The Tactical Mobility Requirements Board, which became known as “Howze Board” after its chairmen Hamilton H. Howze (USMA 1930), was created at the direct request of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to review and test new concepts integrating helicopters into the United States Army in light of looming conflicts like Vietnam. What became known as airmobility within the United States Army was a direct result of the Howze Board's findings.
Howze’s connections to West Point are deeply rooted. He and his brother, Major General Robert Lee Howze Jr. (USMA 1925), were both born at West Point while their father was serving as the Commandant of Cadets in 1908.