U.S. Department of Defense
09/16/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/17/2025 18:14
Air Force Celebrates 78 Years of Air Superiority
The Department of the Air Force was established 78 years ago on Sept. 18, 1947, making it the third military department, alongside the Departments of the Army and Navy.
Raptor's Flight
An Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 199th Air Expeditionary Squadron takes off during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 in Northern Territory, Australia, July 16, 2025.
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Credit: Air Force Senior Airman Natalie Doan
VIRIN: 250716-F-GS842-1076
Its creation was the result of the National Security Act of 1947, which formed the National Military Establishment. Less than two years later, the establishment became the Department of Defense, and on Sept. 5, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order renaming DOD as the War Department.
Included in the Department of the Air Force are the Air Force, Space Force, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and the Civil Air Patrol. The Air National Guard is the Air Force's component of the National Guard Bureau, along with the Army National Guard.
Soaring Spirit
A B-2 Spirit soars over the Mojave Desert, Calif., July 17, 2024.
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Credit: Christian Turner, Air Force
VIRIN: 240717-F-CX978-1100
The Air Force mission is to fly, fight and win - airpower anytime, anywhere. It is achieved by air superiority, global mobility in troop movement and munitions for the joint force and maintaining two legs of the nuclear triad: bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Eagle Refuel
An F-15E Strike Eagle prepares to receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, July 13, 2025.
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Credit: Air Force Senior Airman Natalie Jones
VIRIN: 250713-F-YD744-1410
Talisman Drop
Paratroopers assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division sit aboard a C-17 Globemaster assigned to the 154th Operations Wing, as they prepare for a personnel drop in support of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 near Queensland, Australia, July 13, 2025.
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Credit: Air Force Tech Sgt. Tarelle Walker
VIRIN: 250713-F-KI337-1295
The Air Force was originally a part of the Army beginning in 1908, when the service received its first powered military aircraft from the Wright brothers.
During World War II, the air arm of the Army was known as the Army Air Forces, a designation that lasted until the creation of the Air Force.
The Army was never eager to give up its air branch, particularly for close air support. In the 1950s, the service began taking delivery of helicopters, thereby effectively re-creating an air arm for troop movements and fire support.
The Navy and Marine Corps fared better, as they retained all their fighter and transport aircraft.
Quiz:Unleash Your Inner Airman! Test Your Air Force History Knowledge
Experience:Military Units: Air Force
U.S. Department of Defense published this content on September 16, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 18, 2025 at 00:14 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]