United States Air Force service numbers were created in the spring of 1948, approximately six months after the Air Force's creation as separate branch of the armed forces. [1]
United States Air Force service numbers were created in the spring of 1948, approximately six months after the Air Force's creation as separate branch of the armed forces. [1]
The first regulation of Air Force service numbers applied to numbers held by Air Force officers. In 1947, thousands of officers had automatically transferred from the Army Air Forces into the Air Force, with over a third of this number inactive members of the Officer Reserve Corps. The first Air Force officer service numbers ranged from 1 to 19,999 and were reserved for Regular Air Force officers who had "crossed over" to the United States Air Force.
The first USAF regular officer service number went to the most senior general officer on active duty when the transition to USAF service numbers began. 1A was Joseph T. McNarney. Other notable low numbers were: 2A George C. Kenney, 3A John K. Cannon, 4A Hoyt S. Vandenberg, 5A George E Stratemeyer, 10A Nathan Twining, 26A Curtis Lemay.
After the initial issuance of the first Air Force officer service numbers, the service numbers were increased with the second range extending from 20 000 to 99 999. These numbers were set aside for past, present, and future Regular Air Force officers with this range being used from 1948 until the discontinuation of Air Force service numbers in 1969.
For a brief time in the 1950s until 1965, cadets at the United States Air Force Academy were assigned a special range of service numbers only for use while attending the Academy. These numbers ranged from 1 to approximately 7000 based on admission date to the Academy. These numbers were followed by the suffix "K" and were not part of the regular Air Force service number system.
The service numbers 100 000 to 1 799 999 were never used by the Air Force office corps to avoid repeating numbers already assigned to Army officers; the only Air Force officers who ever held these numbers were those who had received their commissions under the authority of the Army Air Forces. The next range of Air Force officer service numbers began at 1 800 000 and extended to 1 999 999; these numbers were assigned to former reserve officers of the Army Air Forces who were now members of the Air Force Reserve. The two million number range was never issued by the Air Force, to avoid repeating service numbers of the Army, with the next range beginning at 3 000 000 and extending to 3 999 999. These numbers were intended for all officers considered "Other Than Regular Air Force" (OTRAF) and were issued in chronological order by date of commission after 1948. Such numbers were normally preceded with a zero.
In 1969, when the Air Force discontinued service numbers, the officer cap of 3 999 999 had not yet been reached. Thus, there were never any higher Air Force officer service numbers created. After 1969, the Air Force converted to Social Security numbers for service member identification.
Air Force enlisted service numbers were designed along Army lines with the first Air Force personnel issued Army numbers between September 1947 and early 1948. By the spring of 1948, the Air Force has established its permanent enlisted service number system with the design mirroring Army numbers almost exactly. It was also a fundamental principle that no airman would be issued a duplicate service number or a service number already held by someone in the Army.
The first Air Force service numbers were seen as "crossover" numbers from personnel who had been members of the Army Air Forces; the Air Force also used the Army's 8 000 000 to 8 999 999 service number series for female enlisted personnel. The nine million service numbers were never used by the Air Force with Regular Air Force enlisted personnel beginning with service numbers in the ten million range. This numbers extended from 10 000 000 to 10 999 999 and, like the Army, were used for Regular Air Force personnel who had enlisted from recruiting stations outside the United States.
The service number range of 11 000 000 to 19 000 000 was used by Regular Air Force in the same manner as the Army, in that these numbers were reserved for Regular Air Force personnel, who had enlisted from inside the United States, with the first two numbers a geographical code and the last six a personal identifier. The geographical codes for the Air Force were the same as the Army and recruiting stations had instructions to avoid repeat service numbers and to ensure that no service number was issued by both the Army and the Air Force.
The service numbers of 20 000 000 to 29 999 999 were used by the Air National Guard with the thirty and forty million service numbers never issued by the Air Force. Even so, many veteran Air Force personnel who had served in World War II carried these numbers over with them upon augmentation to the Air Force. Therefore, there were numerous cases of Air Force enlisted members holding 30 and 40 million service numbers.
The service numbers 50 000 000 to 59 999 999 were used by Air Force draftees between 1948 and 1966. These numbers were issued in the same manner as the Army using the same geographical codes for the first two numbers. As with other service numbers used by both the Army and the Air Force, procedures were in place to avoid repeat or duplicate numbers.
The last range of Air Force service numbers was the 60 million series extending from 60 000 000 to 69 999 999. These numbers were used from 1966 to 1969. Air Force enlisted service numbers were formally discontinued on July 1, 1969, and replaced with Social Security numbers.
Upon the creation of Air Force service numbers, the Air Force had no prefix codes for special situations but did create a series of suffix one letter codes to be used solely be officers. The original suffix letter codes were:
A: Used from 1948 to 1965 by male Regular Air Force officers
E: Used until 1965 by male Regular Air Force warrant officers
H: Used until 1965 by female Regular Air Force warrant officers
K: Used by cadets at the Air Force Academy
W: Used from 1948 to 1965 by female Regular Air Force officers
In the mid-1950s, the Air Force created several prefix codes intended to replace the suffix letters, although both prefixes and suffixes were still being used simultaneously in military service records. The 1950s prefix codes were as follows:
AA: Used by female personnel of the WAF
AD: Used by Aviation Cadets
AF: Used by male enlisted personnel
AO: Used by Air Force reserve officers
AR: Use by Air Force dieticians
AW: Used by Air Force warrant officers
In 1965, the Air Force standardized the prefix codes and created this final version.
FG: Used by officers, warrant officers and enlisted personnel of the Air National Guard
FR: Used by officers, warrant officers and enlisted personnel of the Regular Air Force
FT: Used by officers and warrant officers who had yet to be assigned an Air Force component
FV: Used by officers, warrant officers and enlisted personnel of the Air Force Reserve
Older prefix and suffix codes continued to survive until the formal disestablishment of Air Force service numbers in 1969. In addition, the prefix "FR" was frequently switched between a prefix and suffix. After the establishment of social security numbers as the primary means of personnel identification, many Regular Air Force personnel would annotate the prefix "FR" before their Social Security number; a practice which continues to this day.
State Geographical Codes were used as the first two numbers of an Air Force enlisted service number to indicate where an airman had either enlisted from or had been drafted. For instance, the service number "12 345 678" would have a geographical code of 12 and a personal identification number of 345,678. The Air Force used geographical codes for Regular Air Force personnel and personnel who were issued service numbers in the 50 million range. The Air Force did not actively assign any 30 million draft numbers (these were held only by Air Force personnel who had "crossed over" from the Army Air Forces) and the sixty million range was issued without regards to geographical regions. In all, a comparison of the state codes is as follows:
| State | Regular Air Force Codes | Air Force Draft Codes |
| Alabama | 14 | 53 |
| Alaska | 19 | 50 2 |
| Arizona | 19 | 56 |
| Arkansas | 18 | 54 |
| California | 19 | 56 |
| Colorado | 17 | 55 |
| Connecticut | 11 | 51 |
| Delaware | 12 | 51 |
| Florida | 14 | 53 |
| Georgia | 14 | 56 |
| Hawaii | 10 1 | 50 0 |
| Illinois | 16 | 55 |
| Idaho | 19 | 56 |
| Indiana | 15 | 52 |
| Iowa | 17 | 55 |
| Kansas | 17 | 55 |
| Kentucky | 15 | 52 |
| Louisiana | 18 | 54 |
| Maine | 11 | 51 |
| Maryland | 13 | 52 |
| Massachusetts | 11 | 51 |
| Michigan | 16 | 55 |
| Minnesota | 17 | 55 |
| Mississippi | 14 | 53 |
| Missouri | 17 | 55 |
| Montana | 19 | 56 |
| Nebraska | 17 | 55 |
| Nevada | 19 | 56 |
| New Hampshire | 11 | 51 |
| New Jersey | 12 | 51 |
| New Mexico | 18 | 54 |
| New York | 12 | 51 |
| North Carolina | 14 | 53 |
| North Dakota | 17 | 55 |
| Ohio | 15 | 52 |
| Oklahoma | 18 | 54 |
| Oregon | 19 | 56 |
| Pennsylvania | 13 | 52 |
| Rhode Island | 11 | 51 |
| South Carolina | 14 | 53 |
| South Dakota | 17 | 55 |
| Tennessee | 14 | 53 |
| Texas | 18 | 54 |
| Utah | 19 | 56 |
| Vermont | 11 | 51 |
| Virginia | 13 | 52 |
| Washington | 19 | 56 |
| West Virginia | 15 | 52 |
| Wisconsin | 16 | 55 |
| Wyoming | 17 | 55 |
Within the Regular Air Force, the range of 11 000 000 to 19 999 999 was reserved for Regular Air Force personnel who had enlisted from within the United States; With the first two numbers a geographical code and the last six a personal identifier. This gave geographical recruiting areas 999,999 service numbers a piece to allocate to new recruits. Air Force regulations directed against repeating service numbers and allocated only a certain block of numbers for certain time periods of enlistments. Instructions were also in place that Air Force service members should not be assigned numbers already held by Regular Army soldiers. This resulted in the first 200,000 personal identifier numbers of each geographical code remaining un-issued, since these numbers had already been exhausted by assignments to Regular Army personnel. The breakdown of Regular Air Force service number assignments, from 1947 to the discontinuation of service numbers in 1969, was as follows:
| Geographical Code | Allocated Numbers (1947–1948) | Allocated Numbers (1949–1960) | Allocated Numbers (1961–1969) |
| 11 | 142 501 - 188 000 | 188 001 - 384 000 | 384 000 - 999 999 |
| 12 | 242 001 - 321 000 | 321 001 - 614 900 | 614 901 - 999 999 |
| 13 | 197 501 - 299 700 | 299 701 - 705 500 | 705 501 - 999 999 |
| 14 | 204 501 - 300 770 | 300 771 - 745 000 | 745 001 - 999 999 |
| 15 | 201 001 - 280 500 | 280 501 - 639 615 | 639 616 - 999 999 |
| 16 | 201 501 - 307 000 | 307 001 - 683 100 | 683 101 - 999 999 |
| 17 | 183 501 - 254 500 | 254 501 - 592 940 | 592 941 - 999 999 |
| 18 | 247 101 - 546 000 | 546 001 - 607 725 | 607 726 - 999 999 |
| 19 | 235 501 - 420 000 | 420 001 - 597 661 | 597 662 - 999 999 |
Significant United States Air Force service numbers include: [2]
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services. Originally created in 1907 as a part of the United States Army, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces in 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the second youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces and the fourth in order of precedence. The U.S. 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 of America. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and forms military policy with the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), both federal executive departments, acting as the principal organs by which military policy is carried out. All six armed services are among the eight uniformed services of the United States.
Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within an armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a military hierarchy. It incorporates the principles of exercising power and authority into the military chain of command – the succession of commanders superior to subordinates through which command is exercised. The military chain of command constructs an important component for organized collective action.
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. In contrast, commissioned officers usually enter directly from a military academy, officer candidate school (OCS), or officer training school (OTS) after receiving a post-secondary degree.
A United States military occupation code, or a military occupational specialty code, is a nine-character code used in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps to identify a specific job. In the United States Air Force, a system of Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC) is used. In the United States Navy, a system of naval ratings and designators are used along with the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) system. A system of ratings is also used in the United States Coast Guard.
Ranks and insignia of NATO are combined military insignia used by the member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The Army of the United States is one of the four major service components of the United States Army, but it has been inactive since the suspension of the draft in 1973 and the U.S. military's transition to a volunteer force. Personnel serving in the United States Army during a major national emergency or armed conflict were enlisted into the Army of the United States, without specifying service in a component. It also includes the "Retired Reserve". Those are retired soldiers that have reached the required years of creditable service, or creditable service and age; regardless of the component, or components they formerly served in.
A service number is an identification code used to identify a person within a large group. Service numbers are most often associated with the military; however, they may be used in civilian organizations as well. National identification numbers may be seen as types of service numbers.
The following graphs present the rank insignia of the Imperial Japanese Navy from its establishment in 1868 to its defeat during World War II in 1945. These designs were used from 1931 onward. For the typical Navy, star modelling cherry blossom was used for showing their ranks/branches, but the Naval Reserve personnel wore the compass based star before 1942, when the Reserve and Special Duty Officers were merged with the typical naval personnel's insignia.
A military reserve force is a military organization whose members simultaneously hold military and civilian occupations. These members are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve forces are generally considered part of a permanent standing body of armed forces. The existence of reserve forces allows a nation to reduce its peacetime military expenditures while maintaining a force prepared for war.
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 Silver War Badge was issued in the United Kingdom and the British Empire to service personnel who had been honourably discharged due to wounds or sickness from military service in World War I. The badge, sometimes known as the "Discharge Badge", the "Wound Badge" or "Services Rendered Badge", was first issued in September 1916, along with an official certificate of entitlement. If a person served in an active war zone then a King's Certificate of Discharge stating that they "Served with honour" would accompany the badge.
United Kingdom military aircraft serial numbers are aircraft registration numbers used to identify individual military aircraft in the United Kingdom (UK). All UK military aircraft are allocated and display a unique registration number. A unified registration number system, maintained initially by the Air Ministry (AM), and its successor the Ministry of Defence (MoD), is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), and Army Air Corps (AAC). Military aircraft operated by government agencies and civilian contractors are also assigned registration numbers from this system.
Service numbers were used by the United States Department of Defense as the primary means of service member identification from 1918 until 1974. Service numbers are public information available under the Freedom of Information Act, unlike social security numbers which are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974.
Service numbers were used by the United States Army from 1918 until 1969. Prior to this time, the Army relied on muster rolls as a means of indexing enlisted service members while officers were usually listed on yearly rolls maintained by the United States War Department. In the nineteenth century, the Army also used pay records as a primary means of identifying service members after discharge.
United States Navy service numbers were created in 1920, one year after the close of the First World War. The creation of Navy service numbers coincided with those of the Marine Corps, as the Marines were under the authority of the Department of the Navy.
United States Marine Corps service numbers were created in 1920, the same year as Navy service numbers, and were modeled after the same design.
United States Coast Guard service numbers were first created in the later half of 1921. In 2004 the Coast Guard began using Employee Identification Numbers, or EMPLIDs, to replace the Social Security Number on official forms.
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Central Registration Number is used by the Indonesian National Armed Forces as the primary means of service member identification.
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