The United States order of precedence is an advisory document maintained by the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the United States which lists the ceremonial order,or relative preeminence,for domestic and foreign government officials at diplomatic,ceremonial,and social events within the United States and abroad. The list is used to mitigate miscommunication and embarrassment in diplomacy,and offer a distinct and concrete spectrum of preeminence for ceremonies. Often the document is used to advise diplomatic and ceremonial event planners on seating charts and order of introduction. Former presidents,vice presidents,first ladies,second ladies,and secretaries of state and retired Supreme Court justices are also included in the list.
The secretary of the Air Force,sometimes referred to as the secretary of the Department of the Air Force,is the head of the Department of the Air Force and the service secretary for the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. The secretary of the Air Force is a civilian appointed by the president,by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The secretary reports to the secretary of defense and/or the deputy secretary of defense,and is by statute responsible for and has the authority to conduct all the affairs of the Department of the Air Force.
The United States Department of the Air Force (DAF) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Department of the Air Force was formed on September 18,1947,per the National Security Act of 1947 and it is the military department within which the United States Air Force and the United States Space Force are organized.
Michael Walter Wynne is an American politician and business executive and was the 21st United States Secretary of the Air Force. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asked for and received his resignation on June 5,2008,in the wake of the 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident and the mistaken shipment of Minuteman III parts to Taiwan in 2006,followed by an investigation by and a critical report from Admiral Kirkland H. Donald regarding the Minuteman incident.
The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment,or USD(A&S),is the Principal Staff Assistant (PSA) and advisor to the Secretary of Defense for all matters relating to acquisition and sustainment in the Department of Defense. This includes the DoD Acquisition System;system design and development;production;logistics and distribution;installation maintenance,management,and resilience;military construction;procurement of goods and services;material readiness;maintenance;environment and energy resilience;utilities;business management modernization;International Armaments Cooperation,Cooperative Acquisition and International Agreements,Promoting exportability of military components to allies and partners;nuclear,chemical and biological defense programs;and nuclear command,control,and communications.
The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (SAF/AQ) is a civilian position in the Department of the Air Force that is appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. This position is established under Title 10 US Code Section 9016 and is one of five Assistant Secretary positions under the Secretary of the Air Force. The Assistant Secretary reports to the Secretary of the Air Force.
Frank Kendall III is an American engineer,lawyer and executive who is the 26th and current United States Secretary of the Air Force. He has served in several senior positions in the U.S. Department of Defense. A West Point graduate,he retired as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Army Reserve. From 2011 to 2017,Kendall served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition,Technology and Logistics in the Obama Administration. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
The under secretary of the Air Force,sometimes referred to as the under secretary of the Department of the Air Force,is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the Department of the Air Force of the United States of America,serving directly under the secretary of the Air Force. In the absence of the secretary,the under secretary exercises all the powers and duties of the secretary and serves as acting secretary when the position of secretary is vacant. The under secretary of the Air Force is appointed by the President,by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering,abbreviated USD (R&E),is a senior official of the United States Department of Defense. The USD (R&E) is charged with the development and oversight of technology strategy for the DoD. The post has at various times had the titles Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering,or Director of Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E). The latter title has itself historically varied between the rank of under secretary and that of assistant secretary.
Heidi Shyu is an American engineer who has served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in the Biden administration since July 25,2021. She previously served as the United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition,Logistics,and Technology ASA(ALT) from 2012 to January 30,2016.
The United States Army Acquisition Corps (AAC) is the officer / NCO corps of the United States Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW),a branch which includes civilians,officers,and NCOs. The Acquisition Corps is composed of army officers who serve in acquisition,a specialized form of product development,fielding,and support and Noncommissioned Officers who specialize in Contracting,Level I Program Management and Purchasing. These officers begin their careers in the other branches of the army for eight years,after which they may elect the Acquisition branch as their career as assistant program managers (APMs),program managers (PMs),and program executive officers (PEOs). The Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) are reclassified in the Army Acquisition NCO Corps after serving 7-10 years in their respective enlisted career management fields,and serve primarily in the Army Acquisition Career Management Field - 51 and (MOS) 51C. 4% percentage of the Army Acquisition Officers serve among the 40,000 members of the army acquisition workforce,6% in MOS 51C - Acquisition,Logistics and Technology Contracting Noncommissioned Officer,and the remainder 90% percentage consist largely of Department of the Army civilians.
Donna D. Shipton is a United States Air Force lieutenant general who serves as the military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition,Technology and Logistics. She previously served as the deputy director and commander of the Space Force Element to the National Reconnaissance Office.
John Ferdinand "JT" Thompson is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force who last served as the commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center from May 2017 to July 2021. He entered the United States Air Force in 1984 as a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy.
Steven P. Whitney is a United States Space Force major general who serves as the director of staff of the United States Space Force. He previously served as the military deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration from 2021 to 2023.
William B. Roper Jr. is an American physicist and foreign policy strategist who served as the 13th Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition,Technology and Logistics,overseeing procurement for the U.S. Air Force and Space Force from 2018 to 2021. Before taking office he served elsewhere within the Department of Defense as founder and director of the Strategic Capabilities Office,and prior as Ballistic Missile Defense System Architect at the Missile Defense Agency. He was also a member of the 2018 National Defense Strategy steering group. He is currently the CEO at Istari,as well as serving as senior advisor at McKinsey and Co.,and teaching at Georgia Tech.
The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration (SAF/SQ) is a civilian position in the United States Department of the Air Force that is appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. This position is established under Title 10 US Code Section 9016. The assistant secretary reports to the Secretary of the Air Force.
The Space Development Agency (SDA) is a United States Space Force direct-reporting unit tasked with deploying disruptive space technology. A primary focus is space-based missile defense using large global satellite constellations made up of industry-procured low-cost satellites. The SDA has been managed by the United States Space Force since October 2022. By September 2023 the SDA had 23 satellites on orbit. SDA targets to have at least 1,000 satellites in low Earth orbit by 2026.
Gabriel Omar Camarillo is an American attorney who has served as the 35th under secretary of the Army in the Biden administration since February 8,2022. He previously served as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force from 2015 to 2017 during the Obama administration.
Frank Calvelli is an American intelligence official who is the assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration (SAF/SQ). He previously served as the principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office from 2012 to 2020. In 2021,he joined Booz Allen Hamilton as senior vice president.
