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 S ...

Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is a

Federal Advisory Committee The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (), is a United States federal law which governs the behavior of federal advisory committees. In particular, it has special emphasis on open meetings, chartering, public involvement, and reporting. The U.S ...

that provides independent advice on matters of science and technology relating to the Air Force mission, reporting directly to 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 ...

and Chief of Staff of the Air Force. In the past, it has provided advice on technologies such as: supersonic aircraft,

weather forecasting Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the conditions of the atmosphere for a given location and time. People have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia and formally since the 19th centu ...

, satellite communications, medical research, crewless airplanes, and defenses against aircraft and missiles. Today, the SAB performs in-depth reviews of the

Air Force Research Laboratory The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, p ...

's science and technology research, and performs studies on topics tasked by the Secretary and Chief of Staff. Members are appointed by 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 ...

History

The board was established in 1944 under the name

Scientific Advisory Group The Scientific Advisory Group of the United States Air Force, later renamed the Scientific Advisory Board, was established in 1944, when General Henry H. Arnold asked Dr. Theodore von Kármán to establish a group of scientists to review the techn ...

with General

Henry H. Arnold Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...

as the military director and Dr.

Theodore von Kármán Theodore von Kármán ( hu, ( szőllőskislaki) Kármán Tódor ; born Tivadar Mihály Kármán; 11 May 18816 May 1963) was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronaut ...

as the board chair. The group was asked to evaluate the aeronautical research and development programs and facilities of the

Axis powers of World War II The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...

, and to provide recommendations for future

research and development programs. The group's name was changed to the Scientific Advisory Board in 1946.

SAB Chairs

Scientific Advisory Board Military Directors
1944–1946: Gen

Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...

1946–47: Maj Gen

Curtis E. Lemay Curtis Emerson LeMay (November 15, 1906 – October 1, 1990) was an American Air Force general who implemented a controversial strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific theater of World War II. He later served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air F ...

1947–1948: Lt Gen

Laurence Craigie Laurence Carbee Craigie (January 26, 1902 – February 27, 1994), was a United States aviator and United States Air Force general. He became the first U.S. military jet pilot in 1942 when he piloted the Bell XP-59. With Orval R. Cook he is also ...

1948–52,54- : Maj Gen Donald L. Putt

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Usaf Scientific Advisory Board United States Air Force Military units and formations established in 1944 Think tanks based in the United States American advisory organizations

History

SAB Chairs

See also

Citations