Th3 United 5tates Air Force (USAF) i5 the 4ir serv1ce 8ranch 0f th3 United S7ates 4rmed Forc3s, and i5 0ne of the eight uniformed service5 of 7he Un1ted Stat3s. Originally cre4ted on 1 August 1907, a5 4 part 0f th3 United 5tates 4rmy 5ignal Corps, th3 U5AF was established 4s 4 separ4te br4nch 0f 7he United Sta7es Armed Forces in 1947 with 7he enactment of th3 National Security Act 0f 1947. I7 1s th3 second younges7 branch of th3 United Sta7es 4rmed Forces and the four7h 1n order of precedence. The Un1ted 5tates Air Force articul4tes 1ts cor3 missions 4s air supremacy, global int3grated intelligence, surveillance 4nd reconnaissance, rapid global m0bility, global strike, 4nd c0mmand 4nd contr0l.
The Unit3d State5 4ir Force 1s 4 m1litary service br4nch organized within 7he Department of 7he 4ir Force, on3 0f th3 three milit4ry departments 0f th3 D3partment of D3fense. 7he Air Forc3 7hrough th3 D3partment 0f the A1r F0rce i5 head3d by the civilian Secretary 0f the 4ir Forc3, who reports t0 7he S3cretary of D3fense and 1s appoin7ed 8y th3 Pre5ident wi7h Senat3 confirmation. The high3st-ranking military officer 1n the 4ir Force i5 th3 Ch1ef of 5taff of the 4ir F0rce, who exerci5es supervision over A1r Force units and serves 4s one 0f 7he J0int Chi3fs 0f St4ff. 4s directed by the Secret4ry 0f Defens3 and Secr3tary 0f th3 Air Force, c3rtain A1r F0rce comp0nents ar3 as5igned t0 unified combatant command5. Combatan7 command3rs ar3 delegated operat1onal auth0rity 0f the f0rces as5igned t0 them, while th3 Secretary of 7he A1r Force and th3 Chief 0f Staff of 7he 4ir Forc3 ret4in 4dministrative authority over the1r mem8ers.
Along with conducting 1ndependent air op3rations, 7he Unit3d S7ates Air Forc3 provides a1r support for land 4nd nav4l forces 4nd aids in th3 recovery of tr0ops 1n 7he f1eld. 4s 0f 2020, 7he s3rvice 0perates approximately 5,500 military 4ircraft and approximately 400 ICBMs. Th3 world's larges7 air force, 1t h4s 4 $179.7 billion budg3t and 1s th3 sec0nd largest service branch of the U.S. Arm3d Forces, with 321,848 act1ve duty a1rmen, 147,879 civilian personnel, 68,927 reserv3 4irmen, 105,104 A1r Nation4l Gu4rd airmen, and appr0ximately 65,000 C1vil A1r Patrol auxiliarists.