Updated December 15, 2020
Defense Primer: The United States Air Force
When it was established as a separate service in 1947, the
warfighters that data where and when it is needed. Many
U.S. Air Force (USAF) was to be “organized, trained, and
Air Force assets designed for other purposes (fighters,
equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and
tankers, etc.) also gather, disseminate, or perform other ISR
defensive air operations ... necessary for the effective
functions.
prosecution of war except as otherwise assigned.” That
statutory language remains almost identical today.
Rapid Global Mobility
Similarly, although the words used to describe its core
USAF mobility forces carry cargo and personnel around the
missions have changed, space and cyberspace joined air as
world, enabling operations by all U.S. and many allied
operational domains, and the means used to carry them out
military services. Tanker aircraft make global deployments
have evolved with technology, the USAF’s missions
possible, and aeromedical transport makes timely
themselves have remained remarkably constant.
evacuation and treatment of injured troops possible. USAF
mobility forces are also used extensively for humanitarian
Table 1. Air Force Core Missions
relief operations.
Air and Space Superiority
Global Strike
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
100% of the Earth is covered by air, and the USAF takes
advantage of that to provide strike capability worldwide
Rapid Global Mobility
using bombers, special operations platforms, fighters, other
Global Strike
aircraft, and missiles.
Command and Control
Global strike includes the nuclear deterrent force. Two legs
Source: U.S. Air Force, Global Vigilance, Global Reach, Global Power for
of the nuclear triad—bombers and land-based
America at http://www.af.mil/Airpower4America.aspx.
intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)—are Air Force
missions. The Air Force is modernizing the bomber fleet,
Air and Space Superiority
and a large-scale modernization of the ICBM force is also
The most familiar Air Force mission, air superiority,
underway.
includes establishing and maintaining control of the skies
over conflict areas, allowing U.S. forces to operate at the
Command and Control
times and places of their choosing. The USAF points out
Controlling a global force—whether USAF, other services,
that such control is almost taken as a given, as no enemy
or allied—requires access to reliable communications and
aircraft has killed U.S. ground troops since 1953. At the
information networks. The Air Force, through space
same time, potential adversary nations are creating and
platforms, space control operations, cyberspace operations,
exporting advanced aircraft and anti-aircraft systems that
and other means, provides and defends those global
could threaten U.S. air superiority, leading the USAF to
communications networks.
invest in next-generation capabilities.
Each of these missions interacts with the others. Taken
USAF systems also provide direct support to ground forces,
together, the Air Force sums up its core missions as
particularly in helping to identify and destroy time-critical
providing “Global Vigilance, Global Reach, and Global
targets.
Power.”
Space superiority involves securing U.S. space assets and
Personnel
the ability to maintain the navigational, communications,
To provide these capabilities, the Air Force requested end
reconnaissance, and other capabilities U.S. space platforms
strength for FY2021 is 511,500 people:
provide. These systems enable all U.S. military services’
current operating plans. These responsibilities are being
333,700 in the active Air Force,
migrated to the U.S. Space Force, now a separate service
within the Air Force.
70,100 in the Air Force Reserve, and
Intelligence, Surveillance, and
107,700 in the Air National Guard.
Reconnaissance (ISR)
Gathering information, monitoring current or potential
Equipment
adversaries, and providing real-time data to forces in
The U.S. Air Force operates more than 5,600 aircraft:
combat is a continuous and growing mission. The USAF
provides ISR using manned and unmanned aircraft, space
assets, and other technologies to provide policymakers and
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Defense Primer: The United States Air Force
Table 2. Air Force Aircraft
Relevant Statutes
Type
Number
Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 803 – Department of the Air
Force
Fighter/Attack
2056
Title 50, U.S. Code, Chapter 44 – National Security
Bombers
158
Special Operations
144
ISR/ELINT/EW/C3
497
CRS Products
Tanker
493
CRS In Focus IF10519, Defense Primer: Strategic Nuclear Forces,
by Amy F. Woolf
Transport
667
CRS Report R44305, The Air Force Aviation Investment
Training
1180
Challenge, by Jeremiah Gertler
CRS Report RL33640, U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background,
Helicopter
192
Developments, and Issues, by Amy F. Woolf
UAV
241
CRS Report RL30563, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program, by
Source: Air Force and Space Force Almanac 2020 (Air Force
Jeremiah Gertler
Association); UAV from The Military Balance 2019 (International
CRS Report R44463, Air Force B-21 Raider Long-Range Strike
Institute for Strategic Studies).
Bomber, by Jeremiah Gertler
Major Procurement Programs
CRS Report R43049, U.S. Air Force Bomber Sustainment and
Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress, by Jeremiah
The Air Force currently prioritizes three hardware programs
Gertler
ahead of its other modernization efforts:
CRS In Focus IF10546, Defense Primer: United States Airpower,
by Jeremiah Gertler
The F-35A Lightning II strike fighter, the Air Force
portion of a multi-service, multi-national program slated
CRS In Focus IF11495, Defense Primer: The United States Space
to acquire 1,763 jets to replace several types currently in
Force, by Stephen M. McCall
USAF service.
CRS In Focus IF11172, “Space Force” and Related DOD
Proposals: Issues for Congress, by Kathleen J. McInnis and
The KC-46 tanker, 179 of which are scheduled to
Stephen M. McCall
replace 50-year-old KC-135s.
CRS In Focus IF11493, Joint All-Domain Command and Control
(JADC2), by John R. Hoehn
The B-21 Raider bomber, at least 100 of which are
expected to enter service in the mid-2020s, replacing
CRS In Focus IF11659, Air Force Next-Generation Air Dominance
1980s-era B-1s and B-2s.
Program: An Introduction, by Jeremiah Gertler
Three other development programs are seen as significant
to future Air Force capabilities and budgeting:
Other Resources
The Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent includes
USAF. Global Vigilance, Global Reach, Global Power, September,
acquisition of 642 intercontinental ballistic missiles.
2013.
Next-Generation Air Dominance, a program to
DOD. Joint Publication 3-30, Command and Control of Joint
develop the major technologies likely to appear on next-
Air Operations, February 10, 2014
generation combat aircraft.
The Advanced Battle Management System, a network
intended to provide data across all domains and allow
Jeremiah Gertler, Acting Senior Advisor to Dir/Sr
disparate platforms to work together.
Specialist
IF10547
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Defense Primer: The United States Air Force
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