U.S.A.F

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial-warfare branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. Previously part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947. The USAF is currently the largest and the most technologically advanced air force in the world, with about 6057 manned aircraft in service (4,273 USAF; 1,313 Air National Guard; and 400 Air Force Reserve)approximately 160 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles, 2161 Air-Launched Cruise Missiles, and 1900 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles and as of September 30, 2005, had 351,800 personnel on active duty, 122,750 in the Selected and Individual Ready Reserves, and 106,800 in the Air National Guard. An additional 14,000 personnel were in the Standby Reserve and the Air Force employed 166,730 civilian personnel. The USAF is currently planning a massive Reduction-in-Force (RIF). Because of budget constraints, the USAF will reduce the service's current size by 40,000 full time equivalent positions by 2011, with approximately half to be eliminated in FY 2007. Approximately 35,000 active duty positions, or one year's cycle of enlistments and retirements, will be eliminated over 5 years.The current size of the active-duty force is roughly 70% of that of the USAF at the end of the first Gulf War in 1991. According to the National Security Act of 1947 (61 Stat. 502) which created the Air Force, "In general the United States Air Force shall include aviation forces both combat and service not otherwise assigned. It shall be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air operations. The Air Force shall be responsible for the preparation of the air forces necessary for the effective prosecution of war except as otherwise assigned and, in accordance with integrated joint mobilization plans, for the expansion of the peacetime components of the Air Force to meet the needs of war." The stated mission of the USAF today is to "deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests — to fly and fight in Air, Space, and Cyberspace".Not all of the United States' military combat aircraft are operated by the USAF. The United States Army operates its own helicopters, mostly for support of ground combatants. The Navy is responsible for the aircraft operating on its aircraft carriers and Naval air stations, and the Marine Corps operates its own combat and transport aircraft. The Coast Guard also maintains transport and search-and-rescue aircraft, which may be used in a combat and law enforcement role. All branches of the U.S. military operate helicopters. The Air Force is managed by the Department of the Air Force which is headed by the Secretary of the Air Force who heads administrative affairs. The Department of the Air Force is a division of the United States Department of Defense which is headed by the United States Secretary of Defense. The highest ranking military officer in the department is the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.The United States Air Force has been involved in many wars, conflicts, and operations since its conception; these include: * World War I * World War II * The Cold War * The Korean War * The Vietnam War * Operation Eagle Claw * Operation Urgent Fury * The United States invasion of Panama * Operation Eldorado Canyon * The Gulf War * The Kosovo War * Operation Enduring Freedom * Operation Iraqi Freedom The United States Air Force has over 7,500 aircraft commissioned as of 2004. Until 1962, the Army and Air Force maintained one system of aircraft naming, while the U.S. Navy maintained a separate system. In 1962, these were unified into a single system heavily reflecting the Army/Air Force method. For more complete information on the workings of this system, refer to United States Department of Defense Aerospace Vehicle Designations.

Channel: Autos & Vehicles
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: zeoul001

Length: 02:00
Rating: 4.10
Views: 102527

Tags: 52+  A-380  Airbus  aircraft  aviation  B-52  Block  Boeing  F-15  F-16  F-18  F-22  F1  fighter  iraq  jet  military  multirole  USA  war  

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