Secretary of the Air Force SecAF |
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Seal of the Secretary of the Air Force
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Flag of the Secretary of the Air Force
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Department of the Air Force | |
Style | Madam Secretary The Honorable (formal address in writing) |
Reports to |
Secretary of Defense Deputy Secretary of Defense |
Appointer | The President with the advice and consent of the Senate |
Term length | No fixed term |
Inaugural holder | Stuart Symington |
Formation | September 18, 1947 |
Succession | 4th in SecDef succession |
Deputy | The Under Secretary (principal civilian deputy) The Chief of Staff (military advisor and deputy) |
Salary | Level II of the Executive Schedule |
Website | Official Website |
Agency overview | |
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Formed | 1947 |
Headquarters | Pentagon |
Parent agency | Department of the Air Force |
The Secretary of the Air Force (SecAF, or SAF/OS) is the head of the Department of the Air Force, a component organization within the Department of Defense of the United States. The Secretary of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Secretary reports to the Secretary of Defense and/or the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and is by statute responsible for and has the authority to conduct all the affairs of the Department of the Air Force.
The Secretary works closely with his/her civilian deputy, the Under Secretary of the Air Force; and his/her military deputy, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, who is the senior ranked uniformed officer in the United States Air Force.
The first Secretary of the Air Force, Stuart Symington, was sworn-in on September 18, 1947 upon the re-organization of the Army Air Forces into a military department and a military service of its own, independent of the War Department/Army, with the enactment of the National Security Act. The salary of SECAF IS $179,700, Level II.
On December 13, 2013, Deborah Lee James was confirmed by the United States Senate to be the next Secretary of the Air Force. She was sworn in by Timothy Beyland on December 20. Undersecretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning assumed the role of acting secretary when then-Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley stepped down in June.