50 years ago this month (January) was the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, which ended major U.S. combat operations in the Vietnam War. To look back on the air campaigns that were so crucial to that war, we talk with Michael Weaver, professor at the U.S. Air Force's Air Command and Staff College and author of 'The Air War in Vietnam' from Texas Tech University Press. Join as we look at the use of air power in Southeast Asia and talk about some of the legacies it leaves behind. Weaver's comments are his alone and do not reflect the policies of Air University, the Air Force, or the Department of Defense.

Join us for a retrospective on our favorite books of the year, with the 'From Balloons to Drones' editor-in-chief, Dr Ross Mahoney! Each of us discusses our top three reads of 2022, and we take a look forward at some topics we'd really like to hear more about in the future. The books: 'Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation, 1950-1966' by Mark Lax 'Air Power in the Falklands Conflict: An Operational Level Insight into Air Warfare in the South Atlantic' by John Shields 'Air Power Supremo: A Biography of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Slessor' by William Pyke 'Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb' by James Scott 'A Long Voyage to the Moon: The Life of Naval Aviator and Apollo 17 Astronaut Ron Evans' by Geoffrey Bowman 'Dark Horse: General Larry O. Spencer and His Journey from the Horseshoe to the Pentagon' by Gen. Larry O. Spencer, USAF (Ret.) 'Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval Aviators' by Beverly Weintraub 'Tomcats and Eagles: The Development of the F-14 and F-15 in the Cold War' by Tal Tovy 'Because Our Fathers Lied: A Memoir of Truth and Family, from Vietnam to Today' by Craig McNamara

How did the U.S. get from the first flight of an airplane in 1903, to full-fledged military-capable airplanes in only short few years? Dr. Larry Burke, the aviation curator at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, takes us through the people that made that journey happen. He explores the different approaches to the airplane made by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines Corps, and why each of them went about exploring military aviation in a unique way. Larry is also the author of At the Dawn of Airpower: The U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps’ Approach to the Airplane, 1907–1917, from Naval Institute Press.

The threat of nuclear war seems to be rising once again as tension among global powers increases. With that in mind, we turn back to look at what the nuclear wars plans of the U.S. were during the early Cold War, and what a nuclear war might have looked like, and how it would have potentially been waged. We're joined by Sean Maloney, professor of history at the Royal Military College of Canada, author of Emergency War Plan: The American Doomsday Machine, 1945–1960, from Potomac Press.

We are joined by General Larry O. Spencer, former Vice Chief of Staff of the U. S. Air Force. He recounts his journey from being raised in Southeast Washington, D. C. to enlisting the U. S. Air Force, and eventually rising through the ranks to become one of only nine African Americans to wear four stars. In an organization that tends to favor pilots and aircrews, General Spencer's background as a support officer brings a different lens through which to look at the USAF and the use of airpower.

In the post-World War II years, the U.S. shifted its strategy to one focused on air power and delivery of nuclear weapons--but why and how did this happen? John Curatola, the Military Historian for the Center for War and Democracy at the National World War II Museum, takes us through the fierce rivalry between the U.S. Air Force and Navy, the scandalous "Revolt of the Admirals," and the development of thermonuclear weapons. For more, see his new book: Autumn of Our Discontent: Fall 1949 and the Crises in American National Security, from Naval Institute Press.

We're joined by F-15 pilot and MiG-killer Rick Tollini. He tells us all about the harrowing missions flown in the opening of the 1991 Gulf War. For more, check out his recent book: Call-Sign Kluso, from Casemate Press.

After WW2, women were not allowed to fly in military aviation roles, until things changed in the 1970s. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Beverly Weintraub tells up about the story of six women Naval aviators from her book: Wings of Gold: he Story of the First Women Naval Aviators from Lyons Press

Fred Haise was on Apollo 13, flew the space shuttle Enterprise, and had an extensive military aviation career. In this episode he joins us for a deep dive into all of those experiences and reveals how he is able to keep calm in tough situations and not panic. That's the subject of his new book, 'Never Panic Early: An Apollo 13 Astronaut's Journey,' from Smithsonian Books.

The Apollo program, including the moon landing, is one of the most famous events in world history, and one of the most inspirational. Dr. Teasel Muir-Harmony, curator of the Apollo collection at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, joins us to re-evaluate Apollo and look at its political dimensions across the world. She is the author of Operation Moonglow: A Political History of Project Apollo, from Basic Books.