The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare, including military airlift of cargo to further the national interests as was demonstrated in the Berlin Airlift. Developing from unpowered observation hot air balloons in the 18th century and even older kite, aerial warfare has become a high-technology affair that, space warfare Space warfare is combat that takes place in outer space, i.e. outside the atmosphere. Space warfare therefore includes ground-to-space warfare, such as attacking satellites from the Earth, as well as space-to-space warfare, such as satellites attacking satellites, and cyberwarfare Cyberwarfare has been defined by government security expert Richard A. Clarke, in his book Cyber War , as "actions by a nation-state to penetrate another nation's computers or networks for the purposes of causing damage or disruption.":6 The Economist describes cyber warfare as "the fifth domain of warfare, after land, sea, air and service branch of the United States armed forces The United States armed forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard and one of the American uniformed services The United States has seven federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10, and subsequently structured and organized by Title 10, Title 14, Title 42 and Title 33 of the United States Code. Initially part of the United States Army The United States Army is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven uniformed services. The modern Army has its roots in the Continental Army which was formed on 14 June 1775, before the establishment of the, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 The National Security Act of 1947 was signed by United States President Harry S. Truman on July 26, 1947, and realigned and reorganized the U.S. Armed Forces, foreign policy, and Intelligence Community apparatus in the aftermath of World War II. The majority of the provisions of the Act took effect on September 18, 1947, the day after the Senate.[1] It is the most recent branch of the U.S. military to be formed. In its 2010 Posture Statement, the USAF articulates its core functions as Nuclear Deterrence Operations, Special Operations, Air Superiority Air supremacy is the complete dominance of the air power of one side's air forces over the other side's, during a military campaign. It is the most favorable state of control of the air. It is defined by NATO and the United States Department of Defense as "that degree of air superiority wherein the opposing air force is incapable of effective, Global Integrated ISR, Space Superiority, Command and Control Command and control, or C2, in a military organization can be defined as the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commanding officer over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission. Alternate terms which are considered synonymous with C2 include C2I, C2ISR, and C4ISR , to indicate or highlight the, Cyberspace Superiority The Twenty-Fourth Air Force is a proposed Numbered Air Force with the United States Air Force (USAF). Although originally intended to be a part of the now-defunct Air Force Cyber Command (AFCYBER), the Twenty-Fourth Air Force will become a component of the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). The USAF will consolidate its cyberspace combat forces into, Personnel Recovery, Global Precision Attack, Building Partnerships Military advisors, or combat advisors, are soldiers sent to foreign nations to aid that nation with its military training, organization, and other various military tasks. These soldiers are often sent to aid a nation without the potential casualties and political ramifications of actually mobilizing military forces to aid a nation. In the early 196, Rapid Global Mobility Air Mobility Command is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis and Agile Combat Support In the United States Army, the term combat service support is defined as the essential capabilities, functions, activities, and tasks necessary to sustain all elements of operating forces in theater at all levels of war. Within the national and theater logistic systems, it includes but is not limited to that support rendered by service forces in.[3]
As of 2009[update] the USAF operates 5,573 manned aircraft in service (3,990 USAF; 1,213 Air National Guard With the consent of state governors, members or units of the Air National Guard may be appointed, temporarily or indefinitely, to be federally recognized members of the armed forces, in the active or inactive service of the United States. If federally recognized, the member or unit becomes part of the Air National Guard of the United States, which; and 370 Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia. It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997. Previously, the Air Force Reserve (AFRES) was a Field Operating Agency (FOA));[4] approximately 180 unmanned combat air vehicles An unmanned combat air vehicle or "combat drone" is an experimental class of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs). They differ from ordinary UAVs, because they are designed to deliver weapons (attack targets) – possibly with a great degree of autonomy. The elimination of the need for an onboard human crew in a combat aircraft that may be, 2,130 air-launched cruise missiles A cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards its target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy. Modern cruise missiles can travel at supersonic or high subsonic speeds, are self-navigating, and can fly on a non-,[5] and 450 intercontinental ballistic missiles An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range (greater than 5,500 km or 3,500 miles) typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more nuclear warheads). Due to their great range and firepower, in an all-out nuclear war, land-based and submarine-based ballistic missiles would carry most of the. The USAF has 330,159 personnel on active duty In the Israel Defense Forces, there are two types of active duty: regular service , and active reserve duty (Hebrew: שרות מילואים פעיל Sherut Milu'im Pa'il, abbr. Shamap). Regular service refers to either mandatory service (Hebrew: שרות חובה, Sherut Hova), according to the laws of Israel, or standing army service (, 68,872 in the Selected and Individual Ready Reserves The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia. It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997. Previously, the Air Force Reserve (AFRES) was a Field Operating Agency (FOA), and 94,753 in the Air National Guard With the consent of state governors, members or units of the Air National Guard may be appointed, temporarily or indefinitely, to be federally recognized members of the armed forces, in the active or inactive service of the United States. If federally recognized, the member or unit becomes part of the Air National Guard of the United States, which as of September 2008. In addition, the USAF employs 151,360 civilian personnel,[6] and has 57,000 auxiliary members in the Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and occupations. It performs three.[7]
The Department of the Air Force The structure of the United States armed forces is a chain of command leading from the President to the newest recruits. The United States armed forces are organized through the United States Department of Defense, which oversees a complex and complicated structure of joint command and control functions with many units reporting to various is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force is the civilian head of the United States Department of the Air Force, a component organization of the Department of Defense. He reports directly to the Secretary of Defense and is responsible for running the day-to-day affairs of the United States Air Force. The first Secretary of the Air Force, Stuart Symington, who oversees all administrative and policy affairs. The Department of the Air Force is a division of the Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense is the U.S. federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the United States armed forces. The organization and functions of the DOD are set forth in Title 10 of the United States Code, headed by the Secretary of Defense The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), concerned with the armed services and military matters. This position roughly corresponds to Minister of defense in other countries. The role of the Secretary of Defense is to be the principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for. The highest ranking military officer in the Department of the Air Force is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force The Chief of Staff of the Air Force is the senior uniformed officer in United States Air Force and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The CSAF heads the Air Staff and reports directly to the Secretary of the Air Force on matters of the Air Force. Under the authority of the secretary, the CSAF is responsible for the organization, training,.
Mission
According to the National Security Act of 1947 The National Security Act of 1947 was signed by United States President Harry S. Truman on July 26, 1947, and realigned and reorganized the U.S. Armed Forces, foreign policy, and Intelligence Community apparatus in the aftermath of World War II. The majority of the provisions of the Act took effect on September 18, 1947, the day after the Senate (61 Stat. 502), which created the USAF:
- In general the United States Air Force shall include aviation Many cultures have built devices that travel through the air, from the earliest projectiles such as stones and spears., the boomerang in Australia, the hot air Kongming lantern, and kites. There are early legends of human flight such as the story of Icarus, and Jamshid in Persian myth , and later, somewhat more credible claims of short-distance forces both combat Combat, or fighting, is purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition and service not otherwise assigned. It shall be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air operations. The Air Force shall be responsible for the preparation of the air forces necessary for the effective prosecution of war except as otherwise assigned and, in accordance with integrated joint mobilization plans, for the expansion of the peacetime components of the Air Force to meet the needs of war.
§8062 of Title 10 US Code defines the purpose of the USAF[8] as:
- to preserve the peace and security, and provide for the defense, of the United States, the Territories, Commonwealths, and possessions, and any areas occupied by the United States;
- to support national policy;
- to implement national objectives;
- to overcome any nations responsible for aggressive acts that imperil the peace and security of the United States.
The stated mission of the USAF today is to "fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace".[9]
Search and rescue
See also: United States Air Force Rescue Coordination CenterThe National Search and Rescue Plan designates the United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of seven uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission (with jurisdiction in both domestic and international waters) and a federal regulatory as the federal agency responsible for maritime search-and-rescue (SAR) operations, and the USAF as responsible for aeronautical SAR in the continental U.S. with the exception of Alaska.[10] Both agencies maintain Joint Rescue Coordination Centers to coordinate this effort.[11] To help the USAF with the vast number of search and rescue operations, the USAF assigns units of the Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and occupations. It performs three — the official U.S. Air Force Auxiliary — in over 60% of inland search and rescue missions.
Air sovereignty
The USAF, through the Air National Guard With the consent of state governors, members or units of the Air National Guard may be appointed, temporarily or indefinitely, to be federally recognized members of the armed forces, in the active or inactive service of the United States. If federally recognized, the member or unit becomes part of the Air National Guard of the United States, which, is the lead agency to maintain control of America's airspace.
On July 30, 2009, Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt, director of the Air National Guard said that "Technologies needed for the mission include an active, electronically scanned array radar (which can be used to detect small and stealthy air threats including cruise missiles), infrared search and track systems and beyond-line-of-sight communications".[12]
On September 14, 2009, Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, chief of staff of the USAF, said that he hopes "to bring a combination of F-22, F-35, legacy aircraft, including upgraded F-15 and F-16 fighters, and unmanned aircraft to the [air sovereignty alert] ASA mission."[13]
Even so, the USAF plans to retire up to 80% of their total force air sovereignty mission aircraft, which would leave no viable aircraft at 18 current air sovereignty sites after 2015.[14][15][16] The GAO The Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government found that 17 of the 20 commanders of the ASA units "stated that the Air Force treats ASA operations as a temporary mission and has not provided sufficient resources."[17]
The USAF has decided to accept "moderate risk" for the air sovereignty mission as well as deep strike and close air support, under optimistic assumptions for F-35 production.[18]
The Defense Department has used USN and USMC aircraft for the Air Sovereignty Mission and may do so in the future.[14]
Irregular warfare
In response to the conflicts in which the United States has been engaged since the end of the Cold War, on August 1, 2007, Air Force Doctrine Document 2-3 was released showing how air power could be used to support or defeat an insurgency.[19]
To support these missions, the USAF considered outfitting a counter-insurgency wing with small, ground attack aircraft that can also be used for training USAF and allied pilots in addition to counterinsurgency operations.[20] However the 2010 QDR shifted the future light fixed-wing aircraft to the Air Force’s 6th Special Operations Squadron to be used to train allied forces.[21]
Airlift
The USAF provides both strategic and tactical airlift in support of wartime, peacetime, and humanitarian efforts of the Department of Defense.
The GAO found that Air Force plans should cover strategic airlift, but that it may fall short in providing tactical airlift in support of the United States Army.[22]
Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:05:36 GMT+00:00
Strategy Page However, the USAF aircraft is more likely to be operating further from it's operational area. Fully loaded the MQ-9 only has 14 hour endurance (it's up to ...
unknown
Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:42:57 GM
USAF. - Air Superiority. There`sa reason we`re #1!!
