Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
Chief of Staff of the Air Force | |
---|---|
United States Air Force Air Staff | |
Type | Chief of Staff |
Abbreviation | CSAF or AF/CC |
Member of | Joint Chiefs of Staff |
Reports to | Secretary of Defense Secretary of the Air Force |
Residence | Quarters 7, Fort Myer |
Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
Term length | 4 years Renewable one time, only during war or national emergency |
Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 9033 |
Precursor | Commanding General, United States Army Air Forces |
Formation | 18 September 1947 |
First holder | Carl A. Spaatz |
Deputy | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force |
Website | Official Website |
The chief of staff of the Air Force (acronym: CSAF, or AF/CC) is a statutory office (10 U.S.C. § 9033) held by a general in the United States Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor to the secretary of the Air Force on matter pertaining to the Air Force; and is in a separate capacity (10 U.S.C. § 151), 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.
The chief of staff of the Air Force is an administrative position based in the Pentagon, and while the chief of staff does not have operational command authority over Air Force forces (that is within the purview of the combatant commanders who report to the secretary of defense), the chief of staff does exercise supervision of Air Force units and organizations as the designee of the secretary of the Air Force.
The current chief of staff of the Air Force is General Charles Q. Brown Jr..
Responsibilities[]
Department of the Air Force[]
Under the authority, direction and control of the secretary of the Air Force, the chief of staff presides over the Air Staff, acts as the Secretary's executive agent in carrying out approved plans, and exercises supervision, consistent with authority assigned to the commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands, over organizations and members of the Air Force as determined by the Secretary. The chief of staff may also perform other duties as assigned by either the president, the secretary of defense or the secretary of the Air Force.[1]
The vice chief of staff of the Air Force, also a four-star general, is the chief of staff's principal deputy.[2]
Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff[]
The chief of staff of the Air Force is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as prescribed by 10 U.S.C. § 151. When performing his JCS duties the chief of staff is responsible directly to the secretary of defense. Like the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of staff is an administrative position, with no operational command authority over the United States Air Force.
Appointment and rank[]
The chief of staff is nominated for appointment by the president, for a four-year term of office,[1] and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate.[1] The chief can be reappointed to serve one additional term, but only during times of war or national emergency declared by Congress.[1] By statute, the chief of staff is appointed as a four-star general.[1]
Special uniform cap[]
The chief of staff is also authorized to wear a special service cap with clouds and lightning bolts around the band of the hat. This cap is different from those worn by other general officers of the Air Force and it is for use by the Chief of Staff and Air Force officers serving as Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
List of chiefs of staff of the Air Force (1947–present)[]
Prior to the creation of this position, General Henry H. Arnold was designated the first chief of the Army Air Forces and as the commanding general of the Army Air Forces during World War II.
*Symbolizes chiefs that have gone on to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is General Nathan F. Twining, General George S. Brown and General David C. Jones.
No. | Portrait | Chief of Staff of the Air Force | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Primary Background | Previous office | President serving under |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Carl Spaatz (1891–1974) | GeneralSeptember 26, 1947 | April 29, 1948 | 216 days | Fighters | Commanding General, United States Army Air Forces | Harry S. Truman | |
2 | General Hoyt S. Vandenberg (1899–1954) | April 30, 1948 | June 29, 1953 | 5 years, 60 days | Attack and Fighters | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force | Harry S. Truman Dwight Eisenhower | |
3 | General Nathan F. Twining* (1897–1982) | June 30, 1953 | June 30, 1957 | 4 years, 0 days | Fighters and Bombers | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force | Dwight Eisenhower | |
4 | General Thomas D. White (1901–1965) | July 1, 1957 | June 30, 1961 | 3 years, 336 days | Observation aircraft and Staff | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force | Dwight Eisenhower John F. Kennedy | |
5 | General Curtis E. LeMay (1906–1990) | June 30, 1961 | January 31, 1965 | 3 years, 215 days | Bombers | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson | |
6 | General John P. McConnell (1908–1986) | February 1, 1965 | July 31, 1969 | 4 years, 180 days | Fighters | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force | Lyndon B. Johnson Richard M. Nixon | |
7 | General John D. Ryan (1915–1983) | August 1, 1969 | July 31, 1973 | 3 years, 364 days | Bombers | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force | Richard M. Nixon | |
8 | General George S. Brown* (1918–1978) | August 1, 1973 | June 30, 1974 | 333 days | Bombers | Commander, Air Force Systems Command | Richard M. Nixon | |
9 | General David C. Jones* (1921–2013) | July 1, 1974 | June 20, 1978 | 3 years, 354 days | Bombers | Commander-in-Chief, United States Air Forces in Europe Commander, Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force | Richard M. Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter | |
10 | General Lew Allen Jr. (1925–2010) | July 1, 1978 | June 30, 1982 | 3 years, 336 days | Bombers | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force | Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan | |
11 | General Charles A. Gabriel (1928–2003) | July 1, 1982 | 30 June 1986 | 3 years, 364 days | Fighters | Commander-in-Chief, United States Air Forces in Europe | Ronald Reagan | |
12 | General Larry D. Welch (born 1934) | July 1,1986 | June 30, 1990 | 3 years, 364 days | Fighters | Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Air Command | Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush | |
13 | General Michael Dugan (born 1937) | July 1, 1990 | September 17, 1990 | 78 days | Fighters | Commander-in-Chief, United States Air Forces in Europe | George H. W. Bush | |
– | General John M. Loh (born 1938) Acting | September 18, 1990 | October 29, 1990 | 41 days | Fighters | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force (1990–1991) | George H. W. Bush | |
14 | General Merrill A. McPeak (born 1936) | October 30, 1990 | October 25, 1994 | 3 years, 360 days | Fighters | Acting Secretary of the United States Air Force (July 14, 1993 – August 5, 1993) Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Air Forces | George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton | |
15 | General Ronald R. Fogleman (born 1942) | October 26, 1994 | September 1, 1997 | 2 years, 310 days | Fighters | Commanding General, United States Transportation Command | Bill Clinton | |
– | General Ralph E. Eberhart (born 1946) Acting | September 2, 1997 | October 5, 1997 | 33 days | Fighters | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force (June 1997 – June 1999) | Bill Clinton | |
16 | General Michael E. Ryan (born 1941) | October 6, 1997 | September 5, 2001 | 4 years, 31 days | Fighters | Commander, | Bill Clinton George W. Bush | |
17 | General John P. Jumper (born 1945) | September 6, 2001 | September 1, 2005 | 3 years, 361 days | Fighters | Commander, Air Combat Command | George W. Bush | |
18 | General T. Michael Moseley (born 1949) | September 2, 2005 | July 11, 2008 | 2 years, 314 days | Fighters | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force | George W. Bush | |
– | General Duncan J. McNabb (born 1952) Acting | July 12, 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 30 days | Airlift | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force (September 2007 – September 2008) | George W. Bush | |
19 | General Norton A. Schwartz (born 1951) | August 12, 2008 | August 10, 2012 | 3 years, 364 days | Airlift and Special Operations aircraft | Commander, U.S. Transportation Command | George W. Bush Barack Obama | |
20 | General Mark A. Welsh III (born 1953) | August 10, 2012 | June 24, 2016 | 3 years, 319 days | Attack and Fighters | Commander, United States Air Forces in Europe | Barack Obama | |
21 | General David L. Goldfein (born 1959) | July 1, 2016 | August 6, 2020 | 4 years, 36 days | Fighters | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force | Barack Obama Donald J. Trump | |
22 | General Charles Q. Brown Jr. (born 1962) | August 6, 2020 | Incumbent | 1 year, 168 days | Fighters | Commander, Pacific Air Forces | Donald J. Trump Joe Biden |
Timeline[]
Gallery[]
General Nathan F. Twining, the first Air Force chief of staff to be appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The fourth Air Force Chief of Staff, General Thomas Dresser White.
The fifth chief of staff, General Curtis Emerson LeMay smoking a cigar at a Senate committee hearing.
The sixth Air Force Chief of Staff, General John Paul McConnell being presented with the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal by President Richard Nixon at the White House.
The eighth Air Force Chief of Staff, General George Scratchley Brown piloting an Air Force Lockheed VC-140B JetStar.
The ninth Air Force Chief of Staff, General David Charles Jones addressing the audience during the Air Force Association annual meeting, January 15, 1975.
The tenth Air Force Chief of Staff, General Lew Allen, Jr.
The eleventh Air Force Chief of Staff, General Charles A. Gabriel briefing President Ronald Reagan and the National Security Council.
The twelfth Air Force Chief of Staff, General Larry D. Welch upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, October 29, 1988.
The thirteenth Air Force Chief of Staff, General Michael Joseph Dugan while visiting Air Force personnel deployed to Saudi Arabia during the early stages of the Gulf War, at King Fahd International Airport in 1990.
The fourteenth Air Force Chief of Staff, General Merrill Anthony "Tony" McPeak greets Air Force personnel deployed during Operation Desert Shield in 1991.
The fifteenth Air Force Chief of Staff, General Ronald Robert Fogleman.
General Michael E. Ryan, the sixteenth CSAF, congratulates General Rolf Portz on his presentation of the Legion of Merit, June 30, 2000.
The seventeenth Air Force Chief of Staff, General John P. Jumper, presents the Airman's Medal to Chief Master Sergeant Noel Sepulveda.
The eighteenth Air Force chief of staff, General T. Michael Moseley addresses the audience at the farewall ceremony for Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne.
The nineteenth Chief of Staff, General Norton A. Schwartz piloting a Lockheed-Martin C-130 Hercules.
General Mark Welsh, the twentieth Air Force chief of staff inspects the graduating U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2015.
The twenty-first Air Force chief of staff, General David L. Goldfein addresses National Guard soldiers at the 139th General Conference of the National Guard Association of the United States, September 9, 2017.
The incoming twenty-second Air Force chief of staff, General Charles Q. Brown Jr., is sworn in by Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett.
References[]
- Air force chiefs of staff
- Chiefs of Staff of the United States Air Force
- Joint Chiefs of Staff
- United States Air Force appointments
- United States Air Force generals