Airmen bring to the Nation’s military portfolio five interdependent and integrated core missions that have endured since President Truman originally assigned airpower roles and missions to the Air Force in 1947. Although the way we do them will constantly evolve, the Air Force will continue to perform these missions so that our military can respond quickly and appropriately to unpredictable threats and challenges.

Today, we call our core missions:

(1) air and space superiority;

 (2) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR);

(3) rapid global mobility;

(4) global strike; 

(5) command and control.

Through these core missions, the Air Force provides Global Vigilance, Global Reach, and Global Power for America. Each of these core missions is, in its own right, vitally important to the defense of our national interests; however, no single core mission functions independently. Airpower is maximized when Airmen leverage its unique characteristics—speed, range, flexibility, precision, lethality, and persistence—to harness the integrated power of our air, space, and cyber forces. The Air Force is effective precisely because its interdependent operations are synchronized to provide an unparalleled array of airpower options, giving America the ability to respond quickly anywhere in the world.

RELATED 'AIRPOWER FOR AMERICA' CONTENT

Click here to go back to the Airpower for Airmen Page

Click here to go to Air and Space Superiority Page

Click here to watch the Global Vigilance, Global Reach, Global Power for America Video

To ensure the Air Force remains lethal and ready when the nation calls, senior leadership has established the following Air Force priorities:

- Restore readiness ... to win any fight, any time 
- Cost-effectively modernize ... to increase the lethality of the force
- Drive innovation ... to secure our future
- Develop exceptional leaders ... to lead the world's most powerful teams
- Strengthen our alliances ... because we are stronger together

Everything we do as an Air Force team should advance or augment these priorities.  Each and everyone of our Total Force Airmen has a role to play in making us successful in this endeavor.  We will prevail through the power of our Airmen.  

Air Combat Command is the primary force provider of combat airpower to America's warfighting commands. To support the global implementation of national security strategy, ACC operates fighter, reconnaissance, battle-management, and electronic-combat aircraft. It also provides command, control, communications and intelligence systems, and conducts global information operations.

As a force provider, ACC organizes, trains, equips and maintains combat-ready forces for rapid deployment and employment while ensuring strategic air defense forces are ready to meet the challenges of peacetime air sovereignty and wartime air defense. Additionally, ACC develops strategy, doctrine, concepts, tactics, and procedures for air and space-power employment. The command provides conventional and information warfare forces to all unified commands to ensure air, space and information superiority for warfighters and national decision-makers. The command can also be called upon to assist national agencies with intelligence, surveillance and crisis response capabilities.

ACC numbered air forces provide the air component to U.S. Central, Southern and Northern Commands, with Headquarters ACC serving as the air component to Joint Forces Command. ACC also augments forces to U.S. European, Pacific and Strategic Command.

Air Combat Command web site

The Department of the Air Force is headquartered in the Pentagon, Washington D.C. The service is organized in nine major commands throughout the world which provide combat aircraft, airlift, refueling, reconnaissance and other support to the Unified Combatant Commands.

The Air Force also has more than three dozen field operating agencies and direct reporting units which directly support the mission by providing unique services.

Together with Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard forces, the United States Air Force is the best in the world.

- Secretary of the Air Force is Barbara Barrett
- Chief of Staff of the Air Force is Gen David Goldfein
- Vice Chief of Staff is Gen Stephen Wilson
- Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force is CMSAF Kaleth Wright