The Quest for Relevant Air Power

GERMAN Air Force │ 191
Germany’s historical legacy has led to an ahistorical approach towards
air power teaching. This view was cautiously shared by a
retired high-ranking GAF general officer who particularly highlighted
the German public’s sensitivity with regard to the country’s
history. Moreover, the ahistorical approach can be regarded
a product of Innere Führung, or moral military leadership—a
cornerstone of the German officer’s self-image. While the concept
emphasises tradition and focuses on the Prussian Army reforms
of the early nineteenth century, the military resistance to
the National Socialist regime, and the history of the postwar
German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, it implicitly blanks out
whole segments that are particularly pertinent to the evolution
of air power theory. 257
Courtesy GAF; photo by Ingo Bicker
F-4F Phantom II from Fighter Wing 71 Richthofen getting readied for
takeoff
Dissemination of Air Power Thought
Since the mid-1980s, the FüAk has hosted annual air power
seminars. The circle of participants, including the chief of the Air
Staff, has been restricted to a small number of GAF officers and
officers from other service branches. Topics ranged from doctrinal
issues such as air attack, through the consequences of the Helsinki
Headline Goals for the GAF, to logistical support for out-of-area
operations. 258 In 2000 the air power seminar was held together