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 Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The medal was established on July 2, 1926, and is currently awarded to any persons who, after April 6, 1917, distinguish themselves by single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. Both heroism and extraordinary achievement are entirely distinctive, involving operations that are not routine. The medal may be awarded to friendly foreign military members in ranks equivalent to U.S. Pay Grade of O-6 and below, in actual combat in support operations.
Michael Edward Ryan is a retired United States Air Force general and was the 16th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from October 1997 to September 2001. He served as the senior uniformed Air Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipage of 700,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian forces serving in the United States and overseas. As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he and the other service chiefs functioned as military advisers to the Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and the President.
The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As a chairman's Controlled Activity, NDU operates under the guidance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), with Lieutenant General Michael T. Plehn, USAF, as president. It is located on the grounds of Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C.
General Laurence Sherman Kuter was a Cold War-era four-star general in the United States Air Force (USAF) and former commander of North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). Kuter was born in Rockford, Illinois in 1905, and graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York on June 14, 1927.
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.
Jay Benton Silveria is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force (USAF). He was the twentieth superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, serving from 2017 to 2020. His previous commands include deputy commander of the United States Air Forces Central Command, commander of the United States Air Force Warfare Center, and commander of 48th Fighter Wing. Rated as a command pilot, Silvera has more than 3,900 flying hours.
Kevin Bruce Schneider is a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force who serves as Director of Staff of the United States Air Force since September 8, 2021. He previously served as the commander of the United States Forces Japan and the Fifth Air Force at Yokota Air Base.
Richard Milo Clark is a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force (USAF), currently serving as the 21st Superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration. A bomber pilot, he graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1986.
Mark Ernest Weatherington is a United States Air Force lieutenant general who serves as the deputy commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command since August 2021. He most recently served as commander of both the Eighth Air Force and the Joint-Global Strike Operations Center. He previously served as the deputy commander of Air Education and Training Command from April 2018 to May 2020. Weatherington was commissioned after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy in 1990.
Andrew A. Croft is a retired United States Air Force lieutenant general who served as the military deputy commander of United States Southern Command from 2021 to 2023. Croft was commissioned through the ROTC program at University of California, Los Angeles in 1988.
Michael A. "Mike" Minihan is a general in the United States Air Force who has served as the commander of Air Mobility Command since October 5, 2021.
Michael Anthony Loh is a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force, who serves as the 13th Director of the Air National Guard. He previously served as the adjutant general of the Colorado National Guard from April 2017 to July 2020, and as the National Guard assistant to the commander of Air Combat Command from April 2016 to April 2017. Loh is the son of a former commander of Air Combat Command, General John M. Loh. Loh received his commission through the United States Air Force Academy in 1984 He assumed his current assignment on July 28, 2020,
The United States Space Force is organized by different units: the Space Staff, the field commands, and the space deltas.
Gregory M. Guillot is a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force who serves as the deputy commander of United States Central Command since July 2022. He served as commander of the Ninth Air Force from 2020 to 2022.
Ricky N. Rupp is a United States Air Force lieutenant general who serves as the commander of United States Forces Japan and Fifth Air Force since August 26, 2021. He most recently served as the commander of Air Force District of Washington. Previously, he was the director of operations of the United States Transportation Command.
