United States Air Force About Detail

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947.^[1] It is the most recent branch of the U.S. military to be formed, and is one of the most technologically sophisticated air forces. The USAF articulates its core functions in its 2010 Posture Statement as Nuclear Deterrence Operations, Special Operations, Air Superiority, Global Integrated ISR,Space Superiority, Command and Control, Cyberspace Superiority, Personnel Recovery, Global Precision Attack, Building Partnerships, Rapid Global Mobility and Agile Combat Support.^[4]

As of 2009 the USAF operates 5,573 manned aircraft in service (3,990 USAF; 1,213 Air National Guard; and 370 Air Force Reserve);^[5] approximately 180 unmanned combat air vehicles, 2,130 air-launched cruise missiles,^[6] and 450 intercontinental ballistic missiles. The USAF has 330,159 personnel on active duty, 68,872 in the Selected and Individual Ready Reserves, and 94,753 in the Air National Guard as of September 2008. In addition, the USAF employs 151,360 civilian personnel,^[7] and has over 60,000 auxiliary members in the Civil Air Patrol,^[8] making it the largest air force in the world.

The Department of the Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force, who is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, and has the authority to conduct all of its affairs, subject to the authority, direction and control of the Secretary of Defense. The Department of the Air Force is a Military Department within the Department of Defense, and it includes all elements of the United States Air Force, i.e. the technical designation of the U.S. Air Force organization. The highest ranking military officer in the Department of the Air Force is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force who exercises supervision over Air Force units, and serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Air Force combat forces are assigned, as directed by the Secretary of Defense, to the Combatant Commanders, and neither the Secretary of the Air Force nor the Chief of Staff have operational command authority over them.

The core values of the Air Force are: 1) Integrity First; 2) Service Before Self; and 3) Excellence In All We Do.

Mission

According to the National Security Act of 1947 (61 Stat. 502), which created the USAF:

In general the United States Air Force shall include aviation forces both combat 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 as:^[9]

• 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".^[10]

[edit]Operational functions

The Air Force describes its mission in terms of 17 operational functions:^[11]

• Strategic Attack – offensive action that most directly achieves national security objectives by affecting the adversary’s leadership, conflict-sustaining resources and strategy.
• Counter-air – operations to attain and maintain a desired degree of air superiority by the destruction, degradation, or disruption of enemy forces. Counter-air takes the form of both offensive counter air against enemy air and missile power at its source, and defensive counter-air against attacking enemy air and missiles over friendly territory.
• Counter-space – destruction, degradation or disruption of enemy space capability.
• Counter-land – air and space operations against enemy land forces, including air interdiction to divert, disrupt, delay, or destroy the enemy’s surface military potential before it can be used effectively against friendly forces, and close air support to help friendly surface forces in contact with enemy forces.
• Counter-sea – tasks including sea surveillance, anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare, aerial minelaying, and air refueling in support of naval campaigns.
• Information Operations – actions taken to influence, affect, or defend information, systems, and/or decision-making, through influence, network warfare, andelectronic warfare operations.
• Combat Support – capabilities, functions, activities, and tasks necessary to create and sustain air and space forces, including the procurement, maintenance, distribution, and replacement of personnel and materiel.
• Command and Control – exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission, including both process and systems.
• Airlift – transportation of personnel and materiel through the air.
• Air Refueling – in-flight transfer of fuel between tanker and receiver aircraft.
• Space-lift – delivery of satellites, payloads and materiel to space.
• Special Operations – airpower conducting unconventional warfare, direct action, special reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, foreign internal defense, psychological operations, and counter-proliferation.
• Intelligence – product resulting from the collection, processing, integration, analysis, evaluation and interpretation of available information concerning foreign countries or areas.
• Surveillance and Reconnaissance – systematic observation of air, space, surface, or subsurface areas, places, persons, or things, by visual, aural, electronic, photographic, or other means. Surveillance is a continuing process, not oriented to a specific target, while reconnaissance looks for specific information and generally has a time constraint.
• Combat Search and Rescue – recovery of isolated personnel with rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft.
• Navigation and Positioning – provision of accurate location and time of reference.
• Weather Services – environmental information, including both space environment and atmospheric weather.

[edit]Search and rescue

See also: United States Air Force Rescue Coordination Center

The National Search and Rescue Plan designates the United States Coast Guard 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. (CONUS) with the exception of Alaska.^[12] Both agencies maintain Joint Rescue Coordination Centers to coordinate this effort.^[13] To help the USAF with the vast number of primarily civilian search and rescue operations in CONUS, the USAF assigns units of the Civil Air Patrol—the official U.S. Air Force Auxiliary—in over 91% of inland search and rescue missions.

[edit]Air sovereignty

The USAF, through the Air National Guard, is the lead agency to maintain control of America's airspace.

Prior to 11th September 2001, the USAF regarded airborne attacks within the United States as a "law enforcement issue".^[14] When the attacks occurred the USAF had four fighters available to defend the east coast of the United States, and made no successful intercepts.^[15]

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".^[16] 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-15C/D and F-16C/D fighters, and unmanned aircraft to the [air sovereignty alert] ASA mission."^[17]

Even so, the USAF plans to retire up to 80% of their total force of F-15C/D and F-16C/D air sovereignty mission aircraft, which would leave no usable aircraft at 18 current air sovereignty sites after 2015.^[18][19][20] The GAO 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."^[21]

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.^[22] The GAO found that the Air Force used dated material to provide these reports to the Congress.^[23] The Department of Defense has used U.S. Navy and USMC aircraft for the Air Sovereignty Mission and may do so in the future.^[18]

[edit]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.^[24]

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.^[25] However the 2010 QDR shifted the future Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance aircraft to the Air Force’s 6th Special Operations Squadron to be used to train allied forces.^[26]

[edit]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.^[27]

[edit]History

Main article: History of the United States Air Force

The War Department created the first antecedent of the Air Force in 1907, which through a succession of changes of organization, titles, and missions advanced toward eventual separation 40 years later. The Air Force came of age in World War II. Almost 68,000 U.S airmen died helping to win the war; only the infantry suffered more enlisted casualties.^[28] In practice, the USAAF was virtually independent of the Army during World War II, but officials wanted formal independence. The USAF became a separate military service on September 18, 1947, with the implementation of the National Security Act of 1947.^[29] The Act created theNational Military Establishment (renamed Department of Defense in 1949), which was composed of three subordinate Military Departments, namely the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy and a newly-created Department of the Air Force.^[30] Prior to 1947, the responsibility for military aviation was shared between the Army (for land-based operations), the Navy (for sea-based operations from aircraft carriers and amphibious aircraft), and the Marine Corps (for close air support of infantry operations).

The predecessor organizations in the Army of today's Air Force are:

• Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps August 1, 1907–July 18, 1914
• Aviation Section, Signal Corps July 18, 1914–May 20, 1918
• Division of Military Aeronautics (May 20, 1918 to May 24, 1918)
• U.S. Army Air Service (May 24, 1918 to July 2, 1926)
• U.S. Army Air Corps (July 2, 1926 to June 20, 1941) and
• U.S. Army Air Forces (June 20, 1941 to September 18, 1947)

[edit]Recent history

Since 2005, the USAF has placed a strong focus on the improvement of Basic Military Training (BMT). While the intense training has become longer it also has shifted to include a deployment phase. This deployment phase, now called the BEAST, places the trainees in a surreal environment that they may experience once they deploy. While the trainees do tackle the massive obstacle courses along with the BEAST, the other portions include defending and protecting their base of operations, forming a structure of leadership, directing search and recovery, and basic self aid buddy care. During this event, the Military Training Instructors (MTI) act as mentors and enemy forces in a deployment exercise.

In 2007, the USAF undertook a reduction-in-force. Because of budget constraints, the USAF planned to reduce the service's size from 360,000 active duty personnel to 316,000.^[31] The size of the active-duty force in 2007 was roughly 64% of that of the USAF at the end of the Gulf War in 1991.^[32] However, the reduction was ended at approximately 330,000 personnel in 2008 to meet mission requirements.^[31] These same constraints have seen a sharp reduction in flight hours for crew training since 2005^[33] and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel directing Airmen's Time Assessments.^[34]

On June 5, 2008, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, accepted the resignations of both the Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Wynne, and the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, Gen. T. Michael Moseley. Gates in effect fired both men for "systemic issues associated with declining Air Force nuclear mission focus and performance". This followed an investigation into two embarrassing incidents involving mishandling of nuclear weapons, and were also the culmination of disputes between the Air Force leadership and Gates.^[35] To put more emphasis on nuclear assets, the USAF established the nuclear-focused Air Force Global Strike Command on 24 October 2008.^[36]

On June 26, 2009, the USAF released a force structure plan that cuts fighter aircraft and shifts resources to better support nuclear, irregular and information warfare.^[37] On July 23, 2009, The USAF released their Unmanned Aerial System Flight Plan, detailing UAV plans through 2047.^[38] One third of the planes that the USAF plans to buy in the future are to be unmanned.^[39]

In recent years the USAF has fumbled several high profile aircraft procurement projects, such as the failure to make the case for the Next-Generation Bomber, the failure to control costs on the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and the decade of failures on the KC-X program. Winslow Wheeler has written that this pattern represents "failures of intellect and -- much more importantly -- ethics."^[40]

In 2011, the Air Force disallowed the wear of Friday Name Tags per the new dress and appearance AFI.^[41] By doing so the Air Force effectively renounced a proud tradition^{[citation needed]} regarding call signs that dates from WWI.^[42]

Organization

Main articles: Organizational structure and hierarchy of the United States Air Force and Department of the Air Force structure

[edit]Administrative organization

The Department of the Air Force is one of three military departments within the Department of Defense, and is managed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force, under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense. The senior officials in the Office of the Secretary are the Under Secretary of the Air Force, four Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force and the General Counsel, all of whom are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The senior uniformed leadership in the Air Staff is made up of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

The directly subordinate commands and units are named Field Operating Agency (FOA), Direct Reporting Unit (DRU), and the currently unused Separate Operating Agency.

The Major Command (MAJCOM) is the superior hierarchical level of command. Including the Air Force Reserve Command, as of September 30, 2006, USAF has ten major commands. The Numbered Air Force (NAF) is a level of command directly under the MAJCOM, followed by Operational Command (now unused), Air Division (also now unused), Wing, Group, Squadron, and Flight.

[edit]Headquarters Air Force

•  Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia
•  The Air Staff, The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia
• The major components of the U.S. Air Force, as of September 30, 2006, are the following:^[45]
  • Active duty forces
    • 57 flying wings, eight space wings, and 55 non-flying wings
    • nine flying groups, eight non-flying groups
      • 134 flying squadrons, 43 space squadrons
  • Air Force Reserve
    • 35 flying wings, one space wing
    • four flying groups
      • 67 flying squadrons, six space squadrons
  • Air National Guard
    • 87 flying wings
      • 101 flying squadrons, four space squadrons
  The USAF, including its Air Force Reserve components, possesses a total of 302 flying squadrons.^[46]

  [edit]Operational organization

  List of active United States Air Force aircraft squadrons
  The organizational structure as shown above is responsible for the peacetime organization, equipping, and training of aerospace units for operational missions. When required to support operational missions, the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) directs the Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) to execute a Change in Operational Control (CHOP) of these units from their administrative alignment to the operational command of a Regional Combatant Commander (CCDR). In the case of AFSPC, AFSOC, PACAF, and USAFE units, forces are normally employed in-place under their existing CCDR. Likewise, AMC forces operating in support roles retain their componency to USTRANSCOM unless chopped to a Regional CCDR.

  [edit]Aerospace Expeditionary Task Force

  "Chopped" units are referred to as forces. The top-level structure of these forces is the Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force (AETF). The AETF is the Air Force presentation of forces to a CCDR for the employment of Air Power. Each CCDR is supported by a standing Component Numbered Air Force (C-NAF) to provide planning and execution of aerospace forces in support of CCDR requirements. Each C-NAF consists of a Commander, Air Force Forces (COMAFFOR) and AFFOR/A-staff, and an Air Operations Center (AOC). As needed to support multiple Joint Force Commanders (JFC) in the COCOM's Area of Responsibility (AOR), the C-NAF may deploy Air Component Coordinate Elements (ACCE) to liaise with the JFC. If the Air Force possesses the preponderance of air forces in a JFC's area of operations, the COMAFFOR will also serve as the Joint Forces Air Component Commander (JFACC).

  [edit]Commander, Air Force Forces

  The Commander, Air Force Forces (COMAFFOR) is the senior USAF officer responsible for the employment of air power in support of JFC objectives. The COMAFFOR has a special staff and an A-Staff to ensure assigned or attached forces are properly organized, equipped, and trained to support the operational mission.

  [edit]Air Operations Center

  The Air Operations Center (AOC) is the JFACC's Command and Control (C2) center. Several AOCs have been established throughout the Air Force world-wide. These centers are responsible for planning and executing air power missions in support of JFC objectives.

  [edit]Air Expeditionary Wings/Groups/Squadrons

  The AETF generates air power to support COCOM objectives from Air Expeditionary Wings (AEW) or Air Expeditionary Groups (AEG). These units are responsible for receiving combat forces from Air Force MAJCOMs, preparing these forces for operational missions, launching and recovering these forces, and eventually returning forces to the MAJCOMs. Theater Air Control Systems control employment of forces during these missions.

  [edit]Personnel

  The classification of any USAF job is the Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC). They range from flight combat operations such as a gunner, to working in a dining facility to ensure that members are properly fed. There are many different jobs in fields such as computer specialties, mechanic specialties, enlisted aircrew, communication systems, avionics technicians, medical specialties, civil engineering, public affairs, hospitality, law, drug counseling, mail operations, security forces, and search and rescue specialties.^[47]
  Perhaps the most dangerous USAF jobs are Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Combat rescue officer, Pararescue, Security Forces, Combat Control, Combat Weather, Tactical Air Control Party, and AFOSI agents, who deploy with infantry and special operations units who disarm bombs, rescue downed or isolated personnel, call in air strikes and set up landing zones in forward locations. Most of these are enlisted positions. Other jobs have seen increasing combat, including engineers, vehicle operators, and OSI.
  Nearly all enlisted jobs are "entry level," meaning that the USAF provides all training. Some enlistees are able to choose a particular job, or at least a field before actually joining, while others are assigned an AFSC at Basic Military Training (BMT). After BMT, new airmen attend a technical training school where they learn their particular AFSC. Second Air Force, a part of Air Education and Training Command, is responsible for nearly all technical training.
  Training programs vary in length; for example, 3M0X1 (Services) has 31 days of tech school training, while 3E8X1 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) is one year of training with a preliminary school and a main school consisting of over 10 separate divisions, sometimes taking students close to two years to complete.
  USAF rank is divided between enlisted airmen, non-commissioned officers, and commissioned officers, and ranges from the enlisted Airman Basic (E-1) to the commissioned rank of General (O-10). Enlisted promotions are granted based on a combination of test scores, years of experience, and selection board approval while officer promotions are based on time-in-grade and a promotion board. Promotions among enlisted personnel and non-commissioned officers are generally designated by increasing numbers of insignia chevrons. Commissioned officer rank is designated by bars, oak leaves, a silver eagle, and anywhere from one to four stars (one to five stars in war-time).

  [edit]Commissioned officers

  Main article: United States Air Force officer rank insignia
  The commissioned officer ranks of the USAF are divided into three sections: company grade, field grade, and general officers. Company grade officers are those officers in pay grades O-1 to O-3, while field grade officers are those in pay grades O-4 to O-6, and general officers are those in pay grades of O-7 and above.
  Currently, promotion from Second Lieutenant to First Lieutenant is virtually guaranteed after two years of satisfactory service. The promotion from First Lieutenant to Captain is competitive after successfully completing another two years of service. Promotion to Major and above is through a board process. An officer's record is reviewed by a selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. This process occurs approximately between the seven- and ten-year mark, where a certain percentage of Captains will be selected for Major. This process will repeat at the 11-14 year mark for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, and then around the 18-20 year mark for promotion to Colonel.
  The Air Force has the largest ratio of general officers to total strength of all of the armed forces and this ratio has increased as the force has shrunk from its Cold War highs.^[48]

  Warrant officers

  Although provision is made in Title 10 of the United States Code for the Secretary of the Air Force to appoint warrant officers, the Air Force does not currently usewarrant officer grades, and is the only one of the U.S. Armed Services to not do so. The Air Force inherited warrant officer ranks from the Army at its inception in 1947, but their place in the Air Force structure was never made clear. When the Congress authorized the creation of two new senior enlisted ranks in 1958, Air Force officials privately concluded that these two new "super grades" could fill all Air Force needs then performed at the warrant officer level, although this was not publicly acknowledged until years later. The Air Force stopped appointing warrant officers in 1959,^[49] the same year the first promotions were made to the new top enlisted grade, Chief Master Sergeant. Most of the existing Air Force warrant officers entered the commissioned officer ranks during the 1960s, but tiny numbers continued to exist for the next 21 years.
  The last active duty Air Force warrant officer, CWO4 James H. Long, retired in 1980 and the last Air Force Reserve warrant officer, CWO4 Bob Barrow, retired in 1992.^[50] Upon his retirement, he was honorarily promoted to CWO5, the only person in the Air Force ever to hold this grade.^[49] Barrow died in April 2008.^[51] Since Barrow's retirement, the Air Force warrant officer ranks, while still authorized by law, are not used.

  Enlisted airmen

  Enlisted members of the USAF have pay grades from E-1 (entry level) to E-9 (senior enlisted). While all USAF military personnel are referred to as Airmen, the term also refers to the pay grades of E-1 through E-4, which are below the level of non-commissioned officers (NCOs). Above the pay grade of E-4 (i.e., pay grades E-5 through E-9) all ranks fall into the category of NCO and are further subdivided into NCOs (pay grades E-5 and E-6) and Senior NCOs (pay grades E-7 through E-9); the term Junior NCO is sometimes used to refer to staff sergeants and technical sergeants (pay grades E-5 and E-6).^[52]

  The USAF is the only of the five branches of the United States military where NCO status is not achieved until an airman reaches the pay grade of E-5. In all other branches, NCO status is generally achieved at the pay grade of E-4 (e.g., aCorporal in the Army and Marine Corps, Petty Officer Third Class in the Navy and Coast Guard). However, the Army has dual ranks at the E-4 paygrade with Specialists not considered NCOs. Since the 1980s, the Army corporal rank has come to be awarded infrequently and is rarely found in modern units. The Air Force mirrored the Army from 1976 to 1991 with an E-4 being either a Senior Airman wearing three stripes without a star or a Sergeant (referred to as "Buck Sergeant"), which was noted by the presence of the central star and considered an NCO. Despite not being an NCO, a Senior Airman who has completed Airman Leadership School can be a supervisor.

  Uniforms

  Main article: Uniforms of the United States Air Force

  USAF personnel wear uniforms that are distinct from those of the other branches of the United States Armed Forces. The first USAF dress uniform, in 1947, was dubbed and patented "Uxbridge Blue" after "Uxbridge 1683 Blue", developed at the former Bachman-Uxbridge Worsted Company.^[53] The current Service Dress Uniform, which was adopted in 1993 and standardized in 1995, consists of a three-button, pocketless coat, similar to that of a men's "sport jacket" (with silver "U.S." pins on the lapels, with a silver ring surrounding on those of enlisted members), matching trousers, and either a service cap or flight cap, all in Shade 1620, "Air Force Blue" (a darker purplish-blue). This is worn with a light blue shirt (Shade 1550) and Shade 1620 herringbone patterned necktie. Enlisted members wear sleeve insignia on both the jacket and shirt, while officers wear metal rank insignia pinned onto the coat, and Air Force Blue slide-on epaulet loops on the shirt. USAF personnel assigned to Base Honor Guard duties wear, for certain occasions, a modified version of the standard service dress uniform, but with silver trim on the sleeves and trousers, with the addition of a ceremonial belt (if necessary), wheel cap with silver trim and Hap Arnold Device, and a silver aiguillette placed on the left shoulder seam and all devices and accoutrement.

  Following a three-year phase-in period in which it gradually gained popularity through broader distribution, the Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) became the sole authorized utility uniform (except the flight suit for air, missile and space crews) of the USAF on November 1, 2011. The ABU replaced the Battle Dress Uniform(BDU) previously worn by all U.S. military forces and mirrors similar replacements by the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps with utility uniforms suitable for each service's particular operations. Improvements in the ABU over the BDU included more-specific sizing for superior fit and a no-wrinkle material that makes ironing unnecessary; use of starch, ubiquitous in the Air Force during the BDU era, is forbidden with the ABU. These relatively popular enhancements have been offset by certain less favorable choices, including complaints that the placement of ABU pockets makes them nearly useless while wearing body armor and the decision to make a "one-weight" uniform allegedly usable in summer and winter that airmen have consistently reported is inadequate for use in the extreme temperatures of the Middle East. Among critics of the uniform design process, these observations have fueled claims that the ABU was designed more for "parade fashion" than for any functional use as a true "battle uniform." That the Air Force subsequently developed a lightweight (summer) version of the ABU blouse for use in hot environments lends some credibility to these claims, though airmen continue to deploy with and wear the ABU in locations around the world.

  [edit]Awards and badges

  Main articles: Awards and decorations of the United States Air Force and Badges of the United States Air Force

  In addition to basic uniform clothing, various badges are used by the USAF to indicate a job assignment or qualification-level for a given assignment. Badges can also be used as merit-based or service-based awards. Over time, various badges have been discontinued and are no longer distributed. Authorized badges include the Shields of USAF Fire Protection, and Security Forces, and the Missile Badge (or "pocket rocket"), which is earned after working in a missile system maintenance or operations capacity for at least one year.

  [edit]Training

  Main article: United States Air Force Basic Military Training

  All non-prior service enlisted Airmen attend Basic Military Training (BMT) at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. The Air Force accepts the basic-training programs of other U.S. military branches in lieu of BMT for airmen who enlist having completed prior service in the U.S. Army, Navy, or Marine Corps.

  Officers may be commissioned upon graduation from the United States Air Force Academy, upon graduation from another college or university through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) program, or through the Air Force Officer Training School (OTS). OTS, which is based at Maxwell Air Force Base, in turn encompasses two separate commissioning programs: Basic Officer Training (BOT), which is for line-officer candidates of the active-duty Air Force and the U.S. Air Force Reserve; and the Academy of Military Science (AMS), which is for line-officer candidates of the Air National Guard. (The term "line officer" derives from the concept of the line of battle and refers to an officer whose role falls somewhere within the "Line of the Air," meaning combat or combat-support operations within the scope of legitimate combatants as defined by the Geneva Conventions.)

  The Air Force also provides Commissioned Officer Training (COT) for officers of all three components who are direct-commissioned to non-line positions due to their credentials in medicine, law, religion, biological sciences, or healthcare administration. Originally viewed as a "knife and fork school" that covered little beyond basic wear of the uniform, COT in recent years has been fully integrated into the OTS program and today encompasses extensive coursework as well as field exercises in leadership, confidence, fitness, and deployed-environment operations.

  Air Force Fitness Test

  The US Air Force Fitness Test (AFFT) is designed to test the abdominal circumference, muscular strength/endurance and cardiovascular respiratory fitness of airmen in the USAF. As part of the Fit to Fight program, the USAF adopted a more stringent physical fitness assessment; the new fitness program was put into effect on June 1, 2010. The annual ergo-cycle test which the USAF had used for several years had been replaced in 2004. In the AFFT, Airmen are given a score based on performance consisting of four components: waist circumference, the sit-up, the push-up, and a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) run. Airmen can potentially earn a score of 100, with the run counting as 60%, waist circumference as 20%, and both strength test counting as 10% each. A passing score is 75 points. Effective July 1, 2010, the AFFT will be administered by the base Fitness Assessment Cell (FAC), and will be required twice a year. Personnel may test once a year if he or she earns a score above a 90%. Additionally, only meeting the minimum standards on each one of these test will not get you a passing score of 75%, and failing any one component will result in a failure for the entire test.

  [edit]Aircraft inventory

  Main article: List of active United States military aircraft

  The US Air Force has over 5,778 aircraft commissioned as of 2004.^{[citation needed]} Until 1962, the Army and Air Force maintained one system of aircraft naming, while the U.S. Navy maintained a separate system. In 1962, these were unified into a single system heavily reflecting the Army/Air Force method. For more complete information on the workings of this system, refer to United States Department of Defense aerospace vehicle designation. The various aircraft of the Air Force include:

  Culture

  The culture of the United States Air Force is primarily driven by pilots and so the pilots of various aircraft types have driven its priorities over the years. At first there was a focus on bombers (driven originally by the Bomber mafia), followed by a focus on fighters (Fighter Mafia and following).^[57]

  In response to the 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates accepted in June 2009 the resignations of Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force General T. Michael Moseley. Moseley's successor, General Norton A. Schwartz, was the first officer appointed to that position who did not have a background as a fighter or bomber pilot.^[58] The Washington Post reported that General Schwartz has begun to dismantle the rigid class system of the USAF.^[59]

  Daniel L. Magruder, Jr defines USAF culture as a combination of the rigorous application of advanced technology, individualism and progressive airpower theory.^[60]Major General Charles J. Dunlap, Jr. adds that Air Force culture includes an egalitarianism bred from officers as warriors who work with small groups of enlisted airmen either as the service crew or onboard crew of their aircraft.^[61]

  [edit]Slogans and creeds

  The United States Air Force has had numerous recruiting slogans including "No One Comes Close" and "Uno Ab Alto". For many years, the U.S. Air Force used "Aim High" as its recruiting slogan; more recently, they have used "Cross into the Blue", "We've been waiting for you" and "Do Something Amazing",^[62] "Above All",^[63] and the newest one, as of October 7, 2010, considered a call and response, "Aim high" followed with the response, "Fly-Fight-Win" ^[64] Each wing, group, or squadron usually has its own slogan(s). Information and logos can usually be found on the wing, group, or squadron websites.^[65]

  The Air Force Core Values are: "Integrity first", "Service before self", "Excellence in all we do".^[66] The Airman's Creed is a statement introduced in the spring of 2007 to summarize the culture of the Air Force.

  To help further knowledge of their mission and functions, the Air Force has also produced videos, such as "Setting the Conditions for Victory" and "How We Fight",^[67] to outline the Air Force role in the war on terrorism and how the service succeeds in its domains of air, space, and cyberspace. The Above All campaign continues to support the message of "air, space and cyberspace" dominance.