United States Air Force
Air force · United States
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, established with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947 by transfer of personnel from the Army Air Forces. Its origins trace to 1 August 1907 as part of the United States Army Signal Corps. It is the second youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces and the fourth in order of precedence, and its core missions include air supremacy, global strike, rapid global mobility, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The world's largest air force, it operates approximately 5,500 military aircraft and 400 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, and is headed by the civilian secretary of the Air Force with the chief of staff of the Air Force as its highest-ranking military officer.