The United States Department of the Air Force (DAF) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Department of the Air Force was formed on September 18, 1947, per the

National Security Act of 1947 The National Security Act of 1947 ( Pub.L.br>80-253 61 Stat.br>495 enacted July 26, 1947) was a law enacting major restructuring of the United States government's military and intelligence agencies following World War II. The majority of the pro ...

(codified into

Title 10 of the United States Code Title 10 of the United States Code outlines the role of armed forces in the United States Code. It provides the legal basis for the roles, missions and organization of each of the services as well as the United States Department of Defense. Ea ...

) and it is the military department within which the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

and the

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...

are organized. The Department of the Air Force is headed by the

Secretary of the Air Force A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

(SAF/OS), a civilian, who has the authority to conduct all of its affairs, subject to the authority, direction and control of the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary of the Air Force's principal deputy is the

Under Secretary of the Air Force The Under Secretary of the Air Force (USECAF, or SAF/US), sometimes referred to as the Under Secretary of the Department of the Air Force, is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the United States Department of the Air Force, Departmen ...

(SAF/US). Their senior staff assistants in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force are five Assistant Secretaries for Acquisition, Financial Management & Comptroller, Installations, Environment & Logistics, Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Space Acquisition and Integration and a

General Counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

. The highest-ranking military officers in the Department, and senior military advisers to the secretary, are the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and

Chief of Space Operations The chief of space operations (CSO) is the service chief of the United States Space Force. The CSO is the principal military adviser to the secretary of the Air Force for Space Force operations and, as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a m ...

. By direction of the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Air Force assigns Air Force and Space Force units – apart from those units performing duties enumerated in unless otherwise directed – to the

combatant commands A unified combatant command (CCMD), also referred to as a combatant command, is a joint military command of the United States Department of Defense that is composed of units from two or more service branches of the United States Armed Forces, an ...

. Only the Secretary of Defense and the President have the authority to approve a transfer of forces between combatant commands.

Proposed redesignations

As the Department of the Aerospace Force

In 1981, Congressman Ken Kramer introduced legislation to rename the Department of the Air Force as the Department of the Aerospace Force, along with renaming the

as the United States Aerospace Force, to reorient the service and department from an

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

to an aerospace force. The legislation would also have established a

space command A space command is a military organization with responsibility for space operations and warfare. A space command is typically a joint organization or organized within a larger military branch and is distinct from a fully independent space force ...

within the Aerospace Force and renamed the

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

to the Aerospace National Guard. The legislation was cosponsored by Representatives G. William Whitehurst,

Ike Skelton Isaac Newton Skelton IV (December 20, 1931 – October 28, 2013) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative for from 1977 to 2011. During his tenure, he served as the chairman of the House Armed Services Committ ...

, and

Robin Beard Robin Jerald Beard Jr. (August 21, 1939 – June 16, 2007) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee's 6th congressional district, who served from 1973 to 1983. ...

of the

United States House Committee on Armed Services The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of Defe ...

. Although the legislation was supported by General

James E. Hill General James Erskine Hill (October 1, 1921 – May 20, 1999) was a World War II flying ace, United States Air Force general, and commander in chief of the North American Air Defense Command and the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Defense Command, with ...

, who commanded

North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

and

Aerospace Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inac ...

, the Air Force did not support the name change and the legislation did not pass.

As the Department of the Air and Space Forces

Following the

's establishment, calls have been made for the Department of the Air Force to rename itself the Department of the Air and Space Forces to acknowledge the Space Force, similar to calls made for the

Department of the Navy Navy Department or Department of the Navy may refer to: * United States Department of the Navy, * Navy Department (Ministry of Defence), in the United Kingdom, 1964-1997 * Confederate States Department of the Navy, 1861-1865 * Department of the ...

to rename itself the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps.

SpaceNews ''SpaceNews'' is a print and digital publication that covers business and political news in the space and satellite industry. ''SpaceNews'' provides news, commentary and analysis to an audience of government officials, politicians and executives ...

reported that a proposed name change was considered in 2018 and in 2019 the

Air Force Association The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional military association for the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, its declared mission is ...

also called for renaming the department. In 2022, the Air Force Association renamed itself the

Air & Space Forces Association The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional military association for the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, its declared mission is " ...

, internally acting on its proposal to reflect the Space Force in the organization's name. In a 2021 article in the Space Force Journal, two Space Force officers also proposed a name change for the department. Congress has also proposed a variety of name changes within the Department of the Air Force to recognize the Space Force's establishment, including a 2022 proposal by the U.S. Senate to rename the Air National Guard to the Air and Space National Guard and 2020 proposal to rename the

Airman's Medal The Airman's Medal (AmnM) is a military award and decoration of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force for personnel who distinguish themselves by heroism involving voluntary risk of their life not involving actual combat with ...

the Air and Space Force Medal, mirroring the

Navy and Marine Corps Medal The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the highest non-combat decoration awarded for heroism by the United States Department of the Navy to members of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The medal was established by an act of Congr ...

Organizational structure

The Department of the Air Force is divided into the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, which is led by the

United States Secretary of the Air Force The secretary of the Air Force, sometimes referred to as the secretary of the Department of the Air Force, (SecAF, or SAF/OS) is the head of the Department of the Air Force and the service secretary for the United States Air Force and United S ...

, the Air Staff which is led by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and the

Space Staff The United States Space Force is organized by different units: the Space Staff, the field commands, and the space deltas. The Space Force is organized as one of two coequal military service branches within the Department of the Air Force, the o ...

which is led by the

. The Department of the Air Force consists of the

and

Headquarters Department of the Air Force

Secretariat

Office of the Secretary of the Air Force seal

Office of the Secretary of the Air Force * SAF/OS –

** SAF/US –

*** SAF/IA – DUSAF for International Affairs *** SAF/MG – DUSAF for Management ** SAF/AQ – ASAF for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics ** SAF/FM – ASAF for Financial Management & Comptroller ** SAF/IE – ASAF for Installations, Environment & Energy ** SAF/MR – ASAF for Manpower & Reserve Affairs ** SAF/SQ – ASAF for Space Acquisition and Integration ** SAF/AA – Administrative Assistant to the Secretary ** SAF/AG –

Auditor General of the Department of the Air Force An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting and au ...

** SAF/CN -

Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Air Force Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spa ...

** SAF/GC –

General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force The General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force (acronym SAF/GC) is the chief legal officer of the U.S. Department of the Air Force. By U.S. law, the General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by t ...

** SAF/IG –

Inspector General of the Department of the Air Force The Inspector General of the Department of the Air Force is responsible for conducting investigations and inspections as directed by the Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, and Chief of Space Operations. T ...

** SAF/LL – Legislative Liaison ** SAF/PA – Director of Public Affairs ** SAF/SB – Director of Small Business Programs

Service staffs

Service branches

* Structure of the United States Air Force *

Structure of the United States Space Force The United States Space Force is organized by different units: the Space Staff, the field commands, and the space deltas. The Space Force is organized as one of two coequal military service branches within the Department of the Air Force, the o ...

Budget

The

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

claims the 2019 Department of the Air Force budget is as follows: *$ in thousands Numbers May Not Add Due to Rounding

Notes and references

Bibliography

"Airman Magazine: The Book 2010 – Personnel Facts and Figures". ''Airman Magazine'', Volume 54 Number 3

External links

Official site

Department of the Air Force
in the

Federal Register The ''Federal Register'' (FR or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published every weekday, except on feder ...

{{Navboxes , list = {{United States Department of Defense {{United States Armed Forces {{United States Air Force {{United States Space Force {{United States federal executive departments {{Portal bar, United States, Politics {{Authority control 1947 establishments in the United States

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

United States Air Force United States Space Force United States Department of Defense