If there’s a takeaway from the Biden administration’s fiscal 2022 defense budget, it’s this: The Air Force remains the billpayer for space capabilities, and it does so at the nation’s peril.
June/July 2021
Vol. 104, No. 6
As Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration, and Requirements at Air Force Headquarters in the Pentagon, Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote is sometimes dubbed “the Air Force futurist.” He is responsible for developing Air Force strategy and multi-domain operating concepts, and for integrating through centralized design and validation the service’s operational requirements. Air Force Magazine Editors Amy McCullough, Tobias Naegele, and John A. Tirpak interviewed him via Zoom in late April.
A comprehensive look at the Air Force and the Space Force, including people, equipment, budget, weapons systems, and more.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Department of the Air Force
The command structure of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force; Numbered Air Forces and centers.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Personnel
Personnel by the numbers: Total Force; end strength and manpower trends; breakdowns by gender, rank, region, command, base, Air Force Specialty Codes, sex, ethnicity, race, marital status, and education.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: DOD Personnel
DOD Personnel by the numbers, including Total Force End Strength and Demographics by service, rank, sex, and education.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Specialty Codes
Total Force Airmen and Guardians by Air Force Specialty Code.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Pay & Allowances
Military basic pay; housing allowance; hazardous duty pay; federal civilian pay, incentive pay, housing allowances, and SES pay.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Rank Insignia of the Armed Forces
Rank Insignia of the Armed Forces, including Air Force, Space Force, Army, Navy & Coast Guard, and Marine Corps.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Awards & Decorations
Ribbons in order of precedence; devices; specialty berets.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Spending
The Defense Department Budget rolls up the total spending by each military department—the Departments of the Air Force (which also includes the Space Force), the Navy (which also includes the Marine Corps), and the Army.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Equipment
Total aircraft inventory; aircraft inventory trends; ICBM and satellite inventory; aircraft age; tail codes.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: U.S. Space Force
The U.S. Space Force was created on Dec. 20, 2019. The Space Force exists as a separate military service within the Department of the Air Force, with its own service chief. The Chief of Space Operations is a member of...
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: USSF Historical Lineage
The U.S. Space Force traces its roots to the beginning of the Cold War, with the first Air Force space programs starting in 1945. USAF’s Western Development Division, under Gen. Bernard A. Schriever, was established in 1954 as the first...
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: USAF Major Commands and Air National Guard
USAF Major Command profiles, equipment, personnel, wings, and centers.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: FOAs, DRUs, and Civil Air Patrol
Brief descriptions of each; Active-duty personnel numbers.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Air Force Wings
Emblems and Majcom affiliation.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Air Force Leaders Through the Years
Principal USAF and major command leaders through the years.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: USAF & USSF Installations
A guide to Active duty, Reserve, and Air National Guard installations worldwide; locator maps for U.S. and overseas installations and operating bases.
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Weapons & Platforms
A detailed guide to the aircraft, aerial target systems, weapons systems, and satellite systems in USAF and USSF inventory. Click image to open 42-page pdf
2021 USAF & USSF Almanac: Glossary of Acronyms & Abbreviations
A non-exhaustive list of acronyms and abbreviations found in the 2021 Almanac.
Cost-Effective Long-Range Strike
The Army’s initiative to generate long-range fires frays when stacked against conventional air and naval options.
Strategy & Policy
The interim National Security Strategy guidance, together with the fiscal 2022 defense budget request, make clear that whatever their other differences, the Biden administration will stick with the National Defense Strategy put forward by the Trump administration.
Heroes and Leaders: Balloon Buster
Frank Luke shot down 18 enemy aircraft in his 18-day run in World War I.
Letters
Do you have a comment about a current article in the magazine? Write to “Letters,” Air Force Magazine, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209-1198 or email us at letters@afa.org.
Verbatim
A collection of quotes on airpower and national security issues.
World
DOD’s Budget; F-15EX at Northern Edge; China’s Strategic Advancement; ABMS in New Phase; Scoring for New PT test; and more ...
Faces of the Force
Know of someone we should recognize? Send nominees to afmag@afa.org
AFA Elected National Leaders
Air Force Association Leadership
