Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
 | This page in a nutshell: Senior-most officer and service chief of the United States Air Force |
| Chief of Staff of the Air Force | |
|---|---|
| File:Seal of Chief of Staff of USAF.svg Seal of the Chief of Staff[1] | |
| File:Flag of the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.svg Flag of the Chief of Staff[2] | |
since 2 November 2023 | |
| United States Air Force Air Staff | |
| Type | Service chief |
| Abbreviation | CSAF AF/CC |
| Member of | Joint Chiefs of Staff |
| Reports to | Secretary of Defense Secretary of the Air Force |
| Residence | Quarters 7, Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall[3] |
| Seat | The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | 4 years Renewable once, 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 | Gen Carl A. Spaatz |
| Deputy | Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force |
| Website | Official Website |
.jpg){kind=link}
The chief of staff of the Air Force (acronym: CSAF, or AF/CC) is the service chief of the United States Air Force. They are the principal military advisor to the secretary of the Air Force on matter pertaining to the Air Force. They are 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. 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 exercises supervision of Air Force units and organizations as the designee of the secretary of the Air Force.
The 23rd and current chief of staff of the Air Force is General David W. Allvin.
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. They act 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 perform other duties as assigned by either the president, the secretary of defense or the secretary of the Air Force.[4]
The vice chief of staff of the Air Force, also a four-star general, is the chief of staff's principal deputy.[5]
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 directly responsible 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,[6] and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate.[6] Any Air Force officer with the rank of brigadier general and above may be appointed as chief of staff.[6] Prospective nominees are typically laterally promoted from other four-star assignments. The chief can be reappointed to serve one additional term, but only during times of war or national emergency declared by Congress.[6]
.jpg){kind=link}
To qualify for the position, the nominee must have significant joint duty experience, and at least one full tour of duty in a joint duty assignment as a general officer, unless the President waives this requirement.[6] By statute, the chief of staff is appointed as a four-star general without vacating his permanent rank.[6]
Special uniform cap
The chief of staff is 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.[7]
List of chiefs of staff of the Air Force
Prior to the creation of this position, General Henry H. Arnold was designated the first chief of the Army Air Forces and commanding general of the Army Air Forces during World War II. His successor, Carl A. Spaatz became the first chief of staff of the Air Force upon the establishment of the United States Air Force.
Four chiefs of staff would go on to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, namely Nathan F. Twining, George S. Brown, David C. Jones, and Charles Q. Brown Jr.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_General_(GEN)_Larry_D._Welch_(uncovered)_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Timeline
<timeline> ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:10 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:50 right:130 left:20 AlignBars = late
DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1945 till:2030 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1945
Define $now = 2025
Colors =
id:csaf value:rgb(0,0,1) legend: CSAF id:vcsaf value:skyblue legend: VCSAF id:time value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9)
Legend = orientation:vertical position:right
LineData =
layer:back width:0.1 color:time at:1945 at:1950 at:1955 at:1960 at:1965 at:1970 at:1975 at:1980 at:1985 at:1990 at:1995 at:2000 at:2005 at:2010 at:2015 at:2020 at:2025 at:2030
BarData =
barset:PM bar:spaatz bar:vandenberg bar:twining bar:white bar:lemay bar:mcconnell bar:ryanjohn bar:browngeorge bar:jones bar:allen bar:gabriel bar:welch bar:dugan bar:mcpeak bar:fogleman bar:ryanmichael bar:jumper bar:moseley bar:schwartz bar:welsh bar:goldfein bar:browncharles bar:allvin
PlotData=
width:6 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till barset:PM bar:spaatz from:1947 till:1948 color:csaf text:"Spaatz" bar:vandenberg from:1947 till:1948 color:vcsaf bar:vandenberg from:1948 till:1953 color:csaf text:"Vandenberg" bar:twining from:1950 till:1953 color:vcsaf bar:twining from:1953 till:1957 color:csaf text:"Twining" bar:white from:1953 till:1957 color:vcsaf bar:white from:1957 till:1961 color:csaf text:"White" bar:lemay from:1957 till:1961 color:vcsaf bar:lemay from:1961 till:1965 color:csaf text:"LeMay" bar:mcconnell from:1964 till:1965 color:vcsaf bar:mcconnell from:1965 till:1969 color:csaf text:"McConnell" bar:ryanjohn from:1968 till:1969 color:vcsaf bar:ryanjohn from:1969 till:1973 color:csaf text:"J. Ryan" bar:browngeorge from:1973 till:1974 color:csaf text:"G. Brown" bar:jones from:1974 till:1978 color:csaf text:"Jones" bar:allen from:1978 till:1978 color:vcsaf bar:allen from:1978 till:1982 color:csaf text:"Allen" bar:gabriel from:1982 till:1986 color:csaf text:"Gabriel" bar:welch from:1984 till:1985 color:vcsaf bar:welch from:1986 till:1990 color:csaf text:"Welch" bar:dugan from:1990 till:1990 color:csaf text:"Dugan" bar:mcpeak from:1990 till:1994 color:csaf text:"McPeak" bar:fogleman from:1994 till:1997 color:csaf text:"Fogleman" bar:ryanmichael from:1997 till:2001 color:csaf text:"M. Ryan" bar:jumper from:2001 till:2005 color:csaf text:"Jumper" bar:moseley from:2003 till:2005 color:vcsaf bar:moseley from:2005 till:2008 color:csaf text:"Moseley" bar:schwartz from:2008 till:2012 color:csaf text:"Schwartz" bar:welsh from:2012 till:2016 color:csaf text:"Welsh" bar:goldfein from:2015 till:2016 color:vcsaf bar:goldfein from:2016 till:2020 color:csaf text:"Goldfein" bar:browncharles from:2020 till:2023 color:csaf text:"CQ Brown" bar:allvin from:2020 till:2023 color:vcsaf bar:allvin from:2023 till:$now color:csaf text:"Allvin"
</timeline>
Notes
References
- ↑ "Air Force Chief of Staff". U.S. Air Force. https://www.af.mil/News/Art/igphoto/2000577021/. "Air Force Chief of Staff Seal."
- ↑ Weckerlein, Julie (August 12, 2008). "General Schwartz in as 19th chief of staff". U.S. Air Force. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/122736/general-schwartz-in-as-19th-chief-of-staff/.
- ↑ "Air House: A History". https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/458977/air-house-a-history/.
- ↑ 10 U.S.C. § 9033
- ↑ 10 U.S.C. § 9034
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 "Former Air Force Chiefs of Staff". https://www.afhistory.af.mil/History/Air-Force-Chiefs-of-Staff/.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "USAF CHIEF OF STAFF SERVICE CAP". The Salute Uniforms. http://www.uniforms-4u.com/p-us-air-force-chief-of-staff-uniform-hat-3261.aspx.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2088: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Weckerlein, Julie (13 August 2008). "General Schwartz assumes command of Air Force". Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs. https://www.jbmdl.jb.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/245918/general-schwartz-assumes-command-of-air-force/. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ↑ Jones, Shawn (14 August 2012). "Welsh 'humbled' to serve as Air Force chief of staff". Air Force Public Affairs Agency. https://www.buckley.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/322726/welsh-humbled-to-serve-as-air-force-chief-of-staff/. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ↑ Gibson, Alyssa (1 July 2016). "Goldfein swears in as 21st CSAF". Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Command Information. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/823079/goldfein-swears-in-as-21st-csaf/. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ↑ Pope, Charles (6 August 2020). "Brown formally installed as 22nd Air Force Chief of Staff". Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2303578/brown-formally-installed-as-22nd-air-force-chief-of-staff/. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ↑ Pope, Charles (29 September 2023). "Brown's tenure as CSAF leaves lasting imprint on the service, its evolution". Arlington, Virginia: Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs. https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3543307/browns-tenure-as-csaf-leaves-lasting-imprint-on-the-service-its-evolution/. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ↑ Hadley, Greg; Gordon, Chris (2023-11-02). "USAF's New Chief: Allvin Confirmed as Air Force's 23rd Chief of Staff". https://www.airandspaceforces.com/allvin-confirmed-23rd-air-force-chief-of-staff/.
Template:Current US Department of Defense Secretaries Template:Current JCS members Script error: No such module "Military navigation". Script error: No such module "Military navigation". Template:Chief of the air force by country
- Pages with script errors
- Pages containing cite templates with deprecated parameters
- Source attribution
- Pages with the Nutshell template
- Policy and guidelines header templates
- Articles with hatnote templates targeting a nonexistent page
- Use American English from December 2022
- Articles with invalid date parameter in template
- All Wikipedia articles written in American English
- Use dmy dates from December 2022
- Pages with broken file links
- 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