The US defense establishment is in the midst of repeating itself. During the early 1960s the defense industry had anticipated "three new R and D programs: one for a future Air Force tactical fighter bomber to replace the F-105, one for a Navy fleet interceptor, and one for a close air support (CAS) combat aircraft."1 Despite protests from the Armed Services and the defense industry, President Kennedy's newly appointed Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, seeking to "to achieve added procurement efficiencies," combined these "replacement requirements-minus CAS-into a single aircraft," the TFX, which eventually became the F-111.2 While the F111 was the most sophisticated deep strike platform of its day, its design characteristics proved a poor match against the newest Soviet fighters, generating uproar in both the USAF and USN.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
