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.
James Rodney Schlesinger was an American economist and public servant who was best known for serving as Secretary of Defense from 1973 to 1975 under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Prior to becoming Secretary of Defense,he served as Chair of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) from 1971 to 1973,and as CIA Director for a few months in 1973. He became America's first Secretary of Energy under Jimmy Carter in 1977,serving until 1979.
Ashton Baldwin Carter was an American government official and academic who served as the 25th United States secretary of defense from February 2015 to January 2017. He later served as director of the Belfer Center for Science &International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School.
The Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1,1992,through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force Systems Command (AFSC).
Edward "Pete" Cleveland Aldridge Jr. is an aerospace engineer and former government official in the U.S. Defense Department. He was also selected as a payload specialist for the Space Shuttle mission STS-62-A,scheduled to launch in July 1986. The mission was canceled after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in January 1986,and Aldridge never flew.
The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. It was established in April 1951,being split off from Air Materiel Command. The mission of AFSC was Research and Development for new weapons systems.
Teed Michael "Buzz" Moseley is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the 18th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. He is a fighter pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours in fighters and trainers,most in the F-15 Eagle.
Kirkland Hogue "Kirk" Donald is a retired Admiral in the United States Navy,who in his last assignment served as the dual-hatted position of Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion and Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. Donald previously served as Commander,Submarine Force,U.S. Atlantic Fleet,and Commander,Submarine Allied Command,Atlantic. He retired from active duty on November 2,2012.
A program executive officer,or PEO,is one of a few key individuals in the United States military acquisition process. As can be seen from the examples below,a program executive officer may be responsible for a specific program,or for an entire portfolio of similar programs.
Bruce Allen Carlson,was the 17th Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). He is a former four-star general in the United States Air Force and served as the sixth Commander,Air Force Materiel Command,Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,Ohio. The command conducts research,development,test and evaluation,and provides acquisition management services and logistics support necessary to keep Air Force weapon systems ready for war. After over 37 years of service,he retired from the Air Force on January 1,2009. Carlson served as a general authority and a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from April 2009 to October 2015.
The United States Air Force became a separate military service on 18 September 1947 with the implementation of the National Security Act of 1947. The Act created the National Military Establishment,later renamed the United States Department of Defense,which was composed of four of the five branches,the Army,Marine Corps,Navy,and a newly created Air Force. Prior to 1947,the responsibility for military aviation was divided between the Army for land-based operations and the Navy and Marine Corps for sea-based operations from aircraft carrier and amphibious aircraft. The Army created the first antecedent of the Air Force on 1 August 1907,which through a succession of changes of organization,titles,and missions advanced toward eventual separation 40 years later. The predecessor organizations leading up to today's U.S. Air Force are:
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 Next-Generation Bomber was a program to develop a new medium bomber for the United States Air Force. The NGB was initially projected to enter service around 2018 as a stealthy,subsonic,medium-range,medium payload bomber to supplement and possibly—to a limited degree—replace the U.S. Air Force's aging bomber fleet. The Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) heavy bomber program superseded the NGB program.
On 29 August 2007,six AGM-129 ACM cruise missiles,each loaded with a W80-1 variable yield nuclear warhead,were mistakenly loaded onto a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52H heavy bomber at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and transported to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. The nuclear warheads in the missiles were supposed to have been removed before the missiles were taken from their storage bunker. The missiles with the nuclear warheads were not reported missing and remained mounted to the aircraft at both Minot and Barksdale for 36 hours. During this period,the warheads were not protected by the various mandatory security precautions for nuclear weapons.
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.
John Jacob Young Jr. was United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 2001 to 2005 and Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition,Technology and Logistics from 2007 to 2009. He is the founder and principal of JY Strategies,LLC.
Claude Milburn Bolton Jr. was a United States Air Force major general who served also as United States Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition,Logistics,and Technology from 2002 to 2008.
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.
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