Structure of the United States Air Force
The structure of the United States Air Force refers to the unit designators and organizational hierarchy of the United States Air Force, which starts at the most senior commands.
The senior headquarters of the Department of the Air Force consists of distinct staffs in the Pentagon: the Secretariat or SAF Staff and the Headquarters Air Force or HAF Staff. The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary of the Air Force and HAF Staff is led by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Headquarters DAF also includes the Space Staff, which parallels the HAF Staff but governs the United States Space Force.
Organizational types
Direct Reporting Unit
A Direct Reporting Unit is an agency of the United States Department of the Air Force that is outside the bounds of the standard organizational hierarchy by being exclusively and uniquely under the control of Air Force headquarters alone, rather than reporting through a major command. The term "direct reporting unit" comes from the fact that the unit reports directly to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force or to a designated representative on the Air staff.A DRU has a specialized and restricted mission, meaning that it is a single purpose unit, usually to the exclusion of other duties, reporting to Air Force Air Staff alone. It is separate and independent from any organization structure or supervision: major command, numbered air force, operational command, division, wing, group, squadron, or field operating agency. It is a DRU because the unit's specific and focused duties, legal issues that necessitate the unit's independence, or other factors such as national security concerns.
The Air Force has a very limited number of direct reporting units:
Field operating agency
The field operating agency is a subdivision of the Air Force, directly subordinate to an HQ USAF functional manager. A FOA performs field activities beyond the scope of any of the major commands. The activities are specialized or associated with an Air Force-wide mission, and do not include functions performed in management headquarters, unless specifically directed by a DoD authority.Major Command (MAJCOM)
A major subdivision of the Air Force, the major command is directly subordinate to HQ USAF or the Air Staff. MAJCOM headquarters are management headquarters for a major segment of the AF and thus have the full range of functional staff. MAJCOMs are commanded by a general.Numbered Air Force (NAF)
The numbered air force is a tactical echelon directly under an operational MAJCOM that provide operational leadership and supervision. NAFs are structured to perform an operational or warfighting mission, often oriented to a specific geographic region. A NAF is directly assigned operational units, such as wings, groups, and squadrons. NAFs are commanded by either a major general or lieutenant general.Wing
have a distinct mission with a specific scope, reporting to the NAF or HQ USAF. Wings are made up of one or more groups, consisting of several squadrons, and usually commanded by a colonel, but high visibility wings can have a brigadier general in command. Second in command to the Wing Commander is the Deputy Wing Commander who is and only can be a colonel. The senior enlisted personnel of a wing can be known as the Command Chief who holds the rank of command chief master sergeant. Wings now encompass both operations and support activities, and are usually one of three major types: operational wing, air base wing, and specialized mission wing. As of 2024 the USAF excluding the Air National Guard has 119 wings.Group
Made up of several squadrons and typically commanded by a colonel. Second in command to the group commander is the deputy group commander, who is also a colonel or lieutenant colonel ; in some cases, this role may be performed by a designated civilian, typically at the GS-15 level, with the alternative title of deputy group director. The senior enlisted member of a group is known as the group senior enlisted leader. This position can only be held by a chief master sergeant. The group was of less visibility for some decades but came back to prominence during a transition to the "objective wing" organization in the 1990s. This reorganization changed the base command structure from the "wing commander/base commander" scheme to a single wing commander with multiple groups under his command. There are two general types of groups: dependent ; and independent. As of 30 September 2006, USAF had 17 independent groups, nine of them flying establishments.Squadron
The squadron is considered to be the basic unit within the USAF and exists to " a specific operational or support capability." Squadrons are usually composed of two to six flights and contain from 35 to 700 people, depending upon the type.A squadron is usually commanded by a major or lieutenant colonel ; however lieutenant colonel is the most common rank for the squadron commander of most types of squadrons. Alternatively, a small number of squadrons are headed by civilian commander-equivalents, known as squadron directors - typically at the GS-15 pay grade.
Second in command of a squadron is typically a squadron operations officer or director of operations, who is usually a senior-ranking major. The DO may be assisted by one or two assistant operations officers, who are normally majors or senior-ranking captains.
In addition to flight subdivisions, the squadron may feature a number of "administrative" supporting elements that report directly to the commander. These may include a "command support staff" that handles personnel records and manpower management; a "secretary" or "executive officer" directly assigned to the SQ/CC; as well as "safety" and "standardization/evaluation" functional areas.
Air Force squadrons also include enlisted senior non-commissioned officer leadership to advise and support the commander. The SQ/CC is assisted by a chief master sergeant "senior enlisted leader" that handles enlisted programs and manpower within the squadron; as well as a "first sergeant" that serves as "a dedicated focal point for all readiness, health, morale, welfare, and quality of life issues within their organizations."
Flight
A flight is a subdivision of the squadron. Flights range from a dozen people to over a hundred; or typically four aircraft. A flight may be either a "Numbered or Named Flight", "alpha" flight, or a "Functional Flight".The flight commander, also referred to as an "Officer-In-Charge", is a company-grade officer typically at the rank of captain. The OIC is assisted by a senior non-commissioned officer, typically at the rank of senior master sergeant. Unlike squadrons, flight commanders are not on "G-Series Orders" and do not hold the same command authorities as the squadron.
The primary bulk of manpower and mission accomplishment within a squadron is located within the flights of the squadron. Most flights are broken into subdivisions known as sections and elements. While these subdivisions are not normally recognized by official Air Force reporting functions, they are typically recognized by their wing. These subdivisions exist to clump together specific missions or capabilities and serve to identify their purpose to the installation.
Section
A section is an internal subdivision of a flight. It is typically staffed by a non-commissioned or senior non-commissioned officer, typically at the rank of master sergeant ; who is referred to as a "Section Chief." Some sections may also be under the command of an "Officer-In-Charge", typically a company-grade-officer at the rank of second lieutenant or first lieutenant. Examples of sections include "Outbound Assignments" within the "Military Personnel Flight" of the "Force Support Squadron" and the "Avionics Intermediate Section" within the "Avionics Flight" of the "Maintenance Squadron."Some sections may be further subdivided into multiple elements, often referred to as "workcenters". Such elements are typically staffed by a "Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge" ; typically at the rank of technical sergeant. One such example is the division of "Infrastructure" and "Technical Control Facility" workcenters within the "Infrastructure Section" of the "Operations Flight" of a "Communications Squadron."
Historical organizations
Separate operating agency
Separate operating agencies were major Air Force subdivisions directly subordinate to HQ USAF and has all the "procedural responsibilities" of a MAJCOM. In 1991, most active SOAs changed in status to DRUs or FOAs.
Air division
Air divisions have existed since World War II when many of the Numbered Air Divisions began as wings. There were both named and numbered divisions, mostly air divisions. Recently HQ USAF gradually inactivated or redesignated divisions in an effort to encourage rapid decision-making and to create a more flat organizational structure without "middle management" units, and as such air divisions are rarely used.Reserve components and auxiliary
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard, often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Air National Guard is part of a state's National Guard and is divided up into units stationed in each of the 50 states and U.S. territories and operates under their respective state governor or territorial government. The Air National Guard may be called up for active duty by the state governors or territorial commanding generals to help respond to domestic emergencies and disasters, such as those caused by hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes.With the consent of state governors, members or units of the Air National Guard may be appointed, temporarily or indefinitely, to be federally recognized members of the armed forces, in the active or inactive service of the United States. If federally recognized, the member or unit becomes part of the Air National Guard of the United States, which is one of two reserve components of the United States Air Force, and part of the National Guard of the United States. 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.