Fifty Shades of Friction: Combat Climate, B-52 Crews, and the Vietnam War: Combat Climate, B-52 Crews, and the Vietnam War

Dr. Mark “Clod” Clodfelter is an internationally recognized scholar and valued faculty member at the National Defense University. His case study analysis of how B-52 crewmembers in Vietnam dealt with friction—uncertainty, chance, danger, and stress—relies in large measure on responses received from those members via a survey that he created, and thus his account makes a substantial contribution to the historical record of the air wars over Vietnam. Equally significant, his work reveals that political and military leaders alike directly affect the amount of friction faced by those on “the pointy tip of the spear,” and thus those leaders must tailor their decision-making accordingly. This resource could be invaluable to future air operations and with service education or military science coursework to address elements of friction that may enable surprise conditions during future wartime efforts. Additionally, military leaders, strategists, and analysts, training professors, and active duty military personnel may have operational interest in the historical accounts during the Vietnam War as represented within this text.

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