The Art of Command: Military Leadership from George Washington to Colin Powell

6. Visionary Leadership: Henry H. "Hap" Arnold

6 Visionary Leadership Henry H. “Hap” Arnold François Le Roy and Drew Perkins In the closing months of World War II, General Henry H. “Hap” Arnold was awarded his fifth star and thus became the only air commander to earn the rank of General of the Army. In May 1949, three years into his retirement, Arnold became the first and only military officer to receive the honorary rank of General of the Air Force. These extraordinary distinctions recognized the instrumental role Arnold played in the development of American air power. His leadership effectiveness resided not only in his ability to foresee the crucial place of air power in modern warfare but also in his unmatched ability to rally others to support and realize this vision. Because of his exemplary leadership, Arnold is rightfully considered the father of the United States Air Force. “American air power” was little more than an oxymoron when Arnold assumed command of the U.S. Army Air Corps in September 1938. Even with 24,000 airmen and 2,400 aircraft, the force was far from combat ready. Moreover, it was wholly subservient to the strategic priorities and tactical needs of army ground forces. As the country braced for war against Japan and Germany, President Franklin D. Roosevelt tasked Major General Arnold to modernize and greatly expand the nation’s air power. A pioneer of military aviation and strategic air doctrine, Arnold rose to the challenge and oversaw the transformation of the army air corps into a war-winning machine. At the Henry H. “HaP” arnoLd (U.S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle, PA) Visionary Leadership 157 height of World War II, the United States Army Air Forces included more than 2 million airmen and 80,000 aircraft. General Arnold died in 1950, but he lived long enough to see the realization of his greatest ambition: the air force as a separate, independent branch of the American military establishment. In achieving that goal, he fulfilled a comprehensive leadership vision that included “a symmetry of people, machines, and logistics as the foundation of a balanced air program.”1 He oversaw the development of cuttingedge aircraft technology with tactical capabilities. He created an organizational culture and structure that, to this day, achieves excellence in performance and innovation. He promoted and institutionalized military and civilian collaboration in the academic and industrial arenas . He significantly expanded the breadth and depth of American air power. He developed and executed a strategy for aerial supremacy in World War II and laid the foundation for U.S. air superiority in the cold war and post–cold war eras. What follows is a documented analysis of Arnold’s visionary leadership through the early evolution of American military aviation. Visionary leaders are not starry-eyed dreamers but future-oriented personalities who identify ambitious objectives and provide direction , motivation, and support to reach those goals. An examination of Arnold’s career and leadership style reveals that his success came from several key qualities: an early mastery of aeronautical knowledge , a clear articulation of a broad vision, and an unshakable determination to succeed, including persistence in overcoming naysayers and obstructionists. Throughout his career, he proved flexible and adept at leading public relations campaigns, pursuing technological change, and developing strategic and tactical aspects of a fledgling air doctrine. The progression of Arnold’s military career parallels closely the first decades of air force history. Coincidentally, Arnold graduated from West Point in 1907, the same year that the army created the aeronautical section of the U.S. Signal Corps. It was hardly an accident , however, that the U.S. Air Force achieved its full independence in 1947, only one year after Arnold retired. For American air power, Arnold was the right man at the right place at the right time. 158 François Le Roy and Drew Perkins Henry Harley Arnold was born on 25 June 1886 in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, the son of a doctor who also served in the National Guard. Little in Arnold’s youth suggested future greatness or genius. He was an indifferent student, and though he loved sports and hunting , nothing seemed to destine him to a military career, least of all an outstanding one. His older brother, Thomas, in fact, was slated to continue the family’s military tradition. Thomas, however, turned down admission to West Point, leaving Hap to fulfill his father’s ambition . In 1903, at seventeen, Hap entered the...