1.
Air Education and Training Command
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Air Education and Training Command was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of the former Air Training Command and the extant Air University. It is one of the U. S. Air Forces ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, AETC is headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Its commander is Lieutenant General Darryl Roberson, with Lieutenant General Douglas H. Owens as vice commander and Chief Master Sergeant Gerardo Tapia, more than 48,000 active duty and Air Reserve Component members and 14,000 civilian personnel make up AETC. The command has responsibility for approximately 1,600 aircraft, AETCs mission is to recruit, train and educate Airmen to deliver air power for America. AETCs mission begins with the Air Force Recruiting Service, an AETC activity also headquartered at Randolph AFB, Texas. Recruiters in more than 1,000 offices worldwide recruit the men and women needed as both enlisted airmen and commissioned officers to meet the demands of the U. S. Air Force. AFRS recruitment of commissioned officers is limited to 4-year college/university graduates via Air Force Officer Training School, the first stop for all Regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command enlisted personnel is Basic Military Training at Lackland AFB, Texas. More than 36,000 new airmen will complete this recently lengthened eight-and-a-half-week program each year, a recently established technical training institute at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, also conducts training in several medical career fields. Each base is responsible for a portion of formal technical training airmen require to accomplish the Air Force mission. 2 AF also conducts specialized training for military working dogs and dog handlers at Lackland AFB, Texas, for the entire Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration. Additionally, the Inter-American Air Forces Academy at Lackland AFB hosts more than 160 courses in aviation specialties, taught in Spanish, the Air Education and Training Command, along with the USAF Academy, are responsible for teaching these principles throughout the Air Force. When AETC was established in 1993, Nineteenth Air Force was also established as a numbered air force to 2 AF within AETC. On 12 July 2012,19 AF was temporarily inactivated for budgetary reasons in an effort to gain efficiencies, Air Force pilot candidates begin their flying careers with Initial Flight Screening at Pueblo Memorial Airport, Colorado. S. Air Force Academy, Air Force ROTC and Air Force OTS and this program was terminated on 25 July 2013 with the graduation of the final USAF student pilot from primary training at NAS Whiting Field. S. Air Force and various European air forces, during the primary phase, students master contact, instrument, low-level and formation flying. After the primary phase of SUPT and ENJJPT, student pilots elect one of three advanced training tracks based on their class standing and those qualified for fighter or bomber assignments are assigned to the fighter/bomber track and train in the T-38 Talon at the SUPT and ENJJPT bases. Following completion of the track, graduates will be assigned to the A-10, F-15 Eagle, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16, F-22 and F-35, B-1. NOTE, The U-2 is not an option for new graduates of the Fighter/Bomber track, prospective U-2 pilots must be qualified in another fighter, bomber, reconnaissance or mobility aircraft before applying to fly the U-2
2.
Bexar County, Texas
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Bexar County is a county of the U. S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,714,773, and it is the 17th-most populous county in the nation and the fourth-most populated in Texas. Its county seat is San Antonio, the second-most populous city in Texas, Bexar County is included in the San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metropolitan statistical area. Bexar county includes Government Canyon state natural area in part of the county. Bexar County was created on December 20,1836, and encompassed almost the entire portion of the Republic of Texas. This included the areas of western New Mexico northward to Wyoming. After statehood,128 counties were carved out of its area, the county was named for San Antonio de Béxar, one of the 23 Mexican municipalities of Texas at the time of its independence. San Antonio de Béxar—originally Villa de San Fernando de Béxar—was the first civil government established by the Spanish in the province of Texas. Specifically, the municipality was created in 1731 when 55 Canary Islanders settled near the system of missions that had established around the source of the San Antonio River. The new settlement was named after the Presidio San Antonio de Béjar, the presidio, located at the San Pedro Springs, was founded in 1718 and named for Viceroy Balthasar Manuel de Zúñiga y Guzmán Sotomayor y Sarmiento, second son of the Duke of Béjar. The modern City of San Antonio in the U. S. State of Texas also derived its name from San Antonio de Béjar. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 1,256 square miles. Bexar County is in south-central Texas, about 190 miles west of Houston and 140 mi from both the US-Mexican border to the southwest and the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. The Balcones Escarpment bisects the county from west to northeast, to the north of the escarpment are the hills, springs. South of the escarpment are Blackland Prairie and the South Texas plains, the San Antonio River rises from springs north of Downtown San Antonio, and flows southward and southeastward through the county. San Antonio is unique, however, in that unlike Houston or Dallas, none of these highways are currently tolled. Of those,72. 9% were White,7. 5% Black or African American,2. 4% Asian,0. 8% Native American,0. 1% Pacific Islander,12. 7% of some other race and 3. 5% of two or more races. As of the census of 2000,1,392,931 people,488,942 households, the population density was 1,117 inhabitants per square mile
3.
United States Air Force
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The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947. It is the most recent branch of the U. S. military to be formed, the U. S. Air Force is a military service organized within the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense. The Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force, who reports to the Secretary of Defense, the U. S. Air Force provides air support for surface forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field. As of 2015, the service more than 5,137 military aircraft,406 ICBMs and 63 military satellites. It has a $161 billion budget with 313,242 active duty personnel,141,197 civilian employees,69,200 Air Force Reserve personnel, and 105,500 Air National Guard personnel. According to the National Security Act of 1947, which created the USAF and it shall be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air operations. The stated mission of the USAF today is to fly, fight, and win in air, space and we will provide compelling air, space, and cyber capabilities for use by the combatant commanders. We will excel as stewards of all Air Force resources in service to the American people, while providing precise and reliable Global Vigilance, Reach and it should be emphasized that the core functions, by themselves, are not doctrinal constructs. The purpose of Nuclear Deterrence Operations is to operate, maintain, in the event deterrence fails, the US should be able to appropriately respond with nuclear options. Dissuading others from acquiring or proliferating WMD, and the means to deliver them, moreover, different deterrence strategies are required to deter various adversaries, whether they are a nation state, or non-state/transnational actor. Nuclear strike is the ability of forces to rapidly and accurately strike targets which the enemy holds dear in a devastating manner. Should deterrence fail, the President may authorize a precise, tailored response to terminate the conflict at the lowest possible level, post-conflict, regeneration of a credible nuclear deterrent capability will deter further aggression. Finally, the Air Force regularly exercises and evaluates all aspects of operations to ensure high levels of performance. Nuclear surety ensures the safety, security and effectiveness of nuclear operations, the Air Force, in conjunction with other entities within the Departments of Defense or Energy, achieves a high standard of protection through a stringent nuclear surety program. The Air Force continues to pursue safe, secure and effective nuclear weapons consistent with operational requirements, adversaries, allies, and the American people must be highly confident of the Air Forces ability to secure nuclear weapons from accidents, theft, loss, and accidental or unauthorized use. This day-to-day commitment to precise and reliable nuclear operations is the cornerstone of the credibility of the NDO mission, positive nuclear command, control, communications, effective nuclear weapons security, and robust combat support are essential to the overall NDO function. OCA is the method of countering air and missile threats, since it attempts to defeat the enemy closer to its source
4.
ICAO airport code
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The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-character alphanumeric code designating aerodromes around the world. ICAO codes are used to identify other aviation facilities such as weather stations, International Flight Service Stations or Area Control Centers. Flight information regions are identified by a unique ICAO-code. Code selections in North America were based on existing radio station identifiers, for example, radio stations in Canada were already starting with C, so it seemed logical to begin Canadian airport identifiers with Cxxx. The United States had many pre-existing airports with established mnemonic codes and their ICAO codes were formed simply by prepending a K to the existing codes, as half the radio station identifiers in the US began with K. Most ICAO codes outside the US and Canada have a geographical structure. Most of the rest of the world was classified in a more planned top-down manner, thus Uxxx referred to the Soviet Union with the second letter denoting the specific region within it, and so forth. Europe had too many locations for one starting letter, so it was split into Exxx for northern Europe. The second letter was more specific, EGxx was the United Kingdom, EDxx was West Germany, ETxx was East Germany, LExx was Spain, LAxx was Albania, France was designated LFxx, as the counterpart EFxx was the unambiguously northern Finland. ICAO codes are separate and different from IATA codes, which are used for airline timetables, reservations. For example, the IATA code for Londons Heathrow Airport is LHR, in general IATA codes are usually derived from the name of the airport or the city it serves, while ICAO codes are distributed by region and country. Far more aerodromes have ICAO codes than IATA codes, and to add to the confusion IATA codes are assigned to railway stations. Unlike the IATA codes, the ICAO codes generally have a structure and are comprehensive. In general, the first letter is allocated by continent and represents a country or group of countries within that continent, the second letter generally represents a country within that region, and the remaining two are used to identify each airport. The exception to rule is larger countries that have single-letter country codes. In either case, ICAO codes generally provide geographical context unlike IATA codes, for example, if one knows that the ICAO code for Heathrow is EGLL, then one can deduce that the airport EGGP is somewhere in the UK. On the other hand, knowing that the IATA code for Heathrow is LHR does not enable one to deduce the location of the airport LHV with any greater certainty, there are a few exceptions to the regional structure of the ICAO code made for political or administrative reasons. Similarly Saint Pierre and Miquelon is controlled by France, and airports there are assigned LFxx as though they were in Europe, further, in region L, all available 2-letter prefixes have been exhausted and thus no additional countries can be added
5.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
6.
Runway
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According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a runway is a defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft. Runways may be a surface or a natural surface. Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally the magnetic azimuth of the heading in decadegrees. This heading differs from true north by the magnetic declination. A runway numbered 09 points east, runway 18 is south, runway 27 points west, when taking off from or landing on runway 09, a plane would be heading 90°. A runway can normally be used in both directions, and is named for each separately, e. g. runway 33 in one direction is runway 15 when used in the other. The two numbers usually differ by 18, Runway Zero Three Left becomes Runway Two One Right when used in the opposite direction. In some countries, if parallel runways are too close to each other, at large airports with four or more parallel runways some runway identifiers are shifted by 10 degrees to avoid the ambiguity that would result with more than three parallel runways. For example, in Los Angeles, this results in runways 6L, 6R, 7L. At Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, there are five parallel runways, named 17L, 17C, 17R, 18L, for clarity in radio communications, each digit in the runway name is pronounced individually, runway three six, runway one four, etc. A leading zero, for example in runway zero six or runway zero one left, is included for all ICAO, however, most U. S. civil aviation airports drop the leading zero as required by FAA regulation. This also includes some military airfields such as Cairns Army Airfield and this American anomaly may lead to inconsistencies in conversations between American pilots and controllers in other countries. It is very common in a such as Canada for a controller to clear an incoming American aircraft to, for example, runway 04. In flight simulation programs those of American origin might apply U. S. usage to airports around the world, for example, runway 05 at Halifax will appear on the program as the single digit 5 rather than 05. Runway designations change over time because the magnetic poles slowly drift on the Earths surface, depending on the airport location and how much drift takes place, it may be necessary over time to change the runway designation. As runways are designated with headings rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, for example, if the magnetic heading of a runway is 233 degrees, it would be designated Runway 23. If the magnetic heading changed downwards by 5 degrees to 228, if on the other hand the original magnetic heading was 226, and the heading decreased by only 2 degrees to 224, the runway should become Runway 22. Because the drift itself is slow, runway designation changes are uncommon
7.
Federal Aviation Administration
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The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States is a national authority with powers to regulate all aspects of civil aviation. The FAAs roles include, Regulating U. S, each LOB has a specific role within the FAA. Airports — plans and develops projects involving airports, overseeing their construction, Air Traffic Organization — primary duty is to safely and efficiently move air traffic within the National Airspace System. ATO employees manage air traffic facilities including Airport Traffic Control Towers, Aviation Safety — Responsible for aeronautical certification of personnel and aircraft, including pilots, airlines, and mechanics. Commercial Space Transportation — ensures protection of U. S. assets during the launch or reentry of commercial space vehicles, the FAA is headquartered in Washington, D. C. as well as the William J. The newly created Aeronautics Branch, operating under the Department of Commerce assumed primary responsibility for aviation oversight, in fulfilling its civil aviation responsibilities, the Department of Commerce initially concentrated on such functions as safety regulations and the certification of pilots and aircraft. It took over the building and operation of the system of lighted airways. The Aeronautics Branch was renamed the Bureau of Air Commerce in 1934 to reflect its status within the Department. As commercial flying increased, the Bureau encouraged a group of airlines to establish the first three centers for providing air traffic control along the airways, in 1936, the Bureau itself took over the centers and began to expand the ATC system. The pioneer air traffic controllers used maps, blackboards, and mental calculations to ensure the separation of aircraft traveling along designated routes between cities. In 1938, the Civil Aeronautics Act transferred the civil aviation responsibilities from the Commerce Department to a new independent agency. The legislation also expanded the role by giving them the authority. President Franklin D. Roosevelt split the authority into two agencies in 1940, the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the Civil Aeronautics Board, CAA was responsible for ATC, airman and aircraft certification, safety enforcement, and airway development. CAB was entrusted with safety regulation, accident investigation, and economic regulation of the airlines, the CAA was part of the Department of Commerce. The CAB was an independent federal agency, on the eve of Americas entry into World War II, CAA began to extend its ATC responsibilities to takeoff and landing operations at airports. This expanded role eventually became permanent after the war, the application of radar to ATC helped controllers in their drive to keep abreast of the postwar boom in commercial air transportation. The approaching era of jet travel, and a series of midair collisions and this legislation gave the CAAs functions to a new independent body, the Federal Aviation Agency. The act transferred air safety regulation from the CAB to the new FAA, the FAAs first administrator, Elwood R. Quesada, was a former Air Force general and adviser to President Eisenhower
8.
San Antonio
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San Antonio, officially the City of San Antonio, is the seventh-most populated city in the United States and the second-most populous city in the state of Texas, with a population of 1,409,019. It was the fastest growing of the top 10 largest cities in the United States from 2000 to 2010, the city straddles South Texas and Central Texas and is on the southwestern corner of an urban megaregion known as the Texas Triangle. San Antonio serves as the seat of Bexar County, recent annexations have extended the citys boundaries into Medina County and, though for only a very tiny area near the city of Garden Ridge, into Comal County. Due to its placement, the city has characteristics of other urban centers in which there are sparsely populated areas. San Antonio is the center of the San Antonio–New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area, growth along the Interstate 35 and Interstate 10 corridors to the north, west and east make it likely that the metropolitan area will continue to expand. San Antonio was named for Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day is on June 13, the city contains five 18th-century Spanish frontier missions, including The Alamo and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, which were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015. Other notable attractions include the River Walk, the Tower of the Americas, the Alamo Bowl, the city is home to the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and hosts the annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, one of the largest such events in the country. The U. S. Kelly Air Force Base operated out of San Antonio until 2001, the remaining portions of the base were developed as Port San Antonio, an industrial/business park and aerospace complex. San Antonio is home to six Fortune 500 companies and the South Texas Medical Center, at the time of European encounter, Payaya Indians lived near the San Antonio River Valley in the San Pedro Springs area, calling the vicinity Yanaguana, meaning refreshing waters. In 1691, a group of Spanish Catholic explorers and missionaries came upon the river and Payaya settlement on June 13 and they named the place and river San Antonio in his honor. It was years before any Spanish settlement took place, father Antonio de Olivares visited the site in 1709, and he was determined to found a mission and civilian settlement there. He directed Martin de Alarcón, the governor of Coahuila and Texas, differences between Alarcón and Olivares resulted in delays, and construction did not start until 1718. The families who clustered around the presidio and mission formed the beginnings of Villa de Béjar, on May 1, the governor transferred ownership of the Mission San Antonio de Valero to Fray Antonio de Olivares. On May 5,1718 he commissioned the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar on the west side of the San Antonio River, one-fourth league from the mission. On February 14,1719, the Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo proposed to the king of Spain that 400 families be transported from the Canary Islands, Galicia, or Havana to populate the province of Texas. By June 1730,25 families had reached Cuba, and 10 families had sent to Veracruz before orders from Spain came to stop the re-settlement. Under the leadership of Juan Leal Goraz, the group marched overland from Veracruz to the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, due to marriages along the way, the party now included 15 families, a total of 56 persons. They joined the community established in 1718
9.
Recruit training
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Recruit training, more commonly known as basic training and colloquially called boot camp, is the initial instruction given to new military personnel, enlisted and officer. After completion of training, new recruits undergo Advanced Individual Training. Officer trainees undergo more detailed programs that may precede or follow the common recruit training in an officer training academy or in special classes at a civilian university. During recruit training, drill instructors do everything possible to push a recruit to his or her physical and mental limits, Recruit training varies by nation according to the national requirement and can be voluntary or mandatory. Approximately 100 nations, including the United Kingdom and United States, have a military service. In voluntary service an individual chooses to join and thereby agrees to be subjected to the process of building an organization in each life depends on the next person. The voluntary status has changed the culture of military service, Recruit training is oriented to the particular service. Navy and Coast Guard training usually focuses on water training, physical fitness, basic seamanship, and such skills as shipboard firefighting, basic engineering. Air force training usually includes physical training, military and classroom instructions. In all training, standard uniforms are issued and recruits typically have their hair cut or shaved in order to meet grooming standards, Recruits are generally given a service number. Recruit training must merge divergent trainees often from different levels of culture, a national basic training will include provision for the basic needs of the recruit and they will meet certain unit standards and unit requirements, such as mobility for an infantry unit. A recruit therefore will be issued basic provisions or equipment according to the requirements of the unit, Recruit training has changed over the years as tactics of war have changed. Infantry units no longer attack in formations, however, to move units around a base, formations are useful. A combat soldier on the ground who may call in artillery air strikes must be more intelligent. Recruits are typically instructed in drill, to stand, march, historically, drills are derived from 18th-century military tactics, soldiers in a fire line performed precise and coordinated movements to load and fire muskets. Although the particular tactics are now obsolete, drilling trains the recruit to act unhesitatingly in the face of real combat situations. Modern militaries have learned that a member often must make critical decisions on behalf of team. Drill serves a role in leadership training, Combat situations include commands to engage and put ones life in danger but also commands to disengage when military necessity so demands
10.
Joint Base San Antonio
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Joint Base San Antonio is a United States military facility located in San Antonio, Texas, USA. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 502d Air Base Wing, Air Education, the wings three Mission Support Groups perform the installation support mission at the three bases that form JBSA. The facility is a Joint Base of the United States Army Fort Sam Houston, the United States Air Force Randolph Air Force Base and Lackland Air Force Base, JBSA was established in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Joint Base San Antonio supports a population of 80,000, upon becoming the largest single DoD installation/enterprise, it has a total Plant Replacement Value of about 10. The primary mission at Fort Sam Houston is as a medical training, the 502d Mission Support Group performs the installation support mission. Fort Sam Houston provides facilities to and support for the activities of garrison units, the post also supports the thousands of Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers who train there year round. Soldiers from Fort Sam Houston have participated in every American War since 1845 and have deployed worldwide in support of post-Cold War contingency operations, together with Camp Stanley, Camp Bullis is part of the Leon Springs Military Reservation. Camp Bullis has provided firing ranges, training areas and logistics support to Fort Sam Houston, there are currently 130 military personnel stationed at Bullis. Lackland Air Force Base is home to more than 120 Department of Defense and associate organizations, including the 37th Training Wing and its four primary training functions graduate more than 86,000 students annually. The 502d Installation Support Group performs the installation support mission, supporting the 25,000 people at Lackland, the 502d ISG is the largest support group in CONUS. Its 2,300 personnel provide services including security forces, protection, personnel services, communications, infrastructure support, lodging, recreational activities. Randolph is named after Captain William Millican Randolph, a native of Austin, the symbol of the base is a large water tower atop Building 100, housing the headquarters for Randolphs major flying unit, the 12th Flying Training Wing. With its distinctive architecture, the headquarters has come to be known throughout the Air Force as the Taj Mahal. The 902d Mission Support Group performs the installation support mission at Randolph and it is the focal point for all base activities. These units serve the needs of the wing and tenant units on the base, including more than 15,000 people on the base and this article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, //www. afhra. af. mil/. Fort Sam Houston official website Joint Base San Antonio official website
11.
United States Army
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The United States Armed Forces are the federal armed forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, from the time of its inception, the military played a decisive role in the history of the United States. A sense of unity and identity was forged as a result of victory in the First Barbary War. Even so, the Founders were suspicious of a permanent military force and it played an important role in the American Civil War, where leading generals on both sides were picked from members of the United States military. Not until the outbreak of World War II did a standing army become officially established. The National Security Act of 1947, adopted following World War II and during the Cold Wars onset, the U. S. military is one of the largest militaries in terms of number of personnel. It draws its personnel from a pool of paid volunteers. As of 2016, the United States spends about $580.3 billion annually to fund its military forces, put together, the United States constitutes roughly 40 percent of the worlds military expenditures. For the period 2010–14, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found that the United States was the worlds largest exporter of major arms, the United States was also the worlds eighth largest importer of major weapons for the same period. The history of the U. S. military dates to 1775 and these forces demobilized in 1784 after the Treaty of Paris ended the War for Independence. All three services trace their origins to the founding of the Continental Army, the Continental Navy, the United States President is the U. S. militarys commander-in-chief. Rising tensions at various times with Britain and France and the ensuing Quasi-War and War of 1812 quickened the development of the U. S. Navy, the reserve branches formed a military strategic reserve during the Cold War, to be called into service in case of war. Time magazines Mark Thompson has suggested that with the War on Terror, Command over the armed forces is established in the United States Constitution. The sole power of command is vested in the President by Article II as Commander-in-Chief, the Constitution also allows for the creation of executive Departments headed principal officers whose opinion the President can require. This allowance in the Constitution formed the basis for creation of the Department of Defense in 1947 by the National Security Act, the Defense Department is headed by the Secretary of Defense, who is a civilian and member of the Cabinet. The Defense Secretary is second in the chain of command, just below the President. Together, the President and the Secretary of Defense comprise the National Command Authority, to coordinate military strategy with political affairs, the President has a National Security Council headed by the National Security Advisor. The collective body has only power to the President
12.
Fort Sam Houston
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Fort Sam Houston is a U. S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. Known colloquially as Fort Sam, it is named for the U. S. Senator, Texas Governor, on October 1,2010, Fort Sam Houston joined Lackland and Randolph Air Force Bases to create Joint Base San Antonio, under Air Force administration. Army Institute of Surgical Research U. S. S, because Fort Sam Houston is part of Joint Base San Antonio, the installation commander is the commander of the 502d Air Base Wing. Fort Sam Houston is known as the Home of Army Medicine, at the end of World War II, the Army decided to make Fort Sam Houston the principal medical training facility. In conjunction with this came the determination to develop Brooke General Hospital into one of the Armys premier medical centers. Despite the installation transitioning to Air Force control, the command, the command and other key positions will rotate between the Army and Air Force. Staffing consist of members of both services, as well as a number of civilians. As of 2011, Fort Sam Houston is the largest and most important military training facility in the world. As a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission 2005 recommendations and this consolidation concluded with the opening of the Military Education and Training Campus in 2011. The Navy moved its medical training from San Diego, California, Great Lakes, Illinois, the Air Force moved its medical training from Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. This increased the student load and required additional support staff. The expansion in training has required construction approaching one billion dollars, the Sundry Civil Service Bill of 3 March 1873, included a $100,000 for a new army post in San Antonio, on 93 acres of land deeded by the city on Government Hill. Edward Braden Construction Co. won the contract to build the post on 7 June 1876, included on the Quadrangle was a combination 87 foot watch tower and 6,400 gallon water tank designed by General Montgomery C. Meigs, based on one he had seen in Europe, on 19 Feb.1877, the new train station on Austin Street opened, connecting San Antonio to Galveston. The quartermasters soon moved their supplies from the Alamo to the Quadrangle. The hospital, now known as Sam Houston House, was built in 1886, the post was formally named Fort Sam Houston on September 11,1890. The Gift Chapel was dedicated by President William Taft on 17–18 Oct.1909, Construction at Fort Sam Houston began in the middle 1870s under the supervision of the military commander of the Department of Texas, Major General Edward Ord, a West Point-trained army engineer. The significant contributions of Fort Sam Houston to the United States were recognized in 1975 when the post was designated as a National Historic Landmark, the Fort Sam Houston Quadrangle, built by George Henry Griebel, is the oldest structure at Fort Sam Houston
13.
Randolph Air Force Base
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Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located at Universal City, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 902d Mission Support Group, Air Education, opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the United States Army Air Forces, and the Air Force during its entire existence. The base is listed as a place for statistical purposes. Randolph AFB is named after Captain William Millican Randolph, a native of Austin, the symbol of the base is a large water tower atop Building 100, housing the headquarters for Randolphs major flying unit, the 12th Flying Training Wing. The wing operates parallel runways on either side of the main installation facilities, one of the new general officer positions was given to Frank P. Lahm, who was placed in charge of all flying training. General Lahm established the Air Corps Training Center in August 1926 and set up its headquarters at Duncan Field, next to Kelly Field and he soon learned that the facilities at Kelly and Brooks Fields were not sufficient for proper training. The buildings, erected during World War I with an expectancy of five years, had no suitable areas for ground training. San Antonios rapid growth was beginning to interfere with flying training operations. Clark took his drawings to Lahms executive officer, who brought him before the planning board. On 1 November 1927, Clark submitted a plan to Lahm. A site east on San Antonio was chosen in May 1927, a second site near Schertz, Texas, was acquired and offered to the Air Corps on 31 December 1927. The land had to have title, be donated to the government. Legal processes delayed the acceptance of the property until 16 August 1928. It was the largest construction project undertaken by the Army, up to that time, Clarks design was submitted to and drawn upon by George B. Ford, a city planner and civilian advisor to the Construction Service of the Quartermaster Corps whose approval of all plans for the Army was required between 1926 and 1930. Ford, in his position as City Planning Adviser to the War Department, chose for extensive revisions. Other than the roads at the center of the layout and the location of flight lines at the edges, Lt. Clark’s plan. The official post layout, signed by George B, ford, A. I. A. was approved by the Chief of the Air Corps, the Quartermaster General, and the Chief of Staff for the Secretary of War in January 1929
14.
502d Air Base Wing
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The 502d Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit that provides installation support for Joint Base San Antonio. The 502d activated on 1 August 2009, the wings three Mission Support Groups perform the installation support mission at each major installation in the San Antonio area. This mission is carried out through the Mission Support Group located on each JBSA base, the 502d Air Base Wing traces it lineage back to 1947. On 17 November 1947, the Air Force organized and activated the 502d Air University Wing at Maxwell Field, in Montgomery, Alabama. The Air Force, which became a service on two months before, initiated a re-organization program that decentralized operations and provided for easier and quicker mobility of tactical units. As part of the re-organization, the Air Force inactivated the 42d Army Air Force Base Unit, personnel and equipment from the 42d transferred to the 502 AUW. The 3800th, under various designations, carried out the support mission at Maxwell. In 1992, then Air Force Chief of Staff, General Merrill A. McPeak ordered a major reorganization of the Air Force, as part of the re-organization, the general decided that all four-digit MAJCON units should be redesignated as three-digit units. Because of this, Air Training Command consolidated the history of the 502 AUW with the now designated 3800th Air Base Wing on 1 October 1992 and that same day, ATC redesignated the 3800th Air Base Wing as the 502d Air Base Wing. The 502 ABW continued to perform the support mission at Maxwell. That day, the 502 ABW inactivated once again and the 42d Air Base Wing took over support for Maxwell. On 9 November 2005, President George W. Bush endorsed the recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, one of the recommendations called for the implementation of joint basing. Joint basing involved a single entity that managed the support functions of two or more adjacent DoD installations, the commission felt that combined support functions eliminated duplicated efforts and created a single efficient organization. For San Antonio, the commission recommended joint basing for the three major installations around the city, Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base, and Randolph Air Force Base. The Air Force, as the service for Joint Base San Antonio, looked to one of the few wings with a history of accomplishing an installation support mission. On 1 August 2009, the 502 ABW activated once again, because of its central location in San Antonio and Bexar County, Texas, the Air Force activated the wing at Fort Sam Houston. This also marked the return of a major Air Force presence to Fort Sam Houston for the first time since 1917, unlike its prior activations, the 502 ABW did not replace a unit. When IOC occurred, the 502 ABW assumed the installation support mission for the three installations, on 31 January 2010, the 502 ABW took over responsibility as the host unit at Lackland and Randolph
15.
37th Training Wing
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The 37th Training Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the 2nd Air Force and the Air Education and Training Command. As the host unit to Lackland Air Force Base, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, known as the Gateway to the Air Force, the 37th Training Wings replaced the Lackland Training Center as the single basic military training for the USAF. Its four primary training functions graduate more than 85,000 students annually, as of June 2014, Brig. Gen. Trent H. Edwards is the commander of the 37th Training Wing. The 37th Training Wing consists of five training groups and graduates more than 80,000 students annually, conduct operational training of MWD handlers and supervisors. Sustain DoD MWD program through logistical support, veterinary care, and research, 342d Training Squadron Home of all Air Force Battlefield Airman entry-level training for Pararescue, Combat Control, Special Operations Weather, and Tactical Air Control Party. 343d Training Squadron Hosts the Air Forces Security Forces Training and its training areas are housed on Lackland AFB and Camp Bullis, both located in the San Antonio area. The 37th Training Wing is entitled by temporary bestowal to the honors earned by the 37th Operations Group, the 37th Pursuit Group, was activated at Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone on 1 February 1940. Its mission being the defense of the Panama Canal, the group was disbanded on 31 October 1943 when the threat to the Panama Canal was perceived to be lessened, its personnel being returned to the United States for reassignment to other units. The 37th was established on 3 March 1953 as the United States Air Force 37th Fighter-Bomber Wing as part of the buildup on the Air Force due to the Korean War. It was assigned to Ninth Air Force of Tactical Air Command and was activated on 8 April 1953 at Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico. With the escalation of the Vietnam War in 1965-1966, the Air Force re-activated the unit and re-designated it as the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing, the wing was activated at the newly built Phù Cát Air Base, South Vietnam and it was assigned to Pacific Air Forces. It was organized on 1 Mar 1967 and assigned to Seventh Air Force, personnel for the wing headquarters and tactical components were in transit from the United States and elsewhere, and tactical operations did not commence until mid-April. Initial squadrons assigned were, 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron,15 April 1967 –27 May 1969 Transferred from the 3d TFW at Bien Hoa AB, det 1, 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron,8 June 1967 –13 April 1969 Transferred from the 35th TFW at Phan Rang AB. On 15 April, the 37TFW began combat operations with strikes by 416TFS en route from Bien Hoa Air Base to their new home, 612th TFS began operations, also after flying a mission en route from their former home at Phan Rang Air Base. From June 1967 to May 1969, the 37th also used F-100F two-seat trainers for visual and weather reconnaissance, the latter mission came to be known as Fast FAC. Up until this time, the Air Force used slow propeller-driven O-1, O-2, by 28 February 1968, the 37th TFW squadrons completed 18,000 combat hours and 13,000 combat sorties without a major aircraft accident. In the spring of 1968, the two squadrons of the 37th TFW were augmented by two additional squadrons temporarily deployed from the United States, with this augmentation, the wing was then composed of four F-100 combat squadrons with approximately 90 aircraft being assigned. As 355th TFS personnel completed their TDY that same month the personnel and they were replaced by Air National Guardsmen from New Jersey and Washington DC, who were manning Myrtle Beach at the time
16.
Twenty-Fifth Air Force
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Twenty-Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force within the United States Air Force. USAF also realigned the 9th Reconnaissance Wing and the 55th Wing under the new NAF and it is headquartered at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Its primary mission is to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance products, applications, capabilities and resources, to include cyber and geospatial forces. Additionally, it is the service cryptologic component responsible to the National Security Agency,25 AF was originally activated as the United States Air Force Security Service on 20 October 1948, at Arlington Hall, Washington, D. C. with a mission of cryptology and communications security. 25 AF is commanded by Maj Gen Bradford J. B. J. Shwedo and its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Command Chief Master Sgt. Roger A Towberman, 25th Air Force, the organization organizes, trains, equips and presents assigned forces and capabilities to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for combatant commanders and the nation. It also implements and oversees the execution of Air Force policies intended to expand ISR capabilities, the organization comprises over 30,000 people at about 65 locations worldwide. The redesignation took place on 29 September 2014 at Joint Base San Antonio, five active duty wings and one center are assigned to the Twenty-Fifth Air Force. 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, California 55th Wing, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Fort George G. The service was headquartered at Arlington Hall, a girls school. The USAFSS was tasked with the cryptology and communications security missions of the newly formed United States Air Force. The USAFSS moved to Brooks Air Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas, in April 1949, during the Korean War, the USAFSS personnel provided United Nations Command units with intelligence on the movements of major Korean Peoples Army forces from Manchuria to Wonsan. USAFSS personnel received Korean Language training at Yale University, and flew on the Douglas C-47 Skytrain to relay communications to allied forces on the Korean Peninsula. The USAFSS became involved in the Vietnam War when the Pacific Air Forces asked it to establish an Air Force Special Security Office at Tan Son Nhut Airport near Saigon in 1961. By the following year, a USAFSS squadron and three subordinate detachments were operating in Vietnam and Thailand, and USAFSS personnel supported College Eye threat warning operations, in 1985, the Air Force tasked ESC with computer security, in addition to its intelligence and electronic warfare missions. ESC provided intelligence support to the United States invasion of Panama in 1989 and were among the first U. S. military personnel to arrive in Saudi Arabia for the Gulf War, during that conflict, ESC personnel operated at three different locations in Saudi Arabia and Turkey. On 1 October 1991, the Air Force redesignated ESC as the Air Force Intelligence Command and consolidated Air Force intelligence functions, with the combined missions, AFIC was tasked with intelligence, security, electronic combat, foreign technology, and treaty monitoring. The organization was redesignated again when it became the Air Intelligence Agency on 1 October 1993, during the 1990s, AIA personnel deployed to support NATO operations during the Bosnian War and Kosovo War, and as part of Operations Southern Watch and Northern Watch in Southwest Asia
17.
Twenty-Fourth Air Force
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The Twenty-Fourth Air Force - Air Forces Cyber is a Numbered Air Force with the United States Air Force. The USAF has consolidated its cyberspace combat and support forces into 24 AF, the Twenty-Fourth Air Force is the Air Force component of U. S. Cyber Command. The current commander is Major General Christopher Wedge Weggeman, who assumed command June 2016. The Twenty-Fourth Air Force was originally intended to be a part of the now-defunct Air Force Cyber Command, one key element under 24 AF is the Air Forces primary network warfare wing, the 67th Cyberspace Wing, headquartered at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Over 14,000 Airmen make up the force of 24 AF. Many of these are in place at other organizations, and Air Force units host cyber specialists from other organizations, before the command was officially activated, the Air Force had announced six possible locations for the headquarters of 24 AF. The candidate locations were, Barksdale AFB, LA, Lackland AFB, TX, Langley AFB, VA, Offutt AFB, NE, Peterson AFB, CO and Scott AFB, IL. On 15 May 2009, Air Force officials announced that Lackland is the alternative. The organization officially stood-up on 18 August 2009, on 22 January 2010,24 AF was certified by AFSPC/CC for its Initial Operational Capability. Full Operational Capability was declared on 1 October 2010, in 2014, the 24th provided the Cyber Mission Force for the Red Flag exercise for the first time. During U. S. Strategic Commands Global Lightning 14, the 24th operated as a Joint Force Headquarters - Cyber in support of a combatant commander during a joint exercise for the first time. Webber, August 2009 -29 April 2011, first commander Maj Gen Suzanne M. Vautrinot,29 April 2011 - June 2013 Maj Gen J. Kevin McLaughlin, June 2013 - July 2014 Maj Gen Burke E. afhra. af. mil/
18.
624th Operations Center
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The 624th Operations Center located at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas serves as the 24 AFs operational arm to provide a robust full-spectrum and integrated cyberspace operations capability. On 20 August 2009, the Secretary of the Air Force issued a letter announcing the re-alignment of Air Force Cyberspace activities, the letter announced the inactivation of the 608th Air Force Network Operations Center, and activation the 624th Operations Center. In addition, the new 624th Operations Center would report to Twenty-Fourth Air Force, designated as 145th Airways and Air Communications Service Squadron on 14 May 1948. Redesignated as 624th Operations Center on 11 Aug 2009
19.
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
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The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and it has been operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The bomber is capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds of weapons, the B-52 took its maiden flight in April 1952. Built to carry weapons for Cold War-era deterrence missions, the B-52 Stratofortress replaced the Convair B-36. A veteran of wars, the B-52 has dropped only conventional munitions in combat. The B-52s official name Stratofortress is rarely used, informally, the aircraft has become referred to as the BUFF. The B-52 has been in service with the USAF since 1955. As of December 2015,58 were in service with 18 in reserve. The B-52 completed sixty years of service with its original operator in 2015. After being upgraded between 2013 and 2015, it is expected to serve into the 2040s, the aircraft was to have a crew of five or more turret gunners, and a six-man relief crew. It was required to cruise at 300 mph at 34,000 feet with a radius of 5,000 miles. The armament was to consist of a number of 20 mm cannon and 10,000 pounds of bombs. On 13 February 1946, the Air Force issued bid invitations for these specifications, with Boeing, Consolidated Aircraft, and Glenn L. Martin Company submitting proposals. On 5 June 1946, Boeings Model 462, an aircraft powered by six Wright T35 turboprops with a gross weight of 360,000 pounds. On 28 June 1946, Boeing was issued a letter of contract for US$1.7 million to build a full-scale mock-up of the new XB-52 and do preliminary engineering and testing. However, by October 1946, the air began to express concern about the sheer size of the new aircraft. In response, Boeing produced Model 464, a smaller version with a 230,000 pound gross weight. Boeing responded with two powered by the T-35 turboprops
20.
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
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It first entered service in 1960 with the U. S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was adopted by the U. S. Marine Corps and the U. S. Air Force. The Phantom is a fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds of weapons on nine hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was designed without an internal cannon, later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for performance, including an absolute speed record. The Phantom has the distinction of being the last U. S. fighter flown to attain ace status in the 20th century. The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U. S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. It was also the aircraft used by both U. S. flight demonstration teams, the USAF Thunderbirds and the US Navy Blue Angels. The F-4 was also operated by the forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its fleet of Phantoms in the Iran–Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with five countries, Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft. The F-4 is currently used by Greece, Iran, Japan, South Korea and it has been recently used in combat against the Islamic State. In 1952, McDonnells Chief of Aerodynamics, Dave Lewis, was appointed by CEO Jim McDonnell to be the preliminary design manager. With no new aircraft competitions on the horizon, internal studies concluded the Navy had the greatest need for a new and different aircraft type, in 1953, McDonnell Aircraft began work on revising its F3H Demon naval fighter, seeking expanded capabilities and better performance. The company developed several projects including a variant powered by a Wright J67 engine, the J79-powered version promised a top speed of Mach 1.97. On 19 September 1953, McDonnell approached the United States Navy with a proposal for the Super Demon, the Navy was sufficiently interested to order a full-scale mock-up of the F3H-G/H, but felt that the upcoming Grumman XF9F-9 and Vought XF8U-1 already satisfied the need for a supersonic fighter. On 26 May 1955, four Navy officers arrived at the McDonnell offices and, within an hour, because the Navy already had the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk for ground attack and F-8 Crusader for dogfighting, the project now had to fulfill the need for an all-weather fleet defense interceptor
21.
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
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The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was a long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force. It was developed as a project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by Lockheed. American aerospace engineer Clarence Kelly Johnson was responsible for many of the innovative concepts. During aerial reconnaissance missions, the SR-71 operated at high speeds, if a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outfly the missile. The SR-71 was designed with a reduced radar cross-section, the SR-71 served with the U. S. Air Force from 1964 to 1998. A total of 32 aircraft were built,12 were lost in accidents, the SR-71 has been given several nicknames, including Blackbird and Habu. It has held the record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft since 1976. Lockheeds previous reconnaissance aircraft was the relatively slow U-2, designed for the Central Intelligence Agency, in late 1957, the CIA approached the defense contractor Lockheed to build an undetectable spy plane. The project, named Archangel, was led by Kelly Johnson, head of Lockheeds Skunk Works unit in Burbank, the work on project Archangel began in the second quarter of 1958, with aim of flying higher and faster than the U-2. Out of 11 successive designs drafted in a span of 10 months, despite this, however, its shape made it vulnerable to radar detection. After a meeting with the CIA in March 1959, the design was modified to have a 90% reduction in radar cross-section, the CIA approved a US$96 million contract for Skunk Works to build a dozen spy planes, named A-12 on 11 February 1960. The 1960 downing of Francis Gary Powerss U-2 underscored its vulnerability, the A-12 first flew at Groom Lake, Nevada, on 25 April 1962. Thirteen were built, two variants were developed, including three of the YF-12 interceptor prototype, and two of the M-21 drone carrier. The aircraft was meant to be powered by the Pratt & Whitney J58 engine, but development ran over schedule, the J58s were retrofitted as they became available, and became the standard powerplant for all subsequent aircraft in the series as well as the SR-71. The A-12 flew missions over Vietnam and North Korea before its retirement in 1968, the programs cancellation was announced on 28 December 1966, due both to budget concerns and because of the forthcoming SR-71, a derivative of the A-12. During the later period of its testing, the B-70 was proposed for a reconnaissance/strike role, when it was clear that the A-12 performance potential was much greater, the Air Force ordered a variant of the A-12 in December 1962. Originally named R-12 by Lockheed, the Air Force version was longer and heavier than the A-12, with a longer fuselage to hold more fuel, Reconnaissance equipment included signals intelligence sensors, a side looking airborne radar and a photo camera. Air Force Chief of Staff General Curtis LeMay preferred the SR designation, before the July speech, LeMay lobbied to modify Johnsons speech to read SR-71 instead of RS-71
22.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
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The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing which was flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. It was one of the largest aircraft operational during World War II and it was the single most expensive weapons project undertaken by the United States in World War II, exceeding the cost of the Manhattan Project by between 1 and 1.7 billion dollars. A manned tail gun installation was semi-remote, the name Superfortress continued the pattern Boeing started with its well-known predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress. Designed for the strategic bomber role, the B-29 also excelled in low-altitude nighttime incendiary bombing missions. One of the B-29s final roles during World War II was carrying out the bomb attacks on Hiroshima. The B-29 served in roles throughout the 1950s. The Royal Air Force flew the B-29 as the Washington until phasing out the type in 1954, the Soviet Union produced an unlicensed reverse-engineered copy as the Tupolev Tu-4. The B-29 was the progenitor of a series of Boeing-built bombers, transports, tankers, reconnaissance aircraft, the type was retired in the early 1960s. The B-29 production total was 3,970 aircraft, dozens of B-29s remain as static displays but only two examples, Fifi and Doc, have been restored to flying status, with Doc flying again for the first time from McConnell AFB on July 17,2016. A transport developed from the B-29 was the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, first flown in 1944, followed by its commercial airliner variant and this bomber-to-airliner derivation was similar to the B-17/Model 307 evolution. In 1948 Boeing introduced a variant of the B-29 as the KB-29. A heavily modified line of outsized-cargo variants of the Stratocruiser is the Guppy / Mini Guppy / Super Guppy which remain in service today with operators including NASA, Boeing began work on pressurized long-range bombers in 1938, in response to a United States Army Air Corps request. Boeings design study for the Model 334 was a derivative of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress with nosewheel undercarriage. Although the Air Corps did not have money to pursue the design, in April 1939, Charles Lindbergh convinced general Henry H. Arnold to produce a new bomber in large numbers to counter the Nazi production, Boeings previous private venture studies formed the starting point for its response to this specification. Boeing submitted its Model 345 on 11 May 1940, in competition with designs from Consolidated Aircraft, Lockheed, Consolidated continued to work on its Model 33 as it was seen by the Air Corps as a backup in case of problems with Boeings design. Boeing received a production order for 14 service test aircraft and 250 production bombers in May 1941. The B-29 featured a design with circular cross-section for strength
23.
C-121 Constellation
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The Lockheed C-121 Constellation was a military transport version of the Lockheed Constellation. A total of 332 aircraft were constructed for both the United States Air Force and United States Navy for various purposes, numerous AWACS versions were also constructed. The C-121 later saw service with smaller civilian operators until 1993, Lockheeds first attempt at a military version of the Constellation airliner had been unsuccessful. This was largely due to the problems encountered by the Wright R-3350 engines that powered the aircraft, after the war, the few military Constellations built were retrofitted by Lockheed for use in the post-war airline industry as the L-049. In 1947, Lockheed unveiled a more economical Constellation, the L-749 as it was known, had extra fuel capacity and a more economical version of the R-3350. However, Lockheed had lost 1200 workers that same year, by 1948, production of the L-749 was at a near halt. It was then that the United States Air Force signed a contract with Lockheed for ten L-749A aircraft designated the C-121A, the United States Navy had also placed an order for two AWACS versions of the L-749A designated the PO-1W. The first L-749A variants off the line were for the US military. The C-121A versions differed from the L-749 only through having a floor to handle cargo. Although originally intended for transport duties, they were usually fitted out with 44-seat passenger transport interiors. The aircraft also consisted of a crew with four relief crew members on standby. All C-121As were assigned to the Atlantic division of the Military Air Transport Service, the aircraft would later see service in the Berlin Airlift. Dwight Eisenhower and General Douglas MacArthur both used the C-121A as their personal VIP transports, in 1950, six of the C-121A Constellations were modified as VIP transports and redesignated VC-121A. The last C-121As were retired in 1968, in August 1950, the USN ordered eleven passenger/cargo convertible versions of Lockheeds stretched L-1049B Super Constellation. These aircraft, originally designated R7O, were delivered before the WV-2 aircraft due to the R7O being more simple to produce, the R7O first flew in 1952. The R7V-1 was able to be converted between a passenger transport for 97-107 individuals or a cargo carrying transport in two hours. The Navy reduced the number of seats to fit room for life rafts on overseas flights. 73 stretchers could also be used for medical evacuation flights, the R7V-1s saw service over the Atlantic and Pacific in squadrons VR-1, VR-7 and VR-8
24.
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
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The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps. Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, although Boeing lost the contract because the prototype crashed, the air corps ordered 13 more B-17s for further evaluation. From its introduction in 1938, the B-17 Flying Fortress evolved through numerous design advances, the B-17 was primarily employed by the United States Army Air Forces in the daylight strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and military targets. The B-17 also participated to an extent in the War in the Pacific, early in World War II. From its prewar inception, the USAAC promoted the aircraft as a weapon, it was a relatively fast, high-flying. It developed a reputation for toughness based upon stories and photos of badly damaged B-17s safely returning to base, the B-17 developed a reputation as an effective bomber, dropping more bombs than any other U. S. aircraft in World War II. Of the 1.5 million tonnes of bombs dropped on Germany, in addition to its role as a bomber, the B-17 was also employed as a transport, antisubmarine aircraft, drone controller, and search-and-rescue aircraft. As of May 2015, ten aircraft remain airworthy, none of them are combat veterans. Dozens more are in storage or on static display, the oldest of these is a D-series veteran of combat in the Pacific and the Caribbean. On 8 August 1934, the U. S. Army Air Corps tendered a proposal for a bomber to replace the Martin B-10. The air corps was looking for a capable of reinforcing the air forces in Hawaii, Panama. Requirements were that it would carry a useful bombload at an altitude of 10,000 ft for ten hours with a top speed of at least 200 mph. They also desired, but did not require, a range of 2,000 mi, the competition for the air corps contract would be decided by a fly-off between Boeings design, the Douglas DB-1, and the Martin Model 146 at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. The prototype B-17, with the Boeing factory designation of Model 299, was designed by a team of engineers led by E. Gifford Emery and Edward Curtis Wells and it combined features of the experimental Boeing XB-15 bomber with the Boeing 247 transport aircraft. The B-17s armament consisted of up to 4,800 lb of bombs on two racks in the bay behind the cockpit, and initially possessed five.30 caliber machine guns. It was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial engines each producing 750 hp at 7,000 ft, the first flight of the Model 299 was on 28 July 1935 with Boeing chief test-pilot Leslie Tower at the controls. Richard Williams, a reporter for the Seattle Times, coined the name Flying Fortress with his comment, Why, when the Model 299 was rolled out bristling with multiple machine gun installations. The most unusual gun emplacement was the installation which allowed the single machine gun to be fired toward almost any frontal angle
25.
North American B-25 Mitchell
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The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American twin-engine, medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was named in honor of Major General William Billy Mitchell, used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II and after the war ended many remained in service, operating across four decades. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 Mitchells rolled from NAA factories and these included a few limited models, such as the United States Marine Corps PBJ-1 patrol bomber and the United States Army Air Forces F-10 reconnaissance aircraft and AT-24 trainers. The Air Corps issued a circular in March 1938 describing the performance they required from the next bombers — a payload of 1,200 lb with a range of 1,200 mi at more than 200 mph and those performance specifications led NAA to submit their NA-40 design. However, the experience from the XB-21 contributed to the design. The single NA-40 built flew first at the end of January 1939 and it went through several modifications to correct problems. These improvements included fitting 1,600 hp Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone radial engines, in March 1939, in March 1939, North American delivered the substantially redesigned and improved NA-40 to the United States Army Air Corps for evaluation. It was in competition with other manufacturers designs but failed to win orders, however, the French had already opted for a revised Douglas 7B. Unfortunately, the NA-40B was destroyed in a crash on 11 April 1939 while undergoing testing, although the crash was not considered due to a fault with the aircraft design, the Army ordered the DB-7 as the A-20. There was no YB-25 for prototype service tests, in September 1939, the Air Corps ordered the NA-62 into production as the B-25, along with the other new Air Corps medium bomber, the Martin B-26 Marauder off the drawing board. The NA-40 lost out to the Douglas A-20 in the competition, but NAA developed a more advanced design, the NA-40B. Early into B-25 production, NAA incorporated a significant redesign to the wing dihedral, the first nine aircraft had a constant-dihedral, meaning the wing had a consistent, upward angle from the fuselage to the wingtip. Flattening the outer wing panels by giving them a slight anhedral angle just outboard of the engine nacelles nullified the problem, less noticeable changes during this period included an increase in the size of the tail fins and a decrease in their inward tilt at their tops. NAA continued design and development in 1940 and 1941, both the B-25A and B-25B series entered AAF service. The B-25B was operational in 1942, combat requirements lead to further developments. Before the year was over, NAA was producing the B-25C, also in 1942, the manufacturer began design work on the cannon-armed B-25G series. The NA-100 of 1943 and 1944 was an interim armament development at the Kansas City complex known as the B-25D2, Similar armament upgrades by U. S-based commercial modification centers involved about half of the B-25G series. Further development led to the B-25H, B-25J, and B-25J2, the gunship design concept dates to late 1942 and NAA sent a field technical representative to the SWPA
26.
United States Air Force Basic Military Training
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It is carried out at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Lackland Air Force Base conducts the Air Forces only enlisted recruit training program, recruits are trained in the fundamental skills necessary to be successful in an Expeditionary Air Force. This includes basic war skills, military discipline, physical fitness, drill and ceremonies, Air Force core values, throughout its history, Lacklands BMT program has changed in many ways to meet the operational needs of the Air Force. Yet, recent updates in the curriculum are some of the most significant in its more than 60-year history, on 7 Nov 2005, BMT changed its curriculum to focus on a new kind of Airman—one who is a warrior first. The goal is to instill a mindset in trainees from day one. The changes resulted from the need to meet current and future operational Air Force requirements, in September 2004, the 20th Basic Military Training Review Committee met at Lackland and recommended significant changes in the focus, curriculum and schedule. In 2011 it was revealed that a number of training instructors engaged in inappropriate and illegal sexual relationships. The scandal led seventy-seven Congressional representatives to call for a hearing to investigate the incident, Military Training Instructors or MTIs are the instructors who are responsible for most of the training that takes place in BMT. They accompany trainees throughout the process, instructing and correcting them in everything from correct procedures for firing a weapon to the correct way to speak to a superior. They are known for their campaign covers typically called Smokey the Bear or Smokey hats, unlike the Marine Corps Drill Instructors and Army Drill Sergeants, Training Instructor hats are a dark blue, instead of the well known brown. There really is no typical day in Air Force Basic Military Training, Prior to arriving at basic training, all prospective trainees undergo a physical examination by a doctor at their local Military Entrance Processing Station or MEPS. Trainees receive their initial weigh-in when they arrive at Lackland, if the trainee is under or over the height and weight standards, the trainee is placed on double rations if underweight, or in a diet status if overweight. All trainees receive three meals a day, also known as chow time and these are either served at the dining facility, or as a Meal, Ready-to-Eat or MRE during field training. Meal time may last 30 minutes or less, depending on the order the flight arrives at the chow hall, Trainees are mandated a minimum of 15 minutes to consume each meal. Much of the 15 minutes may be spent waiting in line, trainee water monitors reporting in the hall, and removing, properly storing. Trainees that sustain injuries or illnesses that disrupt their training are transferred to the Medical Hold Flight. Once they are medically fit, the trainee will generally return to their prior training squadron as part of a flight currently at an equivalent place in the training cycle that they left. Basic Military Training is a cycle of training which begins with the receiving phase
27.
Air Force Reserve Command
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The Air Force Reserve Command is a Major Command of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federally controlled Air Reserve Component of the U. S. Air Force, consisting of duly appointed commissioned officers, AFRC supports the Air Force mission to defend the United States through the control and exploitation of air and space by supporting Global Engagement. AFRC also plays an role in the day-to-day Air Force mission and is not strictly a force held in reserve for possible war or contingency operations. The inventory, both AFRC-controlled and active duty Regular Air Force-controlled, includes the latest, most capable models of aircraft that are assigned to the U. S. Air Force. On any given day,99 percent of AFRCs aircraft are mission-ready, in addition to flying units, AFRC has numerous ground organizations ranging from medical units to civil engineers, intelligence and space operations, and security forces, just to name a few. In combination with the Air National Guard, the Air Force Reserve comprises half of what is known as the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force, AFRC forces are under the administrative control of the Commander, Air Force Reserve Command. The Air Force Reserve also contains other specialized capabilities not found in active duty Air Force units. A third unique mission set in the Air Force Reserve, Aerial Firefighting, is conducted in tandem with the Air National Guard, there are several categories of service for personnel in the Air Force Reserve. However, many Air Force Reservists, especially those in a flying status, serve well in excess of this minimum duty requirement. A smaller but equally important category of TR is the Individual Mobilization Augmentee and their job is to bring Air Force Reserve expertise to the planning and decision-making processes at senior levels within the Air Force, other services, and the Unified Combatant Commands. Like the Air National Guard, the Air Force Reserve Command also requires two categories of personnel to perform functions that require full-time manning. These full-time positions are filled via the two programs as employed by the Air National Guard, the Active Guard and Reserve program. Air Force Reservists who become members of the Active Guard and Reserve receive full active duty pay, the majority of AGRs are former TRs and they serve four-year controlled tours of special duty that can be renewed. S. Air Force, on the staffs of Unified Combatant Commands, on the Joint Staff, AFRC Recruiting is another field that employs AGR personnel. AGRs also have the option with good performance to serve 20 or more years on duty and receive a retirement after 20 or more years. Another category of Air Force Reservists serving full-time are those in the Air Reserve Technician Program, ARTs are accessed from either the active duty Regular Air Force, the AGR program, Traditional Guardsmen in the Air National Guard, or TRs in the Air Force Reserve. This category also includes all full-time ART personnel and they are predominantly assigned to the Unit Program or as IMAs. Standby Reserve Includes Reservists whose civilian jobs are considered key to defense or who have temporary disability or personal hardship
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Air National Guard
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When Air National Guard units are used under the jurisdiction of the state governor they are fulfilling their militia role. However, if federalized by order of the President of the United States and they are jointly administered by the states and the National Guard Bureau, a joint bureau of the Army and Air Force that oversees the National Guard of the United States. The ANG of the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands have no aircraft assigned, ANG units typically operate under Title 32 USC. However, when operating under Title 10 USC all ANG units are operationally-gained by an active duty USAF major command. ANG units of the Combat Air Forces based in the Continental United States, conversely, CONUS-based ANG units in the Mobility Air Forces, plus the Puerto Rico ANGs airlift wing and the Virgin Islands ANGs civil engineering squadron are gained by the Air Mobility Command. The vast majority of ANG units fall under either ACC or AMC, established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U. S. S. When not in a status, the Air National Guard operates under their respective state. The exception to rule is the District of Columbia Air National Guard. Because both state Air National Guard and the Air National Guard of the United States relatively go hand-in-hand, Air National Guard of the United States units or members may be called up for federal active duty in times of Congressionally sanctioned war or national emergency. The United States Air National Guard has about 110,000 men and women in service, even traditional part-time air guardsmen, especially pilots, navigators/combat systems officers, air battle managers and enlisted aircrew, often serve 100 or more man-days annually. As such, the concept of Air National Guard service as representing only one weekend a month, the Georgia Air National Guard and the Kansas Air National Guard previously flew the B-1B Lancer prior to converting to the E-8 Joint STARS and KC-135R Stratotanker, respectively. In addition, the 131st Fighter Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard transitioned from flying the F-15C/D Eagle at St and these proposals were eventually overruled and cancelled by the U. S. Congress. As state militia units, the units in the Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command and they are under the jurisdiction of the United States National Guard Bureau unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. Air National Guard units are trained and equipped by the United States Air Force, the state ANG units, depending on their mission, are operationally gained by a major command of the USAF if federalized. Air National Guard personnel are expected to adhere to the moral and physical standards as their full-time active duty Air Force. The same ranks and insignia of the U. S. Air Force are used by the Air National Guard, the Air National Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in a service members home state or equivalent. The creation of the regiments was caused by the perceived need to defend the Bay Colony against American Indians. This organization formed the basis of subsequent colonial and, post-independence, state and this distinction accounts for why there are no National Guard components in the U. S. Navy, U. S. Marine Corps or U. S. Coast Guard
29.
Air Force Officer Training School
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Officer Training School is a United States Air Force commissioning program located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. It is the current de facto officer candidate program for the U. S. Air Force. Officer Training School is a part of the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accession and Citizen Development, formerly the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools. Named for the late Major General Jeanne M. Holm, the Holm Center falls under Air University, which, in turn, falls under the Air Education and Training Command, an Air Force major command. The current Commander of the Holm Center is Brigadier General Steven D. Garland, during peacetime, OTS is usually the smallest commissioning source in the USAF, producing fewer officers per year than AFROTC and the United States Air Force Academy. Given its shorter lead time for production, it is the commissioning source used to balance out USAF officer manning as deemed necessary by the Air Force. Given this reality, OTS has often surpassed USAFA officer production during periods such as during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. OTS is divided into two parallel programs, TFOT serves all active and reserve component line officers except judge advocates. Commissioned Officer Training is a 5-week program, primarily focused on terminal-degreed professionals directly accessed into the USAF officer ranks, COT serves all active, reserve and air national guard non-line officers and judge advocates. Interested applicants for OTS typically contact Air Force recruiters, recruiters will screen candidates, provide application details and schedule applicants for the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test. Applicants will then be screened by a centralized, periodic, OTS Selection Board conducted by the Air Force Recruiting Service, applicants will be notified of acceptance or rejection by their recruiter pending release of the board results. Selectees for OTS will subsequently enlist in the Air Force Reserve via the Delayed Enlistment Program, OTS is highly competitive, with recent boards having selection rates below twenty percent. Per Air Force Instruction 36-2013, personnel attending Total Force Officer Training must have a baccalaureate degree or higher in either technical or non-technical fields. Technical fields may include any ABET-accredited engineering degree or other fields in high demand by the Air Force, non-technical degrees are more common, and therefore applying with a degree in such a field is very competitive. Applicants can apply for rated or non-rated positions, rated positions are flying related -- Pilot, Combat Systems Officer, RPA Pilot, or Air Battle Manager. Areas of instruction include military customs and courtesies, military history, leadership, field exercises, drill and ceremonies, small arms training, in 2014, OTS was transitioned to a nine-week course and the lower/upper class system was eliminated. Officer Trainees were also re-designated as cadets in 2015, the first few weeks of training are geared toward orienting the cadet with Air Force standards. The focus is on training, drill and ceremonies
30.
United States Air Force Academy
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The United States Air Force Academy, is a military academy for officer cadets of the United States Air Force. Its campus is located in the western United States in Colorado, the Academys stated mission is to educate, train, and inspire men and women to become leaders of character, motivated to lead the United States Air Force in service to our nation. It is the youngest of the five U. S. service academies, Graduates of the Academys four-year program receive a Bachelor of Science degree, and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U. S. Air Force. The Academy is also one of the largest tourist attractions in Colorado, admission is extremely competitive, with nominations divided equally among Congressional districts. Recent incoming classes have had about 1,200 cadets, historically, tuition along with room and board are all paid for by the Air Force. Cadets receive a stipend, but incur a commitment to serve a number of years of military service after graduation. All cadets participate in either intercollegiate or intramural athletics, and a character development. Each of the components of the program is intended to give cadets the skills, prior to the Academys establishment, air power advocates had been pushing for a separate Air Force Academy for decades. As early as 1918, Lieutenant Colonel A. J, hanlon wrote, As the Military and Naval Academies are the backbone of the Army and Navy, so must the Aeronautical Academy be the backbone of the Air Service. No service can flourish without some such institution to inculcate into its embryonic officers love of country, proper conception of duty, and highest regard for honor. Mitchells arguments did not gain traction with legislators, and it was not until the late 1940s that the concept of the United States Air Force Academy began to take shape. Support for an air academy got a boost with the National Security Act of 1947 and this was only intended to be a short term fix, however, and disagreements between the services quickly led to the establishment of the Service Academy Board by Secretary of Defense James Forrestal. Following the recommendation of the Board, Congress passed legislation in 1954 to begin the construction of the Air Force Academy, the legislation established an advisory commission to determine the site of the new school. Among the panel members were Charles Lindbergh, General Carl Spaatz, and Lieutenant General Hubert R. Harmon, the original 582 sites considered were winnowed to three, Alton, Illinois, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and the ultimate site at Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Secretary of the Air Force, Harold E. Talbott, meanwhile, Air Training Command began developing a detailed curriculum for the Academy program. The early Air Force Academy leadership had the model of West Point and Annapolis in designing a curriculum, faculty. While at Lowry, they were housed in renovated World War II barracks, there were no upper class cadets to train the new cadets, so the Air Force appointed a cadre of Air Training Officers to conduct training. The ATOs were junior officers, many of whom were graduates of West Point, Annapolis and they acted as surrogate upper class cadets until the upper classes could be populated over the next several years
31.
Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps
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The Holm Center, formerly known as the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools, retains direct responsibility for both AFROTC and OTS. AFROTC is the largest and oldest source of commissioned officers for the U. S. Air Force, aFROTCs stated mission is to produce quality leaders for the U. S. Air Force. According to AFOATS HQ, in 2006, AFROTC commissioned 2,083 USAF Second Lieutenants, with AFROTC enrollment ranging from 23,605 in 1985 to 10,231 in 1993, most colleges and universities will designate the AFROTC detachment as the Department of Aerospace Studies. Depending on the detachment size, the PAS is typically assisted by one to four Assistant Professors of Aerospace Studies, most APAS hold the rank of Captain, however some are also First lieutenants or Majors. Larger detachments may also have a Lieutenant Colonel serve as a vice commander, within AFROTC detachments, the students are organized into wings, groups, squadrons, and flights, mirroring the USAF functional wing structure. The AFROTC program is divided into two training functions, the Academic Classroom Program and Cadet Activities. Aerospace Studies classes are the portion of AFROTC. The General Military Course is a course, consisting of AS100 and AS200 cadets, designed to motivate. Each AS100 and AS200 course is designed as a weekly, one academic-hour course, the POC is a two-year course, consisting of AS300 and AS400, designed to prepare cadets for active duty as Air Force officers. Each course in the POC is designed as a weekly, three academic-hour course, specific topics covered in the AS classes are as follows, AS100 - Foundations of the Air Force, Structure and missions of Air Force organizations, officership, and professionalism. AS200 - The Evolution of Aerospace Studies, Beginnings of manned flight, AS300 - Leadership Studies, Anatomy of leadership, role of discipline in leadership situations, and the variable affecting leadership. Case studies and practical application in Leadership Laboratory, the current AS300 curriculum was previously taught as the AS400 curriculum until the 1990s, when it was shifted to the junior year. The National Security Studies portion of the current AS400 curriculum was taught as the AS300 curriculum until the 1990s. The AS400 program also included a single academic term Flight Instruction Program private pilot ground school course. This course was mandatory for all cadets slated for undergraduate pilot training on graduation who did not already hold a pilot certificate or higher. FIP was eliminated from AFROTC in 1991, at some universities, credit hours may be given for completing LLAB, often universities only give credit hours for completing AS classes. For POC cadets, LLAB furthers leadership and followership skills learned at LEAD by planning and implementing the activities under the supervision of the active-duty cadre, specific LLAB activities are determined by the detachments themselves and thus vary across the nation. AFROTC Scholarships offered to high school seniors are categorized as follows, Type 1, Pays full college tuition, most fees, Type 2, Pays college tuition and most fees up to $18,000 per year and $600 per year for books
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Maxwell Air Force Base
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Maxwell Air Force Base, officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command. The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US, occupying the site of the first Wright Flying School, it was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell, a native of Atmore, Alabama, the base is the headquarters of Air University, a major component of Air Education and Training Command, and is the U. S. Air Forces center for Joint Professional Military Education. The host wing for Maxwell-Gunter is the 42d Air Base Wing, the Air Force Reserve Commands 908th Airlift Wing is a tenant unit and the only operational flying unit at Maxwell. The 908 AW and its subordinate 357th Airlift Squadron operates eight C-130H Hercules aircraft for airlift in support of combatant commanders worldwide. As an AFRC airlift unit, the 908th is operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command, Gunter Annex is a separate installation under the 42 ABW. Originally known as Gunter Field, it became known as Gunter Air Force Station when its runways were closed. It was later renamed Gunter Air Force Base during the 1980s, as a hedge against future Base Realignment and Closure closure actions, Gunter AFB was consolidated under Maxwell AFB in March 1992 to create a combined installation known as Maxwell/Gunter AFB. Maxwell AFB is also the site of Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery, toward the end of February 1910, the Wright Brothers decided to open one of the worlds earliest flying schools at the site that would subsequently become Maxwell AFB. The Wrights taught the principles of flying, including take-offs, balancing, turns, the Wright Flying School closed on May 26,1910. The field served as a depot during World War I. In fact, the built the first plane made in Montgomery. Repair activity at the depot was sharply curtailed at the end of the war, the Aviation Repair Depots land was leased by the U. S. Army during World War I, and later purchased on January 11,1920 for $34,327. Diminished postwar activity caused the U. S, War Department in 1919 to announce that it planned to close thirty-two facilities around the country, including the Aviation Repair Depot. In 1919, the Aviation Repair Depot had a $27,000 monthly civilian payroll in 1919, the loss of the field would have been a serious blow to the local Montgomery economy. The field remained open into the early 1920s only because the War Department was slow in closing facilities, after this initial reprieve, the War Department announced in 1922 that facilities on the original closure list would indeed close in the very near future. City officials were not surprised to hear that Aviation Repair Depot remained on the list, on November 8,1922, the War Department redesignated the depot as Maxwell Field in honor of Atmore, Alabama native, Second Lieutenant William C. On 12 August 1920, engine trouble forced Lieutenant Maxwell to attempt to land his DH-4 in a field in the Philippines
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Airman
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An airman is a member of the air component of a nations armed service. In the United States Air Force, it can refer to a specific enlisted rank. More informally, it can refer to any member of an air force, or to any pilot, aviator, or aircrewman, military or civilian, the equivalent in the British Royal Air Force and some other Commonwealth countries is aircraftman/woman. In civilian aviation usage, the airman is analogous to the term sailor in nautical usage. In the American Federal Aviation Administration usage, an airman is any holder of an airmans certificate and this certificate is issued to those who qualify for it by the Federal Aviation Administration Airmen Certification Branch. In the U. S. Air Force, airman is a term which can refer to any member of the United States Air Force. The rank of airman is the enlisted rank from the bottom, just above the rank of airman basic. Since the Air Force was established 1947, all of the ranks of airman have always included females, and in this context. Former U. S. Air Force ranks included airman second class, the current E-2 paygrade rank of airman was called airman third class from 1952 to 1967. These programs are sponsored and taught by four of the services at hundreds of the high schools in the United States. Having achieved the Eagle Scout level from the Boy Scouts of America, having earned 20 college semester credit hours. They also receive their retroactive pay increment that brings them up to the pay grade for an airman upon their completion of basic training. While at the rank of airman, the duties of enlisted personnel include adjusting to the Air Force way of military life, for airmen with high aptitudes, some of these training programs include more than one school and take one year or more to complete. In the U. S. Navy, airman is the rank that corresponds to the pay grade of E-3 in the Navys aviation field. In the U. S. Coast Guard, the ranks are similar or identical to the ones in the U. S. Navy. Coast Guard airman is the rank that corresponds to the pay grade of E-3 in the Coast Guards aviation field. Military pilot Soldier Seaman U. S. Air Force enlisted rank insignia U. S. Navy enlisted rate insignia RAF enlisted ranks Aircraftman
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United States Department of Defense
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The Department is the largest employer in the world, with nearly 1.3 million active duty servicemen and women as of 2016. Adding to its employees are over 801,000 National Guardsmen and Reservists from the four services and it is headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D. C. The Department of Defense is headed by the Secretary of Defense, Military operations are managed by nine regional or functional Unified Combatant Commands. The Department of Defense also operates several joint services schools, including the National Defense University, the history of the defense of the United States started with the Continental Congress in 1775. The creation of the United States Army was enacted on 14 June 1775 and this coincides with the American holiday Flag Day. The Second Continental Congress would charter the United States Navy, on 13 October 1775, today, both the Navy and the Marine Corps are separate military services subordinate to the Department of the Navy. The Preamble of the United States Constitution gave the authority to federal government, to defend its citizens and this first Congress had a huge agenda, that of creating legislation to build a government for the ages. Legislation to create a military defense force stagnated, two separate times, President George Washington went to Congress to remind them of their duty to establish a military. In a special message to Congress on 19 December 1945, the President cited both wasteful military spending and inter-departmental conflicts, deliberations in Congress went on for months focusing heavily on the role of the military in society and the threat of granting too much military power to the executive. The act placed the National Military Establishment under the control of a single Secretary of Defense, the National Military Establishment formally began operations on 18 September, the day after the Senate confirmed James V. Forrestal as the first Secretary of Defense. The National Military Establishment was renamed the Department of Defense on 10 August 1949, under the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958, channels of authority within the department were streamlined, while still maintaining the authority of the Military Departments. Also provided in this legislation was a centralized authority, the Advanced Research Projects Agency. The Act moved decision-making authority from the Military Departments to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and it also strengthened the command channel of the military over U. S. forces from the President to the Secretary of Defense. Written and promoted by the Eisenhower administration, it was signed into law 6 August 1958, because the Constitution vests all military authority in Congress and the President, the statutory authority of the Secretary of Defense is derived from their constitutional authorities. Department of Defense Directive 5100.01 describes the relationships within the Department. The latest version, signed by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in December 2010, is the first major re-write since 1987, the Office of the Secretary of Defense is the Secretary and Deputy Secretarys civilian staff. S. Government departments and agencies, foreign governments, and international organizations, OSD also performs oversight and management of the Defense Agencies and Department of Defense Field Activities. OSD also supervises the following Defense Agencies, Several defense agencies are members of the United States Intelligence Community and these are national-level intelligence services that operate under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense but simultaneously fall under the authorities of the Director of National Intelligence
35.
United States Air Force Pararescue
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Pararescuemen are United States Air Force Special Operations Command and Air Combat Command operators tasked with recovery and medical treatment of personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. These special operations units are used to support NASA missions and have been used to recover astronauts after water landings. They are attached to other SOF teams from all branches to other operations as appropriate. Of the roughly 200 Air Force Cross recipients, only 24 are enlisted rank, part of the little-known Air Force Special Operations community and long an enlisted preserve, the Pararescue service expanded to include Combat Rescue Officers early in the 21st century. As early as 1922 there was a recognized need for trained personnel to go to remote sites to rescue airmen, however, it was another two decades before technology and necessity helped to create what would eventually become Air Force Pararescue. Even so, there were developments in critical technologies and these parachutes and the techniques smokejumpers used with them were completely different from the techniques used by Army airborne units. It was in year that Dr. Leo P. Martin was trained by the U. S. Forest Service Smokejumper Parachute Training Center in Seeley Lake. During the first months after Americas entry into the War, there was little need for air rescue. As the war progressed, a U. S. strategic bombing campaign was launched, Rescue units were formed around the globe under the operational control of local commanders. While training, techniques and equipment varied, one rule was constant, Search and rescue of downed aviators in the continental United States fell primarily to the Civil Air Patrol, a civilian aviation group under the command of the Army Air Corps. The CAP would usually send in ground crews after locating a site, however, they would sometimes land small aircraft. With Canadas entry into WWII in 1939, former Canadian fighter ace Wop May was put in charge of training operations and took command at the No 2 Air Observer School in Edmonton. Edmonton was one of the stops for A-20 Boston, B-26 Marauder. When these aircraft went down, typically due to mechanical or navigational problems, Mays school was often asked to supply aircraft to search for downed planes, but even when one was spotted there was often little they could do to help. May decided to address this problem, in early 1942 May asked for volunteers from his civilian servicing crew, and about a dozen agreed to join. With basically no equipment, the instruction consisted of jump and pull and windage was calculated by throwing an Eatons catalogue out the door. Early operations were comical, but in early 1943 May sent two volunteers, Owen Hargreaves and Scotty Thompson to the smoke jumpers school in Missoula, Montana to be trained by the U. S. Forest Service. After six weeks they returned home with borrowed equipment to train two other volunteers, Wilfred Rivet and Laurie Poulsom
36.
United States Air Force Combat Control Team
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Combat Controllers are FAA-certified air traffic controllers and maintain proficiency throughout their career. Along with TACPs, many Combat Controllers also qualify and maintain proficiency as joint terminal attack controllers where they call in and direct air strikes, close air support and fire support. Out of the seven Air Force Crosses awarded since the Global War on Terror started in 2001, CCT Motto, First There, which reaffirms the Combat Controllers commitment to undertaking the most dangerous missions behind enemy lines by leading the way for other forces to follow. Air Force Special Operations Commands Combat Controllers are battlefield airmen assigned to special tactics squadrons and they are trained special operations forces and certified Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers. They deploy with air and ground forces in support of action, such as counter-terrorism, foreign internal defense, humanitarian assistance. Combat Controllers employ all-terrain vehicles, amphibious vehicles, weapons and demolitions in pursuit of their objectives, Combat Controller training, which is nearly two years long, is among the most rigorous in the US military. The CCT pipeline has a wash out rate upwards of 90–95%, mostly due to self-eliminations, injuries sustained during training, the Air Force is working to lower the washout rate through proper education, testing and rigorous pre-pipeline training. Combat Controllers maintain air traffic controller qualification skills throughout their career in addition to special operations skills. Many qualify and maintain proficiency as joint terminal attack controllers and their 35-week initial training and unique mission skills earn them the right to wear the scarlet beret and their 3 skill level. From that point they attend a 12–15-month advanced skill training course to obtain their 5 skill level, once they complete AST their training pipeline is finished and they are mission-ready Combat Controllers. The first course Combat Controller trainees attend after the 8. 5-week Basic Military Training is the two-week-long Combat Control Selection Course at Lackland Air Force Base, the selection course focuses on sports physiology, nutrition, basic exercises, combat control history and fundamentals. The second course in the CCT pipeline is the Combat Control Operator Course located at Keesler Air Force Base, the Operator course is 15.5 weeks long. After the Operator course the trainee attends the Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, in the three-week course the trainees learn basic parachuting skills required to infiltrate an objective area by static line airdrop. The next course after Airborne School is the Air Force Basic Survival School located at Fairchild Air Force Base, the course teaches techniques for survival in remote areas. Instruction includes principles, procedures, equipment and techniques that enable individuals to survive, regardless of conditions or unfriendly environments. The last course in the Combat Control pipeline is the Combat Control School located at Pope Field, the CCT School is thirteen weeks long and it provides the final Combat Controller qualifications. The training includes training, small unit tactics, land navigation, communications, assault zones, demolitions, fire support. Graduates of Combat Control school are awarded their 3-skill level on their Air Force Specialty Code, scarlet beret, the Benini Heritage Center Fund Raising effort supports education and training at the Combat Control School
37.
Tactical Air Control Party
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It usually consists of an officer Forward Air Controller, a senior non-commissioned officer FAC and usually a pair of signallers/drivers. Australian TACPs are provided by the RAAF and are responsible for the coordination of air assets in support of deployed Army units, in the United Kingdom Armed Forces, TACP personnel may come from the Royal Marines, Army or RAF Regiment. The FACs role is to attack aircraft and fast jets to the correct target by providing descriptions and locations to the pilots via a range of telecommunications equipment. Prince Harry, the third in line to the British throne, a TACP always includes at least one Joint Terminal Attack Controller qualified to control attack aircraft. As of 2009 the TACP career field has created a full time TACP officer, the 13L is also known as a Tactical Air Control Officer and if JTAC qualified they are known as a JTACO. JTAC teams are stationed with and support Army combat units. A Marine Corps FAC is commonly referred to as the Air Officer, underneath him, he has two other FACs and three Joint Terminal Attack Controllers. Ideally the three FACs come from three different aviation backgrounds, one tactical jet pilot or NFO, one helicopter pilot. Ideally, the three JTACs come from an artillery background, in addition to the three FACs and three JTACs, the infantry battalion also has eight Joint Fires Observers distributed among the rifle companies. Forward air control The ROMAD Locator Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team also works with TACP Special Operations Air Force Tactical Air Control Party in Afghanistan
38.
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape
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Established by the U. S. Air Force at the end of World War II, it was extended and consolidated during the Vietnam War to the U. S. Marine Corps, and U. S. Navy and in the late 1980s to the U. S. Army. Most higher level SERE students are Military Aircrew and Special Operations personnel considered to be at risk of capture. One such club was the Late Returners Club and this club which had a Flying Boot as its identifying symbol, was strictly non-military. The experiences of these Evaders was passed on in lectures, guest appearances, consolidation into a formal program of instruction came in 1943. He was responsible for the establishment of SERE training at several bases/locations, in 1943, the US Army established a small program for Cold Weather Survival at RCAF Station Namao in Alberta, Canada and in 1945 it was moved to Camp Carson, Colorado. In 1948 at Marks Air Base, Nome, Alaska, the first instructors were composed of experienced wilderness civilian volunteers and USAF military personnel with prior instructor experience. This initial cadre also included USAF Rescuemen from around Alaska, Greenland, Colorado, General LeMay attended the first class of instruction as a student. As time wore on, the expense and wisdom of having multiple locations for training was questioned, the hardest part of that consolidation was where to locate the training base that offered the best environmental and logistical support for such a small but convoluted training program. Ultimately, the USAF consolidated at Stead AFB, Nevada, in the mid 60s, the school was moved to Fairchild AFB, WA. The U. S. Air Force SERE School is located at Fairchild AFB, Washington, while SERE Training for the U. S. Army is located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The curriculum has three key parts, survival and evasion, resistance and escape, and water survival, most SERE training focuses on survival and evasion. Training on how to survive and resist the enemy in the event of capture is largely based on the experiences of past U. S. prisoners of war. How to survive in water is taught at a separate Professional Military Education course, SERE training is intended, above all, to provide students with the skills needed to live up to the U. S. military code of conduct when in uncertain or hostile environments. It is, I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country, I am prepared to give my life in their defense. I will never surrender of my own free will, if in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist. If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available, I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy, if I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information nor take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades, if I am senior I will take command
39.
343d Training Squadron
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The 343rd Training Squadron is a United States military training facility used for the instruction of United States Air Force Security Forces. The squadron is based out of Lackland Air Force Base, but has a detachment at the Camp Bullis Army outpost and they train at both locations, as well as at the Medina Annex. The majority of the permanent members of this squadron are training instructors, there are, on average, around 1300 students at any given time. The Staff also consists of 15 Military Training Leaders who are responsible for physical, detachment One at Camp Bullis is responsible for expeditionary ground combat training. 343rd Training Squadron - 37th Training Group
40.
United States Air Force Security Forces
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United States Air Force Security Forces are the force protection and military police of the United States Air Force. Security Forces were formerly known as Military Police, Air Police, in early 1943, the first Army Aviation Military Police Companies were established from existing Army MP units. The USAF Security Forces lineage can be traced to its beginning in WWII with the German blitzkrieg, blitzkrieg relied on swift attacks by land and air. One of the tactics employed by blitzkrieg was the use of paratroops and airborne forces to capture, or destroy in advance, air bases. A key turning point in air base defensive thinking came with the loss of the island of Crete to German forces, on February 12,1942 the United States adopted the British air defense philosophy. It was then that the Army Chief of Staff, General George C. ”This order formed the Army Air Forces air base security battalions in June 1942 and was influenced by racial as well as military considerations. Units were deployed throughout the European, Asian and African theaters and these units were armed with rifles, machine guns, and 37-mm guns. In 1945 all AAF air base security battalions were closed, the National Security Act of 1947 established the current United States Department of Defense, or DoD and formed the United States Air Force from the Army Air Forces as a separate service. MP units serving with the Army Air Corps before this separation were transferred to the Air Force, the Army-Air Force agreement of 1947 stated that each department will be responsible for the security of its own installations. However, the agreement made no mention of an Air Force ground combat mission, on January 2,1948, General Order No.1 from Headquarters USAF designated those transferred units and personnel as Air Police. On 1 September 1950, the first Air Police school was established at Tyndall AFB, in June 1950 the Air Force began urgent operations focused on air base defense with the outbreak of the Korean War. A buildup of combat forces began. The center of this buildup was the expansion of the Air Force Air Police from 10,000 in July 1950 to 39,000 in December 1951. Still, one year into the war, the Air Provost Marshal reported that “the Air Force is without policy or tactical doctrine for Air Base Ground Defense. ”In haste, Air Police serving as the cadre of this force were outfitted with armored vehicles, machine guns, and recoilless rifles. Air base defense was officially implemented by Air Force Regulation 355-4 on March 3,1953. ”However, performance of this mission fell to the provisional base defense task forces to be organized and equipped like infantry. It was the Strategic Air Command’s October 1952 edition of the SAC Manual 205-2 which rejected the notion that the USAF’s ground defense mission conflicted with Army functions. Though at times some 32,000 to 35,000 North Korean guerrillas were operating in United Nations controlled territory they ignored US air bases and this would not be the case for USAF Air Bases in the Republic of Vietnam. In 1952, the Air Police school was transferred to Parks AFB, California and it soon became evident the emphasis on air base defense was not making much headway
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78th Flying Training Wing (U.S. Army Air Forces)
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The 78th Flying Training Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was last assigned to the Central Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 30 June 1945 at the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center, the wing was a World War II unit for the classification and preflight testing of aviation cadets. It was one of three centers, the others being at Maxwell Field, Alabama and Santa Ana Army Air Base. There is no lineage between the current United States Air Force 78th Air Base Wing, established on 24 September 1948 at Hamilton Air Force Base, California, and this organization. The mission of the wing was to provide both Classification and Preflight stage training to air cadets which had completed Training Command basic indoctrination training, Classification Stage processed the cadet and issued him his equipment. This was the stage where it would be decided whether the cadet would train as a navigator, bombardier, pre-Flight Stage taught the mechanics and physics of flight and required the cadets to pass courses in mathematics and the hard sciences. Then the cadets were taught to apply their knowledge practically by teaching them aeronautics, deflection shooting, once the cadet successfully completed the training at the center, they would be assigned to one of the AAF primary flight schools for initial flying training. afhra. af. mil/
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Flying Division, Air Training Command
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Flying Division, Air Training Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Air Training Command, stationed at Randolph Air Force Base and it was inactivated on 14 November 1949. The organization was organized in 1926 as the main pilot training organization for the Army Air Corps. During World War II, thousands of cadets were in training at various schools across the Central United States being trained as pilots for fighters, bombers. The command also trained the navigators, bombardiers and gunners necessary for the bombers to enemy targets in the combat areas overseas. After World War II ended, it became the primary pilot, with the demobilization of the Air Service after World War I, the Armys air arm remained quite small during most of the interwar period. Primary flight training was only at March Field in California. The pilot school course combined ground school and elementary flight training, Cadets flew training flights in wartime surplus Curtiss JN-4D Jennies and also deHavilland DH-4s. The first class of cadets at both March and Carlstrom were enlisted men from various Air Service units, civilians constituted most of the second class. Advanced training was held at Post Field, Fort Sill, Oklahoma for observers, pursuit and bombardment training took place at Kelly Field. On 4 June 1920, the National Defense Act of 1920 took effect, at the time, the Air Service had 1,155 Regular officers, by year’s end there were 975. Of that number, only 642 were pilots, a number of the students in the early class, especially at Carlstrom Field, were naval officers not destined for Army squadrons. However neither of the pilot schools had executive officers and that Carlstrom did not even have an Officer in Charge of Flying. The schools keenly felt the shortage of manpower. They did not have enough enlisted mechanics to keep the airplanes fully operational, too few instructors remained in the service to teach students, assuming that students could be recruited in reasonable numbers. For a time after the war, the grades of the Air Service held no vacancies. Furthermore, Congress forbade new Army enlistments in early 1921, which effectively curtailed training new cadets and it was decided to close March and Carlstrom and consolidate all flight training at Brooks and Kelly Fields. By 1 September 1922, the Air Service Primary Flying School 11th School Group was operational at Brooks, students graduating the primary flying school at Brooks Field went on to the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field
United States Air Force
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
