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.
The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense,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 secretary of defense is appointed by the president 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.
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant or secretary to a person of high rank,usually a senior military,police or government officer,or to a member of a royal family or a head of state.
The chief of staff of the Air Force is the service chief of the United States Air Force. They are the principal military advisor to the secretary of the Air Force on matter pertaining to the Air Force. They are a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,and thereby a military adviser to the National Security Council,the secretary of defense,and the President. The chief of staff is typically the highest-ranking officer on active duty in the Air Force,unless the chairman and/or the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are Air Force officers.
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 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 space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Along with the U.S. Air Force,it is part of the Department of the Air Force,led by the secretary of the Air Force. Its military heads are the chief of space operations,who is one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,and the vice chief of space operations.
Kenneth John Braithwaite II is an American politician,diplomat,businessman and naval 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.
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.
Steven Roberts is a Democratic politician serving in the 5th district of the Missouri Senate. Roberts' election on January 6,2021,made him the youngest black State Senator in Missouri history. He serves as the Minority Whip of the Missouri Senate.
Patrick S. Ryder is an American military officer and United States Air Force major general who has served as the Pentagon Press Secretary since August 4,2022.
