United States Secretary of the Air Force facts for kids
Quick facts for kids United States Secretary of the Air Force |
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![]() Seal of the Department of the Air Force
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Department of the Air Force | |
Style | Mr. Secretary The Honorable (formal address in writing) |
Reports to | Secretary of Defense Deputy Secretary of Defense |
Appointer | The president with the advice and consent of the Senate |
Term length | No fixed term |
Precursor | Secretary of War |
Inaugural holder | Stuart Symington |
Formation | September 18, 1947 |
Succession | 3rd in SecDef succession |
Deputy | The under secretary (principal civilian deputy) The chief of staff (military deputy) The chief of space operations (military deputy) |
Salary | Executive Schedule, Level II |
The Secretary of the Air Force (often called SecAF) is the top civilian leader of the United States Department of the Air Force. This department includes both the United States Air Force and the United States Space Force.
The President of the United States chooses this person. The Senate must then agree with the choice. The Secretary reports to the Secretary of Defense. They are in charge of all the important activities for the Air Force and Space Force.
The Secretary works closely with other leaders. These include the Under Secretary of the Air Force (a civilian helper). They also work with military leaders like the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and the Chief of Space Operations.
The first Secretary of the Air Force was Stuart Symington. He started on September 18, 1947. This happened when the Department of War was reorganized. The Army Air Forces became its own military branch. This change was made possible by the National Security Act of 1947.
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What the Secretary of the Air Force Does

The Secretary is the main leader of the Department of the Air Force. This department is a "Military Department." It includes all parts of the Air Force and Space Force. This means all their bases, units, and reserve groups.
The Secretary's main jobs are listed in U.S. law. These jobs include:
- Finding and signing up new members (Recruiting).
- Setting up and organizing military groups.
- Providing supplies and equipment.
- Training all personnel.
- Taking care of service members' well-being.
- Keeping everything in good working order.
- Building and fixing military equipment.
- Building and maintaining bases and buildings.
The Secretary of Defense can ask the Secretary of the Air Force to assign military units. These units then work with special commands. These commands perform specific missions. Once assigned, only the Secretary of Defense can move them.
However, the chain of command for other things is different. It goes from the President to the Secretary of Defense. Then it goes to the Secretary of the Air Force. Finally, it reaches the commanders of Air Force and Space Force units. Air Force and Space Force officers must report to the Secretary when asked. The Secretary can also decide what jobs service members and civilians do. They can also change names of activities. The Secretary also has duties under military law. This includes the power to hold military trials.
The President or Secretary of Defense can give the Secretary more duties. For example, the Secretary is in charge of space systems for the Department of Defense. This means they help plan and get space systems. These systems help the U.S. achieve its national security goals.
Office of the Secretary of the Air Force
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Agency overview | |
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Formed | 1947 |
Headquarters | Pentagon |
Parent agency | Department of the Air Force |
The Office of the Secretary of the Air Force is the main support team for the Secretary. This office handles many important tasks. These include buying new equipment and checking finances. They also deal with inspections, laws, and public relations.
This office is one of three main headquarters for the Department of the Air Force. The other two are the Air Staff and the Office of the Chief of Space Operations.
Who Works in the Office
The Office of the Secretary of the Air Force includes:
- The Under Secretary of the Air Force.
- This includes deputies for international affairs and space programs.
- Assistant Secretaries for different areas. These areas include:
- Buying new technology and supplies.
- Managing money and finances.
- Taking care of bases, the environment, and energy.
- Handling personnel and reserve forces.
- Getting and putting together space systems.
- The main lawyer (General Counsel).
- The Inspector General, who checks for problems.
- The Chief of Legislative Liaison, who works with Congress.
- The Administrative Assistant to the Secretary.
- The Auditor General, who checks financial records.
- The Air Reserve Forces Policy Committee.
List of Secretaries of the Air Force
Denotes acting capacity. |
No. | Image | Name | Start | End | Duration | President(s) | |
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1 | ![]() |
Stuart Symington | September 18, 1947 | April 24, 1950 | 2 years, 218 days | Harry S. Truman (1945–1953) |
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2 | ![]() |
Thomas K. Finletter | April 24, 1950 | January 20, 1953 | 2 years, 271 days | ||
3 | ![]() |
Harold E. Talbott | February 4, 1953 | August 13, 1955 | 2 years, 190 days | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) |
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4 | ![]() |
Donald A. Quarles | August 15, 1955 | April 30, 1957 | 1 year, 258 days | ||
5 | ![]() |
James H. Douglas Jr. | May 1, 1957 | December 10, 1959 | 2 years, 223 days | ||
6 | ![]() |
Dudley C. Sharp | December 11, 1959 | January 20, 1961 | 1 year, 40 days | ||
7 | ![]() |
Eugene M. Zuckert | January 24, 1961 | September 30, 1965 | 4 years, 249 days | John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) |
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Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
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8 | ![]() |
Harold Brown | October 1, 1965 | February 15, 1969 | 3 years, 137 days | ||
Richard Nixon (1969–1974) |
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9 | ![]() |
Robert C. Seamans Jr. | February 15, 1969 | May 15, 1973 | 4 years, 89 days | ||
10 | ![]() |
John L. McLucas | May 15, 1973 | July 18, 1973 | 2 years, 192 days | ||
July 18, 1973 | November 23, 1975 | ||||||
Gerald Ford (1974–1977) |
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11 | ![]() |
Thomas C. Reed | January 2, 1976 | April 6, 1977 | 1 year, 94 days | ||
Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) |
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12 | John C. Stetson | April 6, 1977 | May 18, 1979 | 2 years, 42 days | |||
13 | ![]() |
Hans Mark | May 18, 1979 | July 26, 1979 | 1 year, 267 days | ||
July 26, 1979 | February 9, 1981 | ||||||
Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
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14 | Verne Orr | February 9, 1981 | November 30, 1985 | 4 years, 294 days | |||
15 | Russell A. Rourke | December 9, 1985 | April 6, 1986 | 118 days | |||
16 | ![]() |
Edward C. Aldridge Jr. | April 6, 1986 | June 8, 1986 | 2 years, 254 days | ||
June 9, 1986 | December 16, 1988 | ||||||
– | ![]() |
James F. McGovern | December 16, 1988 | April 29, 1989 | 134 days | ||
George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) |
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– | ![]() |
John J. Welch Jr. | April 29, 1989 | May 21, 1989 | 22 days | ||
17 | Donald B. Rice | May 21, 1989 | January 20, 1993 | 3 years, 244 days | |||
– | ![]() |
Michael B. Donley Acting |
January 20, 1993 | July 13, 1993 | 174 days | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
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– | Merrill A. McPeak Acting |
July 14, 1993 | August 5, 1993 | 22 days | |||
18 | ![]() |
Sheila Widnall | August 6, 1993 | October 31, 1997 | 4 years, 86 days | ||
19 | ![]() |
F. Whitten Peters | November 1, 1997 | July 30, 1999 | 3 years, 80 days | ||
July 30, 1999 | January 20, 2001 | ||||||
– | ![]() |
Lawrence J. Delaney Acting |
January 21, 2001 | May 31, 2001 | 130 days | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
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20 | ![]() |
James G. Roche | June 1, 2001 | January 20, 2005 | 3 years, 233 days | ||
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Peter B. Teets Acting |
January 20, 2005 | March 25, 2005 | 64 days | ||
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Michael Montelongo Acting |
March 25, 2005 | March 28, 2005 | 3 days | ||
– | ![]() |
Michael L. Dominguez Acting |
March 28, 2005 | July 29, 2005 | 123 days | ||
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Pete Geren Acting |
July 29, 2005 | November 4, 2005 | 98 days | ||
21 | ![]() |
Michael Wynne | November 4, 2005 | June 20, 2008 | 2 years, 229 days | ||
22 | ![]() |
Michael B. Donley | June 21, 2008 | October 2, 2008 | 5 years, 0 days | ||
October 2, 2008 | June 21, 2013 | ||||||
Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
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Eric Fanning Acting |
June 21, 2013 | December 20, 2013 | 182 days | ||
23 | Deborah Lee James | December 20, 2013 | January 20, 2017 | 3 years, 31 days | |||
– | Lisa Disbrow Acting |
January 20, 2017 | May 16, 2017 | 116 days | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
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24 | ![]() |
Heather Wilson | May 16, 2017 | May 31, 2019 | 2 years, 15 days | ||
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Matthew Donovan Acting |
June 1, 2019 | October 18, 2019 | 139 days | ||
25 | ![]() |
Barbara Barrett | October 18, 2019 | January 20, 2021 | 1 year, 94 days | ||
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John P. Roth Acting |
January 20, 2021 | July 28, 2021 | 189 days | Joe Biden (2021–2025) |
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26 | ![]() |
Frank Kendall III | July 28, 2021 | January 20, 2025 | 3 years, 176 days | ||
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Gary A. Ashworth Acting |
January 20, 2025 | May 13, 2025 | 113 days | Donald Trump (2025–present) |
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27 | ![]() |
Troy Meink | May 16, 2025 | Incumbent | 81 days |
See also
In Spanish: Secretario de la Fuerza Aérea de los Estados Unidos para niños
- Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service