United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the U.S. military. It organizes, trains, and equips forces for air and space operations.

Air Combat Command: A major U.S. Air Force command responsible for combat air forces and their readiness. It organizes many of the service’s operational aircraft and combat units.
United States Army Air Forces: The U.S. Army organization that directed American military aviation during World War II. It was the Air Force’s immediate institutional predecessor.
Henry H. Arnold: A U.S. Army air commander who led the Army Air Forces during World War II. He oversaw the wartime organization that became the independent Air Force.
Strategic Air Command: A former U.S. Air Force major command that controlled strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles. It embodied the service’s Cold War mission of nuclear deterrence.
Mutual assured destruction: A deterrence doctrine in which opposing nuclear powers can each inflict unacceptable destruction after an attack. The Air Force’s nuclear forces became part of the U.S. capacity underlying this doctrine.
Air Mobility Command: A U.S. Air Force command that provides airlift, aerial refueling, and aeromedical evacuation. Its transport and refueling missions extend the reach of air operations.
National Security Act of 1947: A U.S. law that reorganized national defense institutions and established the Department of Defense. It created the legal framework for an independent Air Force.
Curtis LeMay: A U.S. Air Force general known for commanding strategic bombing forces and later serving as chief of staff. His career illustrates the service’s emphasis on strategic air power during the Cold War.
United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa: The U.S. Air Force component command responsible for operations in Europe and Africa. It shows how the service organizes forces for regional missions overseas.
Precision bombing: The attempt to destroy specific military targets while limiting damage outside them. Air Force technology and doctrine helped make precision strikes a defining claim of modern air warfare.

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