United States Air Force

United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services and is primarily responsible for air defense, air warfare, and the development of military space research. The USAF also serves as a military support element to the U.S. government's domestic and international policies.

History

The USAF was initially a part of the United States Army, but was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947. It is the most recent branch of the U.S. military to be formed.

Organization

The Department of the Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force who oversees all administrative and policy affairs. The Department of the Air Force is a division of the Department of Defense, headed by the Secretary of Defense. The highest-ranking military officer in the Department of the Air Force is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

Personnel

The USAF has more than 320,000 active-duty personnel, 140,000 civilian personnel, and 170,000 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve personnel. The USAF's active duty personnel are divided into "airmen" with enlisted ranks, and "officers" with higher ranks.

Aircraft

The USAF operates more than 5,000 military aircraft, 400 ICBMs and 170 military satellites. It has a $156.3 billion budget and is the second largest service branch, after the Army.

Missions

The USAF's missions include air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control. Template:USAF Template:US Armed Forces

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