The Key West Agreement of 1948: A milestone for naval aviation.

摘要

The Key West Agreement of 1948 (KWA) was crucial in the Navy's fight to save naval aviation from Air Force encroachment. Prior to the KWA, the Air Force attempted to control the roles and missions surrounding naval aviation. The Air Force in fact, wished to emasculate naval aviation, which in turn would have made it downplayed its importance during the early Cold War years. But the KWA assigned all roles and missions surrounding naval aviation to the Navy and not to the Air Force. In so doing, the KWA gave the Navy the right to control all land- and carrier-based aviation as well as develop new technology and weapon systems such as the supercarrier. Without the KWA, the Navy could have lost control of naval aviation. The thesis highlights the importance of the KWA, and explains reasons why historians have failed to focus adequate attention to the subject.