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US Air Force (USAF)


Self Description

April 2008: "World War II had been over for two years and the Korean War lay three years ahead when the Air Force ended a 40-year association with the U.S. Army to become a separate service. The U.S. Air Force thus entered a new era in which airpower became firmly established as a major element of the nation's defense and one of its chief hopes for deterring war. The Department of the Air Force was created when President Harry S Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947. It became effective Sept. 18, 1947, when Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson administered the oath of office to the first secretary of the Air Force, W. Stuart Symington, a position filled by presidential appointment.

Under the National Security Act, the functions assigned to the Army Air Force's commanding general transferred to the Department of the Air Force. The act provided for an orderly two-year transfer of these functions as well as property, personnel and records.

Later, under the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958, the departments of Army, Navy and Air Force were eliminated from the chain of operational command. Commanders of unified and specified commands became responsible to the president and the secretary of defense through the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The act redefined the functions of the military departments to those of essentially organizing, training, equipping and supporting combat forces for the unified and specified commands. Each military department retained resource management of its service.

Air Force Vision

Global vigilance, reach and power.

Air Force Mission

The mission of the U. S. Air Force is to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests - to fly and fight in air, space, and cyberspace.

Air Force Management

The Department of the Air Force incorporates all elements of the U.S. Air Force. It is administered by a civilian secretary appointed by the president and is supervised by a military chief of staff. The Secretariat and Air Staff help the secretary and the chief of staff direct the Air Force mission.

To assure unit preparedness and overall effectiveness of the Air Force, the secretary of the Air Force is responsible for and has the authority to conduct all affairs of the Department of the Air Force. This includes training, operations, administration, logistical support and maintenance, and welfare of personnel. The secretary's responsibilities include research and development, and any other activity prescribed by the president or the secretary of defense.

The secretary of the Air Force exercises authority through civilian assistants and the chief of staff, but retains immediate supervision of activities that involve vital relationships with Congress, the secretary of defense, other governmental officials and the public.

Principal civilian assistants within the Secretariat are the under secretary of the Air Force, deputy under secretary for international affairs, assistant secretary for acquisition, assistant secretary for space, assistant secretary for manpower, Reserve affairs, installations and environment, and assistant secretary for financial management and comptroller.

The Office of the Secretary of the Air Force includes a general counsel, auditor general, inspector general, administrative assistant, public affairs director, legislative liaison director, small and disadvantaged business utilization director, and certain statutory boards and committees.

The Air Staff

The chief of staff, U.S. Air Force, is appointed by the president, with the consent of the Senate, from among Air Force general officers - normally for a four-year term. The chief of staff serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Armed Forces Policy Council. In the JCS capacity, the chief is one of the military advisers to the president, the National Security Council and the secretary of defense. Also, the chief is the principal adviser to the secretary of the Air Force on Air Force activities..."

http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2

Third-Party Descriptions

June 2008: 'The Air Force, however, took a different view in the guidelines it adopted in 2005. For example, the guidelines say: “Supervisors, commanders and leaders at every level bear a special responsibility to ensure their words and actions cannot reasonably be construed as either official endorsement or disapproval of the decisions of individuals to hold particular religious beliefs or to hold no religious beliefs.”'

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/us/25academies.html

May 2008: "An Air Force major who was dismissed for being a homosexual can continue her legal fight against the military, a federal appeals court ruled..."

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/05/22/military.gays/index.html

April 2008: "Lt. Col. Patrick Ryder of the Air Force, a Defense Department spokesman, said waivers were used among the services rarely and judiciously. Dispensations are granted only after a careful review of any applicant’s record and the circumstances surrounding the charge or conviction, Colonel Ryder said. Often, he added, the charges occurred when the recruits were juveniles and were less serious than they appeared initially."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/washington/22waiver.html

April 2008: "Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee called yesterday on Pentagon officials to further explain the awarding of a $50 million Air Force contract to a company owned by people close to senior Air Force officials, demanding accountability at the highest levels of the service."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/18/AR2008041801921.html

December 2005: Students reported that they believe the Defense Department has been addressing sexual harassment issues at the Air Force Academy in recent years, with 76 percent of female cadets and 85 percent of male cadets saying that they believe sexual harassment has become 'less of a problem' there. Three percent of students said the problems have worsened, according to a Pentagon report that is expected to be released today.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/22/AR2005122201801.html

October 2005: The Air Force, facing a lawsuit over alleged proselytizing, has withdrawn a document that permitted chaplains to evangelize military personnel who were not affiliated with any faith, Pentagon officials said yesterday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/10/AR2005101001582.html

Relationships

RoleNameTypeLast Updated
Owner of (partial or full, past or present) Air National Guard Organization Sep 2, 2005
Owner of (partial or full, past or present) Cyber Crime Center Organization Aug 26, 2007
Owned by (partial or full, past or present) Department of Defense (DOD)/Defense Department Organization Jul 12, 2005
Owner of (partial or full, past or present) US Air Force Academy Organization Feb 18, 2007
Owner of (partial or full, past or present) US Air Force Reserve Organization Feb 15, 2006
Member (past or present) Prof. William Van Alstyne Esq. Person Jan 16, 2008
Member (past or present) Stuart W. Bowen Jr., Esq. Person Jun 6, 2006
Organization Executive (past or present) General James R. Clapper Jr. Person Jul 26, 2007
Employee/Freelancer/Contractor (past or present) Colonel Morris D. Davis Person Jun 5, 2007
Member (past or present) Senator Thomas "Slade" Gorton III Person Jan 9, 2007
Member (past or present) Senator Lindsey O. Graham Esq. Person Dec 23, 2005
Organization Executive (past or present) Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Hartmann Person May 12, 2008
Organization Executive (past or present) Gen. Michael V. Hayden Person Dec 18, 2005
Member (past or present) Prof. Arthur Hulnick Person Oct 22, 2006
Member (past or present) Rep. Adam Kinzinger Person Jun 25, 2011
Member (past or present) Prof. Diane H. Mazur Esq. Person Nov 15, 2012
Member (past or present) General Richard B. Myers Person Sep 30, 2006
Employee/Freelancer/Contractor (past or present) Prof. Michael Noone Esq. Person Feb 6, 2006
Member (past or present) Rep. Ron Paul Person Dec 8, 2007
Member (past or present) Gov. Rick Perry Person Jun 24, 2011
Organization Executive (past or present) Lt. Gen. John F. Regni Person Feb 18, 2007
Organization Head/Leader (past or present) James G. Roche Person Jun 9, 2005
Advised by (past or present) Dr. Sally L. Satel M.D. Person Dec 27, 2005
Employee/Freelancer/Contractor (past or present) Brent Scowcroft Person Nov 22, 2005
Member (past or present) Prof. Scott L. Silliman Esq. Person Jul 10, 2006
Member (past or present) Senator Ted Stevens Esq. Person Feb 2, 2006
Employee/Freelancer/Contractor (past or present) Opponent (past or present) Michael "Mikey" L. Weinstein Esq. Person Feb 10, 2006

Articles and Resources

57 Articles and Resources. Go to:  [Next 20]   [End]

Date Fairness.com Resource Read it at:
Oct 09, 2009 More women than men dismissed from military for being gay

QUOTE: Women were dismissed from the military for being gay at a greater rate than men last year...

 CNN (Cable News Network)
Sep 30, 2009 Portable pain weapon may end up in police hands

QUOTE: THE Pentagon's efforts to develop a beam weapon that can deter an adversary by causing a burning sensation on their skin has taken a step forward with the development of a small, potentially hand-held, version. The weapon, which is claimed to cause no permanent harm, could also end up being used by police to control civilians.

 New Scientist
Sep 04, 2009 W.T.O. Says Aid to Airbus for A380 Was Illegal

QUOTE: A preliminary report by the World Trade Organization has found that Airbus received illegal subsidies for the $13 billion A380 superjumbo jet and several other airplanes, hurting Boeing in the battle for sales...

 New York Times
Jul 17, 2009 Who is the CIA allowed to kill? Cheney's secret assassination program may be terminated, but the U.S. is already carrying out "targeted killings"

QUOTE: The United States has had plenty of legal latitude to carry out targeted killings during the so-called war on terror -- and has been exercising that option vigorously for the past eight years.

 Salon
Jun 30, 2008 Pentagon Fights EPA On Pollution Cleanup

QUOTE: The Defense Department, the nation's biggest polluter, is resisting orders from the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up Fort Meade and two other military bases where the EPA says dumped chemicals pose "imminent and substantial" dangers to public health and the environment.

 Washington Post
Jun 25, 2008 Religion and Its Role Are in Dispute at the Service Academies

QUOTE: Three years after a scandal at the Air Force Academy over the evangelizing of cadets by Christian staff and faculty members, students and staff at West Point and the Naval Academy are complaining that their schools, too, have pushed religion on cadets and midshipmen.

 New York Times
Jun 11, 2008 FEMA gives away $85 million of supplies for Katrina victims

QUOTE: The material, from basic kitchen goods to sleeping necessities, sat in warehouses for two years before the Federal Emergency Management Agency's giveaway to federal and state agencies this year. James McIntyre, FEMA's acting press secretary, said that FEMA was spending more than $1 million a year to store the material and that another agency wanted the warehouses torn down, so "we needed to vacate them."

 CNN (Cable News Network)
Jun 06, 2008 2 Leaders Ousted From Air Force in Atomic Errors

QUOTE: The Air Force secretary, Michael W. Wynne, and the service’s chief of staff, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, were forced to resign after the inquiry found that the latest in a series of incidents reflected “a pattern of poor performance” in securing sensitive military components, Mr. Gates said at a Pentagon briefing. So deep and serious are the problems, Mr. Gates said, that he has asked a former secretary of defense and of energy, James R. Schlesinger, to head “a senior-level task force” to recommend improvements in the safekeeping of nuclear weapons, delivery vehicles and other sensitive items.

 New York Times
May 27, 2008 Progress for Aid Workers in Myanmar

QUOTE: While opening its door to international donors, the military government has refused permission to United States, French and British warships loaded with supplies just outside its territorial waters. In denying entry, the government has said it fears that any such aid from Western powers would have “strings attached.” However, it has allowed more than 60 United States Air Force flights to bring supplies to the Yangon airport.

 New York Times
May 22, 2008 Court: Gay officer can pursue lawsuit against military

QUOTE: "I am thrilled by the court's recognition that I can't be discharged without proving that I was harmful to morale," she said in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington state, which sued the Air Force on Witt's behalf in 2006.

 CNN (Cable News Network)
May 12, 2008 Ecuador Opposes Outpost in American War on Drugs (Manta Journal)

QUOTE: To the Bush administration, the American air station here is a critical component in the war on drugs in the Andes...But to Ecuadoreans, Manta is a flash point in a regional debate over the limits of American power in Latin America.

 New York Times
Apr 22, 2008 Army and Marine Corps Grant More Felony Waivers

QUOTE: Coupled with sharp increases in the number of waivers for misdemeanors, the trend raises questions about the military’s ability to attract quality recruits at a time when it is trying to increase enlistment...“It raises concerns,” said Representative Henry A. Waxman...“An increase in the recruitment of individuals with criminal records is a result of the strains put on the military by the Iraq war and may be undermining our military readiness.”

 New York Times
Apr 19, 2008 Air Force Accountability: Senators Ask For Pentagon Explanation on Contract Abuse

QUOTE: Two members of the Senate Armed Services Committee called yesterday on Pentagon officials to further explain the awarding of a $50 million Air Force contract to a company owned by people close to senior Air Force officials, demanding accountability at the highest levels of the service.

 Washington Post
Jul 30, 2007 Astronauts fly when unfit for duty: A panel finds that NASA culture squelches concerns about crew member health and competence.

QUOTE: It took the Challenger and Columbia disasters to prod NASA into changing a culture that prevented the agency from resolving critical safety issues... Now another panel of investigators has found echoes of that culture in NASA's managing of its astronauts and medical personnel.

 Christian Science Monitor
Jul 21, 2007 Military Medical Breach Revealed: Unencrypted Data Sent Via Internet

QUOTE: A government contractor handling sensitive health information for 867,000 U.S. service members and their families acknowledged yesterday that some of its employees sent unencrypted data -- such as medical appointments, treatments and diagnoses -- across the Internet.

 Washington Post
Jul 05, 2007 Danger in Uniform: An infrared patch that allows easy nighttime identification of U.S. soldiers is widely available in the United States. That's a big problem.

QUOTE: [an] important advantage over enemy forces could be eroded if a key component—infrared identification patches attached to combat fatigues that can be detected at night—were to fall into the wrong hands....Founded in 2001 with an exclusive contract to resell the military’s scrap metal and surplus merchandise, Government Liquidation has come under scrutiny from government watchdogs in the past.

 Newsweek
May 25, 2007 Army and Air Force Deny Formal Links To Christian Event

QUOTE: A Washington-based advocacy group, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, sent letters yesterday...contending that the military's extensive cooperation in the [evangelical Christian] event would be unconstitutional.

 Washington Post
May 09, 2007 Fired federal worker sues over googling (Police blotter)

QUOTE: A government worker claims a department official violated his "right to fundamental fairness" by using Google to research his prior work history in a dispute over the use of government property .... The appeals court, however, disagreed. It ruled that the Google searches were not prejudicial and affirmed Mullins' dismissal as a civil servant.

 News.com
Aug 21, 2006 Cold War Missiles Target of Blackout: Documents Altered To Conceal Data

QUOTE: "It would be difficult to find more dramatic examples of unjustifiable secrecy than these decisions to classify the numbers of U.S. strategic weapons," wrote William Burr..."The Pentagon is now trying to keep secret numbers of strategic weapons that have never been classified before."

 Washington Post
Aug 18, 2006 The Archives Sleuth Had a Secret

QUOTE: Amateur historian Matthew M. Aid made news this spring by exposing a secret federal program to remove thousands of public documents from the National Archives. It turns out that Aid harbored a secret of his own...while serving as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force in England, Aid was court-martialed for unauthorized possession of classified information and impersonating an officer

 Washington Post

57 Articles and Resources. Go to:  [Next 20]   [End]