General Hamilton H. Howze graduated from West Point and was commissioned in the Cavalry in 1930. He earned his Army Aviator wings in 1947. He is recognized as the intellectual force behind current airmobility and Army Aviation doctrine. While Director of Army Aviation from 1955 to 1958, he developed new tactical principles for the employment of Army Aviation, and was instrumental in helping the Aviation School become fully established in its new home at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

As Chairman of the Tactical Mobility Requirements Board in 1961, he cited the need for the development of airmobile theory and doctrine. Adoption of the Howze Board recommendations revolutionized mobile warfare concepts based on the use of organic aviation in much the same manner as the introduction of the tank had affected mobility concepts almost fifty years earlier.

The 11th Air Assault Division was formed in 1963 to test and validate these concepts. As a result of his leadership, foresight, and perception, two airmobile divisions were eventually established in the Army force structure. These divisions successfully provided the full spectrum of mobile, combined arms capabilities which are requisite to successful ground combat and which have become fundamental to modern airmobility doctrine.