vietnam War. This meant that the Air Force had a
continued intense interest in the CAP Cadet Program as
increase in the US military (and CAP membership as
moved to the Far East, CAP took over virtually all
stateside search and rescue (SAR) missions. This enabled
the Air Force to concentrate SAR efforts on Korea.12
After the end of the Korean War, Stalin’s death, and
Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration as President in 1953,
public concern about the Soviet Union diminished
considerably, and so did CAP membership.
a conduit for potential Air Force recruits.
The United States and the Soviet Union both publicly
The Soviet Union’s consolidation of control in Eastern
Europe from 1945 to 1948 was a piecemeal process
announced they were developing missile technology for
peaceful purposes, but both were quietly working on
which the United States was slow to respond. Events
came to a head, however, when Communist insurgents,
11
Julius Pratt et al, A History of United States Foreign Policy,
4 Edition, Prentice-Hall, Englewood, NJ, 1980, pp 399-408.
th
12
10
CAPM 50-5, Apr 2013, Revision One, pp 15-17.
Civil Air Patrol Annual Report to Congress for 1951, May
1952, “Activities During 1951…Operations”.
8
nuclear tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
In the midst of all this, the Soviet Union launched the
first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in 1957. This created a
near panic in America and the Western World. This led
to the first instance of what today we might call a
Science/Technology/Electronics/Math
(STEM)
panic
attack, the first in America’s recent history, as politicians
everywhere were sure we were falling behind the Soviet
Union. Not only did it cause us to question whether our
scientific and educational programs were up to par, but
it expanded the existing public fear of an ICBM nuclear
attack. There was a surge in CAP membership in 1957
that lasted several years. After the United States landed
a man on the moon in 1968, STEM panic abated, but it
continues to erupt from time to time, up to the present,
even though the US has been a world leader in science
and technology for almost 50 years. Prior to Sputnik,
most Americans were worried about bomber attacks;
after Sputnik, missiles became the concern as a result of
their efficient and destructive delivery systems that
could avoid the handicaps of bomber warfare. The Cold
War mentality caused citizens to build more bomb
shelters, practice nuclear war survival, and live under the
shadow of imminent nuclear destruction. This was the
world of Americans living between 1949 and 1991. Baby
boomers knew no other life than suffering the fear of
World War III from their childhood through their 40s.
The Late Cold War and Vietnam (1960-1988)
1960 was a year of decision for CAP. CAP National
Commander Air Force Brig Gen Stephen McEnroy wrote
a scathing denunciation of CAP’s civilian leadership, and
sent it to his supervisor, Lt Gen William Hall, the
Commanding General of Continental Air Command.
McEnroy argued that CAP was successful its first twenty
years
because
of
the
teamwork
between
the
USAAF/USAF and CAP, and particularly from 1948 to
1959 because of the close relationship of retired Gen
Carl Spaatz, former Chief of Staff of the Air Force, as
Chairman of the National Board of CAP, and Maj Gen
Lucas Beau and Maj Gen Walter Agee as National
Commanders during the same period. Brig Gen McEnroy
claimed that Lucas and Agee were responsive to the
needs of the Air Force while serving as CAP National
Commanders because they were Air Force officers, and
that civilian members of CAP were not, and would not
be, responsive to the needs of the Air Force in the
future. He noted a decline in Cadet membership from
50,000 to 28,000 in the previous decade, and attributed
this to the poor quality of civilian leadership in CAP.17
McEnroy stated emphatically that Civil Air Patrol had no
legal status as an official agency of the USAF—this is in
stark contrast to the Air Force’s view of CAP in 2016. In
fact, CAP membership had been fairly stable from 1958
through 1961. Brig Gen McEnroy was newly promoted
to Brig Gen when he was assigned as National
13,14,15,16
Commander CAP. Ironically, this was at the request of
the CAP members of the National Board, because they
13
th
Kennedy et al, The American Pageant, 12 Edition,
Houghton Mifflin, NY, 2002, pp 903-904.
14
15
Civil Air Patrol Annual Report for 1957.
See Appendix 1, Membership Statistics include combined
data provided by the CAP National Historian, Col Frank Blazich, and
the author from CAP Annual Reports to Congress and CAP Annual
Financial Reports.
16
Your author remembers drills in which we students
tucked our heads into our knees under our desks in order to survive
hydrogen bombs!
17
Headquarters Civil Air Patrol letter to Lt Gen William Hall
from Brig Gen Stephen McEnroy, 20 June 1960, Subject: Civil Air
Patrol – USAF Relationship.
9
thought a newly minted general would be a more
policy could lead to general nuclear war, so he modified
aggressive National Commander because he wanted to
it. His new policy of Flexible Response was designed to
be a Maj Gen. He was aggressive, but not in the way the
defuse the situation so that acts of Soviet aggression
National Board intended.18,19
would elicit graduated responses from the United States
appropriate to the aggression, and not a hair trigger
Brig Gen McEnroy left CAP a year and a half after
reaction of bombing the Soviets back into the Stone Age.
sending the letter referenced above. He remained a Brig
The Soviet response was to test the theory by a series of
Gen
National
incidents and provocations, such as placing missiles in
Commanders were Air Force colonels, and then general
Cuba and supporting a Communist insurgency in
officers
Vietnam. The Cuban Missile Crisis and the escalation in
until
retirement.
returned
as
The
next
National
two
Commander/USAF
Executive Director from 1967 to 1984.20
the Vietnam War resulted in a surge in Civil Air Patrol
membership.
I
n 1961, CAP developed its first long range strategic
plan, which placed an emphasis on Cadet recruiting.
In February, 1968, the massive North Vietnamese attack
The Long Range Plan called for a membership goal of
on South Vietnam during the Tet holiday (the Tet
160,000 (100,000 of which would be Cadets).
21
This
Offensive) caused American and South Vietnamese
concept of more cadets than senior members was
forces to suffer heavy losses. Even though the
consistent with CAP’s goal of emphasizing the Cadet
Communist Viet Cong and North Vietnamese were
Program through the 1940s and 1950s, a policy CAP
defeated, the series of battles convinced the American
intended to continue indefinitely.
people that the war was unwinnable, and CAP
membership declined along with public confidence in
During the Truman and Eisenhower years (1945-1961),
the military.
America’s primary military mission was to protect the
country by preventing nuclear attack, and if attacked, to
Membership increased somewhat during the early Nixon
strike back. This implied that the strength of the nation’s
administration, by about 10%. President Nixon promised
Armed Forces was designed to be a deterrent to attack
to “Vietnamize” the War and bring the troops home, but
by the Soviet Union. John F. Kennedy, who became
as this dragged on. Membership in CAP dropped by
President in January of 1961, was concerned that this
about 10%. In 1972, as public confidence in President
Nixon began to decrease, membership dropped 13%,
18
Headquarters Civil Air Patrol letter to Lt Gen William Hall
from Brig Gen Stephen McEnroy, 20 June 1960, Subject: Civil Air
Patrol – USAF Relationship.
below its Tet Offensive levels. The decline continued
through the Ford and Carter administrations, reflecting a
19
Hero Next Door, Frank Burnham, Fallbrook, CA, Aero
Publishers, 1974, p 61.
20
Civil Air Patrol Lineage, August 2000, National
Headquarters CAP, written by Col Leonard Blascovich.
21
serious malaise in national morale, when many
Americans lost confidence in their government and the
military, and by extension, CAP. A dramatic drop in CAP
Civil Air Patrol Annual Report for 1961.
10
membership of 9% occurred at the end of the first year
downsizing of the military services, including the Air
of the Carter administration, but began to climb again as
Force, was dramatic. US Forces were largely withdrawn
the public reacted angrily to the Iranian Hostage
from Europe, and Strategic Air Command (SAC) was
situation, and soared again by 12% during the first two
deactivated and its combat missiles and bombers
years of the Reagan administration, as public confidence
redistributed around the Air Force. The Soviet threat no
in
longer existed.
the
government
and
the
military
increased
dramatically.22
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, CAP membership
T
he former Soviet Union, now Russia, was not
happy with how the Cold War ended, but because
waxed and waned, but did so largely outside the public
its economy collapsed along with its military, it was
eye. Determined members of CAP continued to support
powerless to do anything about it. The new threat on
the three mission elements of Emergency Services,
the horizon was state sponsored terrorism, largely of
Aviation (now Aerospace) Education, and Cadet
Middle Eastern origin, which was shortly replaced by
Programs. Beginning in 1985, Civil Air Patrol became
terrorism based on ideology and religion. Events in
involved with Counter-Narcotics missions in support of
Somalia were a precursor of things to come, but initially
the Drug Enforcement Agency. CAP support for drug
the US Military was most concerned with responding to
demand interdiction missions continued to the present
the new relationships in the former Soviet bloc of states
time. Unfortunately, during the 70s and 80s, CAP was
in Eastern Europe, leaving little room for monitoring
frequently a stealth organization, often unknown by the
events in the Middle East. The new Russia was not
public and by most members of the Air Force.
pleased that it was no longer a super power, and it was
concerned when several of its former client states joined
Transition to the Post-Cold War Era (1991-2001)
With the end of the Cold War in 1989-91, Collapse of the
Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, and the emergence
of the United States as the only remaining Super Power,
NATO. A resurgent Russia in the last decade caused a
reorientation within the Air Force, as SAC resurrected as
Air Force Global Strike Command, consolidating ICBMs
and nuclear bombers once again in one command.
CAP membership fluctuated. The end of the Cold War
coincided with the end of the First Gulf War (Desert
Storm). President H W Bush presided over the end of the
911 and After (2001-2015)
After the end of the Cold War, the new military concerns
Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union. The threat
for the United States were terrorism, insurgencies, and
of general nuclear war that troubled the minds of the
local conflicts. CAP adapted to provide support in an
American public and the American military from 1949 to
environment more suited to CAP capabilities than it
1991 was gone. Abruptly, the American people were not
could possibly do supporting the Air Force in meeting its
faced with the imminent threat of nuclear war. The
Cold War responsibilities. Extremist Islamic terrorism
was on the rise in the 1990s, but insufficient notice was
22
See Appendix 1 for statistics cited in this paragraph.
taken until September 11, 2001 (911), with the
11
destruction of the World Trade Center. Suddenly,
Guard Auxiliary (USCGA).24 This was essentially a turf
America was faced with the specter of non-state
battle, and DHS sided with the USCG, which is part of
sponsored, religious-based terrorism.
DHS.
American military personnel were sent into combat in
Integration into the Total (Air Force) Force (2015-2016+)
On 4 June 2014, Maj Gen Chuck Carr, National
Iraq and Afghanistan in one form or another over the
next fifteen years. Reserve and National Guard troops
were more closely integrated into the Total Force, and
this increased hometown awareness of the War and
appreciation of the US Armed Forces across the country.
CAP membership surged again to over 64,000 in two
years, then fluctuated again through 2015, with a 2015
membership of 58,611.23
Commander of CAP, spoke to the Air Force Corona
Conference. Corona is the annual meeting of Air Force
Lieutenant and full Generals, including all Major Air
Command commanders. He briefed the senior Air Force
command staff on CAP’s missions and programs, but
most importantly, he highlighted the ways that CAP
could support the Air Force mission in an extremely costeffective way (remember 1946 above?).25
The American security establishment—including military
and civilian agencies—was realigned in response to the
new terrorist threat and the demands of Middle Eastern
war. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was
established to place domestic security agencies under
one organization which included border and coastal
protection, as well as internal security and disaster
response. These actions led to better coordination of
American internal security. CAP responded by increasing
its participation in natural disaster relief, as well as
supporting anti-terrorism efforts.
In 2012, the Government Accountability Office (GAO)
evaluated CAP’s potential for supporting homeland
security, and recommended increased use of CAP
This was followed on 23 June 2015 by a visit by Gen
Hawk Carlisle, Commander of Air Combat Command
(ACC), to CAP National Headquarters, where the General
was briefed on CAP’s missions and programs in
anticipation of CAP developing a closer relationship with
ACC.26 These events culminated in the announcement at
the 2015 CAP National Conference in August 2015 that
CAP would be integrated into the Air Force’s Total Force
and included in a non-combat role in the Air Force’s
future mission planning.
The Civil Air Patrol is poised to begin its 76th year with a
new public recognition of its importance to the nation’s
security. Over much of the last 75 years, CAP performed
resources in support of DHS’s aviation mission. The US
24
Coast Guard (USCG) objected because it had created its
own in-house Aviation Program within the US Coast
Homeland Security, Civil Air Patrol Involved in Certain
Missions, but DHS Should Assess the Benefits of Further Involvement,
Washington: GAO Report to Congressional Committees, 2012.
25
National Commander Addresses Air Force’s Top Leaders
at Corona, 4 June 2014.
26
23
See Appendix 1 for statistics cited in this paragraph.
ACC Commander Tours CAP National Headquarters, 23
June 2015.
12
its Emergency Services, Aerospace Education, and Cadet
the Air Force in its mission to defend the country in air
Programs with distinction, but spoke to a limited number
and space. This would reflect the close relationship of
of citizens and with too little appreciation by the
the organization with the Air Force in the same manner
leadership and the rank and file of the Air Force.
as the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary relates to the
United States Coast Guard.
CAP has come full circle now that it is integrated into the
Total Force. The Air Force has a renewed appreciation
for the contributions that CAP can make to accomplish
the Air Force mission. CAP for its part must always
A
s CAP embarks on its 76th year, the future is in our
hands and those of our successors, and will be
what we make of it as we respond to the needs of our
remember that CAP does not operate in a public
country.
relations vacuum: it must continually make itself known
Lt Col Mulanax holds a PhD in American History from Florida
State University and is the Research Division Head of the
National History Staff at CAP NHQ. He is a retired USAF officer
and a retired college professor.
to the public and the Air Force, and not rest on its past
laurels. Until CAP is a household name throughout the
country, and at every Air Force base, the job is a work in
progress. It will always be a work in progress, as any
educational endeavor is, as each new generation
acquires
the
knowledge and
experience
of
its
predecessors. In the last two years, CAP has taken bold
initiatives to accomplish this, and to align itself with the
Air Force Mission. The 2016-2020 Strategic Plan outlines
the many contributions CAP can and will make to the
nation’s security. Within the Strategic Plan, CAP’s
Alignment of Goals highlights the ways in which CAP will
actively integrate with the Air Force in the completion of
its missions, in support of the Departments of Defense
and Homeland Security, and in support of Aerospace
Education
programs
within
the
Department
of
Education.27
Civil Air Patrol and the Air Force must remember that
CAP is part of the Total Force as the official auxiliary of
the United States Air Force, and CAP exists to support
Call for Submissions
The Civil Air Patrol National Historical Journal (NHJ)
welcomes articles, essays, and commentaries on any topic
relating to the history of the Civil Air Patrol, or
military/civilian aviation history.
All historiographical works and essays must be submitted
in Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). Authors should submit
digital photographs (minimal resolution of 300 dots per
inch) and illustrations for publication. All content should be
the work of the author or open source. Adjustments to pixel
saturation, color and size will be made according to the
editorial staff’s recommendations. Please note that when
submitted to the editor at the Civil Air Patrol National
Historical Journal, all works and related media are released
from copyright infringements when published.
Editorial changes are at the sole discretion of the editorial
staff, but will be discussed with the author prior to
publication, and require release from the author.
The CAP NHJ editorial staff reserves the right to
refuse any work submitted. All submissions must be
sent as MS Word attachments and mailed to the
editor at kefinger@sercap.us.
27
See Appendix 2, Alignment of Goals, Civil Air Patrol
Strategic Plan, 2016-2020, Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters.
13
APPENDIX 1
CAP MEMBERSHIP STATISTICS 1945 - 2015
1945
135,000
End of WW2/Truman Pres.
1981
60,688
1946
NO REPORT
Demobilization
1982
64,669
"
1947
150,000
1983
67,773
"
1948
129,790
1984
66,505
"
1949
161,979
1985
65,771
"
1950
70,624
Korean War
1986
66,931
"
1951
77,412
Korean War Armistice
1987
72,969
"
1952
77,472
"
1988
72,836
"
1953
81,546
1989
67,339
GHW Bush President
1954
86,507
"
1990
60,226
Collapse of Soviet Union
1955
90,089
"
1991
57,790
Operation Desert Storm
1956
76,839
"
1992
55,679
1957
74,361
1993
53,316
1958
70,322
"
1994
51,041
"
1959
70,759
"
1995
52,225
"
1960
69,571
"
1996
53,585
"
1961
71,724
Kennedy President
1997
57,431
"
1962
76,358
Cuban Missile Crisis
1998
59,582
"
1963
82,406
Vietnam War/Johnson Pres.
1999
61,216
"
1964
86,473
"
2000
59,442
"
1965
80,245
"
2001
58,090
G Bush President/911
1966
79,537
"
2002
62,350
"
1967
85,341
"
2003
64,535
"
1968
67,122
Tet Offensive
2004
60,207
"
1969
63,600
Nixon President
2005
56,888
"
1970
73,348
Vietnam Drawdown
2006
56,363
"
1971
70,217
"
2007
56,464
"
1972
62,430
"
2008
54,383
"
1973
60,125
Middle East War
2009
58,660
1974
61,447
Ford President
2010
61,133
"
1975
64,978
Vietnam War Ends
2011
61,812
"
1976
64,516
2012
60,847
"
1977
63,373
2013
59,019
"
1978
57,641
2014
56,522
Soviet Invasion of Crimea
1979
59,552
2015
57,580
CAP in Total Force
1980
59,312
Berlin Blockade
"
Korean War Ends/Ike Pres.
Sputnik
"
Carter President
"
Iran Hostage Crisis
Reagan President
"
Clinton President
Obama President
"
14
APPENDIX 2
ALIGNMENT OF GOALS
Department of Education
CAP Goal
1. Increase College Access, Quality,
and Affordability
4.1. Sustain a first class Aerospace Education program
4.2. Position CAP to be America's leader in youth cyber defense education
4.5. Increase cadet educational opportunities by expanding our college and career school
scholarship programs
2.Improve Elementary and Secondary
Education
1.3. Position CAP to become the Air Force's single home for cadet (youth) programs, both
school-based and community-based
2.4. Increase community awareness of CAP AE programs through visits and presentations at
local schools and organizations
4.1. Sustain a first class Aerospace Education program
4.4. Increase the effectiveness of our cadet career exploration courses (NCSAs)
6.1. Produce first class leaders for tomorrow's CAP
6.4. Enhance our portfolio of cadet leadership and character development activities
Department of Homeland
Security
1. Prevent Terrorism and Enhance
CAP Goal
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
Security
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
2. Secure and Manage Our Borders
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
7.1. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
4. Safeguard and Secure Cyberspace
5. Strengthen National Preparedness
and Resilience
4.2. Position CAP to be America's leader in youth cyber defense education
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
2.2. Establish enduring partnerships
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
Defense Strategic Guidance
5. Operate Effectively in Cyberspace
and Space
CAP Goal
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill AF and other federal agencies' needs
4.2. Position CAP to be America's leader in youth cyber defense education
7. Defend the Homeland and Provide
Support to Civil Authorities
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
2.2. Establish enduring partnerships
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
10. Conduct Humanitarian, Disaster
Relief, and Other Operations
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' need
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
15
Quadrennial Defense Review
1. Protect the Homeland
CAP Goal
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
2.2. Establish enduring partnerships
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
3. Project Power and Win Decisively
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
4.2. Position CAP to be America's leader in youth cyber defense education
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
DoD Strategic Management Plan
1. Optimize DoD Personnel Through
Actions Focusing on Readiness
CAP Goal
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
3.2. Enhance education and training of our members
7.2. Improve CAP's culture across the full spectrum of missions, programs and processes
7.4. Implement a Safety Management System that imbeds risk management into every process of
the Corporation and instills a safety culture that becomes a way of life
2. Strengthen DoD Financial
Management/Public Confidence
3.1. Develop tools to simplify tasks and garner efficiencies
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
7.3. Enhance CAP's stewardship
4. Strengthen DoD Acquisition
Processes
Air Force Priority
1. Develop and Care for Airmen
and Their Families
7.3. Enhance CAP's stewardship
CAP Goal
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
1.3. Position CAP to become the Air Force's single home for cadet (youth) programs, both schoolbased and community-based
2.4. Increase community awareness of CAP AE programs through visits and presentations at local
schools and organizations
4.1. Sustain a first class Aerospace Education program
4.3. Make aviation more accessible to cadets
4.4. Increase the effectiveness of our cadet career exploration courses (NCSAs)
4.5. Increase cadet educational opportunities by expanding our college and career school
scholarship programs
5.2. Take care of our members
6.4. Enhance our portfolio of cadet leadership and character development activities
6.5. Support cadets in their efforts to improve their physical fitness
7.5. Maintain America's confidence in the CAP Cadet Program
16
2. Balancing Readiness and
Modernization
3.Making Every Dollar Count to
Ensure a Credible and Affordable
Force
1.1. Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
1.2. Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
2.1. Exploit technological advancements to enhance mission capabilities
3.2. Enhance education and training of our members
7.1. Improve CAP's culture across the full spectrum of missions, programs and processes
7.2. Increase America's confidence that One CAP stands ready to serve
7.3. Enhance CAP's stewardship
7.4. Implement a Safety Management System that imbeds risk management into every process of
the Corporation and instills a safety culture that becomes a way of life
7.8. Aviation excellence- maintain and promote standardized excellence in CAP flight operations
1.1.
1.2.
3.1.
7.3.
Increase opportunities to partner with the Air Force
Present cost effective alternatives to fulfill Air Force and other federal agencies' needs
Develop tools to simplify tasks and garner efficiencies
Enhance CAP's stewardship
17