Under Secretary of the Air Force
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| Under Secretary of the Air Force | |
|---|---|
 Arthur E. DuBois, according to United States Air Force Seal[1] · Public domain · source | |
| Post | Under Secretary of the Air Force |
| Insigniasize | 120 |
| Incumbent | Gina Ortiz Jones |
| Incumbentsince | 2023-04-07 |
| Department | United States Department of the Air Force |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Reports to | Secretary of the Air Force |
| Seat | The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia |
| Appointer | President of the United States |
| Appointer qualifications | with Senate advice and consent |
| Formation | 1947 |
| First | John A. McCone |
Under Secretary of the Air Force is a senior civilian official in the United States Department of the Air Force who serves as the principal deputy to the Secretary of the Air Force and performs statutory, administrative, and policy duties related to the United States Air Force, United States Space Force, and associated acquisition, personnel, and budget matters. The office interfaces with the Department of Defense, White House, United States Congress, and federal agencies to implement defense strategy, manage resources, and oversee civil-military relations. The Under Secretary often represents the Department in interagency forums, congressional hearings, and international defense cooperation with allies and partners.
Role and Responsibilities
The Under Secretary coordinates policy and administration across the United States Air Force and United States Space Force while supporting the Secretary of the Air Force in interactions with the Secretary of Defense, President of the United States, and committees of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Responsibilities include oversight of acquisition programs tied to Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon Technologies, management of budgets submitted to the Office of Management and Budget, and stewardship of personnel policies affecting members assigned under positions like the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and the Chief of Space Operations. The office administers civilian workforce matters influenced by statutes such as the National Security Act of 1947 and interfaces with agencies including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Federal Aviation Administration on matters spanning acquisition, research, benefits, and airspace integration. The Under Secretary also supervises programs in areas like nuclear deterrence coordinated with United States Strategic Command, cyber operations linked to United States Cyber Command, and intelligence partnerships involving the National Reconnaissance Office and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
History
The office traces to organizational changes following the passage of the National Security Act of 1947 and the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate service, evolving through Cold War-era expansions involving figures such as John A. McCone and later leaders who navigated crises like the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Cold War. Throughout the late 20th century, incumbents engaged with procurement programs including the F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the B-2 Spirit as well as with space-era initiatives such as Project Mercury partnerships and later programs tied to GPS. Post-9/11 operations in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom shifted priorities toward expeditionary logistics, unmanned systems like the MQ-1 Predator, and counterinsurgency sustainment in coordination with the United States Central Command. The creation of the United States Space Force in 2019 required adaptation of responsibilities to include space domain advocacy within the National Space Council and coordination with international partners such as NATO and bilateral partners like Japan and Australia on space security and satellite resilience.
Appointment and Succession
The Under Secretary is nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate consistent with appointments under the Appointments Clause and committee review by the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. Statutory succession places the Under Secretary in line after the Secretary of the Air Force and before certain assistant secretaries for purposes of continuity under regulations from the Secretary of Defense and directives such as the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. The office has at times been filled by Acting Under Secretaries nominated from among senior officials drawn from organizations including the Office of the Secretary of Defense, United States Air Force Personnel Center, and defense think tanks like the RAND Corporation.
Officeholders
Notable holders have included early appointees like John A. McCone and later civilians with backgrounds spanning Congress staff, defense industry leadership, and public service. Figures who held the post interacted with Secretaries such as James V. Forrestal, Melvin Laird, Les Aspin, and modern Cabinet-level leaders across administrations from Harry S. Truman through Joseph R. Biden Jr.. Officeholders frequently moved between roles in the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, the Defense Department, and private sector firms such as General Electric and Pratt & Whitney while engaging with international defense bodies including the United Nations and multilateral forums like the Arms Trade Treaty negotiations.
Organizational Structure and Staff
The Under Secretary oversees a staff organized into directorates and offices that coordinate acquisition, budgeting, personnel, installations, and civil affairs. Key subordinate positions include Assistant Secretaries responsible for Acquisition, Space Policy, Financial Management, and Manpower — posts that liaise with program executive officers at Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Space Command predecessors, and centers like the Aeronautical Systems Center and the Space and Missile Systems Center. The office works closely with uniformed leadership including the Secretary of Defense’s staff, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commanders such as the Commander, United States European Command, and defense laboratory partners like Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. Legal, legislative, public affairs, and inspector general offices provide oversight in coordination with the Government Accountability Office and congressional oversight bodies.
Key Initiatives and Policy Influence
Under Secretaries have driven initiatives in acquisition reform, modernization of air and space platforms, and integration of emerging technologies such as hypersonics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems in collaboration with agencies like DARPA and firms including Amazon Web Services and Palantir Technologies. Policy influence spans nuclear modernization with Air Force Global Strike Command coordination, space resiliency programs tied to Space Command constructs, and workforce transformation responding to educational pipelines from institutions like the United States Air Force Academy and research partnerships with universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Georgia Institute of Technology. The role shapes export controls and defense industrial base policies involving the Bureau of Industry and Security and international sales through Defense Security Cooperation Agency, while engaging in crisis response and humanitarian assistance with partners like the United States Agency for International Development and International Red Cross.