While there are many metaphors that could describe different aspects of the Air Force, the one that fits best is the Machine Organization. It only makes sense since, "Machine organizations are modeled on the military from which it borrowed ranks and uniforms, standardized regulations, task specialization, standardized equipment, systematic training, and command language (Morgan, 1986)." One of main focuses of my job as an acquisitions officer is not just to buy new equipment, but to make sure it is able to communicate and operate with all the other services and our allies.
Could the military also be another metaphor?