Smart Warriors: A Rationale for Educating Air Force Academy Cadets in the History of Science,Technology, and Warfare

A crucial pedagogical issue facing instructors of History of Science and Technology (HST) at a military institution like the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is enhancing the judgment of cadets through education so that they can make informed and intelligent decisions as officers. Fundamental understanding of relationships between HST and warfare provides much needed context for making decisions in the complex technical milieu cadets inhabit. A related goal is to instill in cadets a critical attitude towards technology. Getting cadets to examine the value of new weapons technology is sometimes difficult, however. Cadets identify closely with the Air Force and the technology of flight; a critical attitude towards this technology may seem unhealthy to them, or even a form of betrayal or institutional disloyalty. Cadets nevertheless need to gain an appreciation for the context of HST, especially the dialectical interaction of science and technology with military doctrine. This paper discusses the experience of helping cadets to meet such challenges in learning HST in the context of professional military training.