U.S. Navy and Air Force: Military Sophistication and Technological Development

Introduction

In many ways, the history of the U.S. military parallels that of the United States itself. The country was initiated in a martial conflict with England, and it was only with the support of a fledgling military force that the colonists were able to win the Revolutionary War. Therefore, as the country developed and its processes became more sophisticated, so did those pertaining to the military. One of the most demonstrable ways in which this tendency is readily apparent is by tracing the history of the various branches of the U.S. armed forces. Specifically, this paper will delineate the history of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force to indicate how military sophistication has paralleled the developments in technology and applications of knowledge of America itself.

U.S. Naval History

The history of the U.S. Navy begins with the American Revolution. As that conflict waged on, it became imperative for the colonists to counter the effects of the relatively large and agile British naval fleet. The source of conflict for this martial encounter was the fact that the colonists, the majority of whom were British subjects, desired independence from the British government, which the former viewed as tyrannical and financially disadvantageous. Experiences of Americans captured by the British during this encounter reinforced these perceptions (Dzurec, 2013, p. 32). The financial grievances of the colonists began in earnest following the conclusion of the French and Indian War, in which the British incurred debt and attempted to exact a heavy financial toll from its colonies in the form of numerous taxes. The necessity of formulating a fledgling navy for the new nation was due in part to the fact that England was supplying its soldiers via the seaways; impairing their ability to do so with the colonists' fleet could seriously impair England's military prowess.

The U.S. Navy's future was uncertain at one point, until it was realized how valuable its contribution to the armed forces on a long-term basis actually was. After the success of the Colonial War, the Continental Navy was demolished in 1785 by an economy-minded Congress. The dormancy of American sea power lasted barely a decade when, in 1794, President George Washington persuaded Congress to authorize a new naval force to combat the growing menace of piracy on the high seas (U.S. Navy, 2015).

Perhaps it was the victory and the role of the Navy in the War of 1812 that contributed to its status as a lasting fixture of the U.S. military. This war, which reprised both partisans from the Revolutionary War, was partially started due to the unpopular British tactic of impressments (Deeben, 2012), when its fleet would seize control of U.S. ships and make those on board British citizens. Additionally, privateer and piracy efforts on the part of the British in their encounters with the U.S. on the seaways contributed to the war as well. The U.S.'s victory was largely attributed to its navy's efforts, which factored into the forming of a formal navy academy. The first naval school was established by George Bancroft in 1845 and was the first attempt to modernize this practice and give it an actual science and education to accompany its field requirements. The size and number of students enrolled in the Navy Academy continued to grow through the twentieth century; it is now a fully formed postsecondary institution with varying curricula, bachelor's degrees, and a variety of majors, which proves it has adapted to the times and technology to fit America's needs.

U.S. Air Force History

The history of the U.S. Air Force also illustrates how the country has updated its military to keep pace with technological advancements in the world and on the battlefield. Initially, this branch of the armed forces was a part of the Army and Navy until 1947 when, with the establishment of the department that would eventually become known as the United States Department of Defense, it became the third branch of the military (U.S. Air Force, 2012). The U.S. military initially began utilizing aircraft for war purposes in 1907 with the establishment of the Aeronautical Division of the Army and the Navy. Although the name of the component of the Army and the Navy that would become the Air Force changed names several times prior to 1947, it played a critical role in both World Wars, the first of which spanned from 1914 to 1918. Although the U.S. only became involved in this martial encounter during the final year of its waging, it was able to utilize the predecessor to the Air Force as a means of supporting its land troops, which were outnumbered (National Archives, 2010). This element of the armed forces saw combat action in the war theaters hosted at Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne.

The entity that would become the Air Force greatly expanded its utility and assistance during World War II, which spanned from 1939 to 1945 and was largely actuated by Adolf Hitler's fascist desires for global dominance. Again, it is important to note that advances in technology helped to issue advances in this branch of the military. Whereas most of the aerial action in World War I featured planes engaging with one another, aeronautical activity in the Second World War was largely characterized by lengthy bombing efforts. Subsequently, the finances dedicated to the Air Force and the number of aircraft and pilots grew greatly during the waging of World War II (Y'Blood, 2001, p. 9). The efficacy of the tactics of using planes to bomb was dramatically demonstrated when the war largely ceased following the atomic bombing of Japan. Moreover, it was greatly due to the efficacy of the Air Force during this war that a formal Air Force Academy was created in 1954. With the establishment of this training institution, the Air Force was able to get even more monetary resources and greatly enhance the training and education of pilots in a manner befitting of aerial combat in the late twentieth century and the twenty-first century.

Conclusion

An examination of the history of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force readily reveals that the military prowess of America has increased in sophistication due to technology developments and the capability of the country itself. From the outset of America's history with the Revolutionary War to its lauded efforts in World War II at the midway point of the twentieth century to help preserve freedom and democracy, the military of the U.S. has increased its prowess according to the means of the times. This fact is evinced in several ways, not the least of which is that both the Navy and Air Force endured periods in which they were not official branches of the military prior to proving their worth in combat. Additionally, each of these branches has dedicated educational institutions that help to groom soldiers for the areas of technical expertise that play an integral role in the operation of these branches. Consequently, they have increased in sophistication as the country itself has.