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 (codified into Title 10 of the United States Code) 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 Si ...

and the United States Space Force are organized. The Department of the Air Force is headed by the Secretary of the Air Force (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 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 so ...

. The Secretary of the Air Force's principal deputy is the Under Secretary of the Air Force (SAF/US). Their senior staff assistants in the

Office of the 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 ...

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. 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 ...

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 to the Aerospace National Guard. The legislation was cosponsored by Representatives

G. William Whitehurst George William Whitehurst (born March 12, 1925) is an American former journalist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from the commonwealth of Virginia. He began his career as a professor at the Norfolk campu ...

, Ike Skelton, and Robin Beard of the United States House Committee on Armed Services. Although the legislation was supported by General James E. Hill, who commanded North American Aerospace Defense Command and Aerospace Defense Command, 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 United States Space Force'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 to rename itself the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. SpaceNews 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, 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 wit ...

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 Co ...

Organizational structure

The Department of the Air Force is divided into the

, which is led by the United States Secretary of the Air Force, 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 ...

which is led by the Chief of Space Operations. The Department of the Air Force consists of the

and United States Space Force.

Headquarters Department of the Air Force

Secretariat

Office of the Secretary of the Air Force seal

* SAF/OS – Secretary of the Air Force ** SAF/US – Under Secretary of the Air Force *** 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 ** SAF/CN - Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Air Force ** SAF/GC – General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force ** SAF/IG – Inspector General of the Department of the Air Force ** 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 The structure of the United States Air Force refers to the unit designators and organizational hierarchy of the United States Air Force, which starts at the most senior commands. The senior headquarters of the Department of the Air Force, Headqu ...

* Structure of the United States Space Force

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 {{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 ...

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