Stuart Symington shown taking the oath of office as 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 States Space Force. The secretary of the Air Force is a civilian appointed by the president, by and with the advice and consent of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. The secretary reports to the

secretary of defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

and/or the deputy secretary of defense, and is by statute responsible for and has the authority to conduct all the affairs of the Department of the Air Force. The secretary works closely with their civilian deputy, 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 Department of the Air Force of the United States of ...

; and their military deputies, the chief of staff of the Air Force and the chief of space operations. The first secretary of the Air Force, Stuart Symington, was sworn in on September 18, 1947, upon the split and re-organization of the

Department of War War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

and

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

into an air military department and a military service of its own, with the enactment of the National Security Act. On July 26, 2021 the United States Senate confirmed Frank Kendall III as the next Secretary of the Air Force. On July 28, 2021, Kendall was sworn in as the 26th Secretary of the Air Force.

Responsibilities

The secretary is the head of the Department of the Air Force. The Department of the Air Force is defined as a ''Military Department''. It is not limited to the Washington headquarters staffs, rather it is an entity which includes all the components of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, including their reserve components: The exclusive responsibilities of the secretary of the Air Force are enumerated in of the

United States Code In the law of the United States, the Code of Laws of the United States of America (variously abbreviated to Code of Laws of the United States, United States Code, U.S. Code, U.S.C., or USC) is the official compilation and codification of the ...

. They include, but are not limited to: By direction of the secretary of defense, the secretary of the Air Force assigns military units of the Air Force and Space Force, other than those who carry out the functions listed in , to the Unified and Specified Combatant Commands to perform missions assigned to those commands. Air Force and Space Force units while assigned to Combatant Commands may only be reassigned by authority of the secretary of defense. However, the chain of command for Air Force and Space Force units for other purposes than the operational direction goes from the ''president'' to the ''secretary of defense'' to the ''secretary of the Air Force'' to the ''commanders of Air Force and Space Force Commands''. Air Force and Space Force officers have to report on any matter to the secretary, or the secretary's designate, when requested. The secretary has the authority to detail, prescribe the duties, and to assign Air Force and Space Force service members and civilian employees, and may also change the title of any activity not statutorily designated. The secretary has several responsibilities under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) with respect to Air Force and Space Force service members, including the authority to convene general courts martial and to commute sentences. The secretary of the Air Force may also be assigned additional responsibilities by the president or the secretary of defense,10 USC 8013 (d) e.g. the secretary is designated as the "''DoD Executive Agent for Space''", and as such:

Office of the Secretary of the Air Force

The secretary of the Air Force's principal staff element, the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, has responsibility for acquisition and auditing, comptroller issues (including financial management), inspector general matters, legislative affairs, and public affairs within the Department of the Air Force. The Office of the Secretary of the Air Force is one of the Department of the Air Force's three headquarter staffs at the seat of government, with the others being the Air Staff and the

Office of the 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 United States Secretary of the Air Force, secretary of the Air Force for Space Force operations and, as a ...

Composition

The Office of the Secretary of the Air Force is composed of: *

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 Department of the Air Force of the United States of ...

Chronological list of secretaries of the Air Force

References

*Title 10 United States Code **Subtitle A – General Military Law ***CHAPTER 1 – DEFINITIONS ****§ 101. Definitions ***CHAPTER 6 – COMBATANT COMMANDERS ****§ 162. Combatant command: assigned forces; chain of command **Subtitle D – Air Force ***CHAPTER 903 – DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE ****§ 9011. Organization ****§ 9013. Secretary of the Air Force ****§ 9014. Office of the Secretary of the Air Force ****§ 9015. Under Secretary of the Air Force ***CHAPTER 905 – THE AIR STAFF ****§ 9032. The Air Staff: general duties ****§ 9033. Chief of Staff
Executive Order 12909
Order of Succession of Officers To Act as Secretary of the Air Force
Department of Defense Directive (DODD) 5100.1, Functions of the Department of Defense and Its Major Components, August 1 2002

Department of Defense Directive (DODD) 5101.2, DoD Executive Agent for Space, June 3 2003

Notes

External links

Leaders Through the Years, 2012 USAF Almanac
* {{DEFAULTSORT:United States Secretary Of The Air Force 1947 establishments in the United States Air United States Air Force *