After 76 years, the Air Force Association is changing its name to the Air & Space Forces Association to better match its mission supporting and advocating for both Airmen and Guardians.
AFA was incorporated on Feb. 4, 1946—more than a year before the Air Force broke away from the Army and became an independent service under the National Security Act of 1947. The Space Force was established on Dec. 20, 2019, creating a new military service for the first time in more than seven decades, and marking one of the most significant changes in the history of the Air Force.
“Today, both military services are represented by the Department of the Air Force, and thus, both are fully represented by our Association,” said AFA Chairman Gerald Murray, former Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. “This change makes clear to everyone that space is integral to our mission.”
Although the association will retain the AFA acronym, which it has used since its inception, it also unveiled a new Star-Delta logo intended to “redefine what those letters stand for,” according to an AFA release. The logo merges a modernized blue star on the left, derived from the original “Hap Arnold” Army Air Corps Star, with the Space Force’s black Delta and Polaris.
“These elements have been combined to present a unique visual identity that reflects the dynamism and permanent bonds between these two services and their respective warfighting domains,” said Murray. “The Polaris in particular is of note, as it represents the Space Force’s unique role as a guiding light and enabler for the whole of the joint force.”
The rebranding is intended to capture the association’s full mission:
- To educate the public about air and space power
- To advocate for the most capable, lethal, and effective Air and Space Forces
- To support Airmen, Guardians, and their families.
“AFA has always been fully committed to supporting both the Air Force and Space Force as the most indispensable elements of our joint force,” said AFA President Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, USAF (Ret.). “Even now, as the Space Force grows, expands, and builds its own, unique warfighting culture, air and space remain inextricably linked. The Airmen and Guardians who are the masters of those domains nevertheless remain tightly integrated within a single Department of the Air Force. So it is with our Association.”