The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement,heroic service,meritorious achievement,or meritorious service in a combat zone.
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces,and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907,as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps,the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the second youngest branch of the United States Armed Forces and the fourth in order of precedence. The United States Air Force articulates its core missions as air supremacy,global integrated intelligence,surveillance and reconnaissance,rapid global mobility,global strike,and command and control.
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consist of six service branches:the Army,Marine Corps,Navy,Air Force,Space Force,and Coast Guard. All six armed services are among the eight uniformed services of the United States,along with the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.
The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD),the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces,and is a high-ranking member of the federal cabinet. The secretary of defense's position of command and authority over the military is second only to that of the president of the United States,who is the commander-in-chief. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a defense minister in many other countries. The president appoints the secretary of defense with the advice and consent of the Senate,and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council.
Michael "Mike" Collins was an American astronaut who flew the Apollo 11 command module Columbia around the Moon in 1969 while his crewmates,Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin,made the first crewed landing on the surface. He was also a test pilot and major general in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
The United States has eight federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10 and subsequently structured and organized by Titles 10,14,32,33,and 42 of the U.S. Code.
The United States Army Air Service (USAAS) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1918 and 1926 and a forerunner of the United States Air Force. It was established as an independent but temporary branch of the U.S. War Department during World War I by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson:on May 24,1918,replacing the Aviation Section,Signal Corps as the nation's air force;and March 19,1919,establishing a military Director of Air Service to control all aviation activities. Its life was extended for another year in July 1919,during which time Congress passed the legislation necessary to make it a permanent establishment. The National Defense Act of 1920 assigned the Air Service the status of "combatant arm of the line" of the United States Army with a major general in command.
Ashley Chadbourne McKinley was an accomplished American aerial photographer and colonel in the U.S. Army Air Corps who helped pioneer aviation at subzero temperatures. He accompanied Richard E. Byrd as an aerial photographer on his expedition to the South Pole.
Francis Patrick Matthews was an American who served as the 8th Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from 1939 to 1945,the 50th United States Secretary of the Navy from 1949 to 1951,and United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1951 to 1952.
In the United States Armed Forces,the ranks of warrant officer and chief warrant officer are rated as officers above all non-commissioned officers,candidates,cadets,and midshipmen,but subordinate to the lowest officer grade of O‑1. This application differs from the Commonwealth of Nations and other militaries,where warrant officers are the most senior of the other ranks,equivalent to the U.S. Armed Forces grades of E‑8 and E‑9.
The United States Space Force (USSF) is the United States Armed Forces' space service and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is one of two independent space forces in the world.
Kenneth John Braithwaite II is an American diplomat,businessman and veteran United States Navy officer who served as the 77th secretary of the Navy from May 29,2020,to January 20,2021,in the Donald Trump administration. Prior to that,he served as the U.S. ambassador to Norway,beginning February 8,2018. Braithwaite is a retired U.S. Navy one-star rear admiral,having served in the Iraq War.
Gina Maria Ortiz Jones is an American intelligence officer and politician. She served in the Biden administration as Under Secretary of the Air Force from July 2021 to March 2023.
The United States Space Force is organized by different units:the Space Staff,the field commands,and the space deltas.
Michael Anthony Guetlein is a United States Space Force general who serves as the second vice chief of space operations. He recently served as the first commander of Space Systems Command from 2021 to 2024. He previously served as the deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office from 2019 to 2021.
Patrick S. Ryder is an American military officer and United States Air Force major general who has been serving as the Pentagon Press Secretary since August 4,2022.
