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Under Secretary of the Air Force
Seal of the Department of the Air Force
Flag of the Under Secretary of the Air Force
Incumbent Melissa Dalton since May 29, 2024
Department of the Air Force
Style	Madam Under Secretary The Honorable
Reports to	Secretary of the Air Force
Seat	The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, United States
Nominator	The President with the advice and consent of the Senate
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 9015
Inaugural holder	Arthur S. Barrows
Formation	September 18, 1947
Succession	17th in SecDef succession by seniority of appointment
Deputy	Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force (Management) and Deputy Chief Management Office
Salary	Executive Schedule, level III
Website	www.af.mil

The under secretary of the Air Force (USECAF, or SAF/US), sometimes referred to as the under secretary of the Department of the Air Force, is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the Department of the Air Force of the United States of America, serving directly under the secretary of the Air Force. In the absence of the secretary, the under secretary exercises all the powers and duties of the secretary and serves as acting secretary when the position of secretary is vacant. The under secretary of the Air Force is appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The secretary and under secretary, together with two military officers (the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and the Chief of Space Operations), constitute the senior leadership team of the Department of the Air Force.

The under secretary of the Air Force supervises the following officials:

• Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics)
• Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management & Comptroller)
• Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Installations, Environment & Energy)
• Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs)
• Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Space Acquisition & Integration)
• General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force
• Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force (Management) and Deputy Chief Management Officer

List of under secretaries of the Air Force

No.	Portrait	Under Secretary	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Arthur S. Barrows (1884–1963)	September 18, 1947	April 21, 1950	2 years, 215 days
2		John A. McCone (1902–1991)	June 15, 1950	October 12, 1951	1 year, 119 days
3		Roswell L. Gilpatric (1906–1996)	October 19, 1951	February 5, 1953	1 year, 109 days
4		James H. Douglas, Jr. (1899–1988)	March 3, 1953	April 30, 1957	4 years, 58 days
5		Malcolm A. MacIntyre (1908–1992)	June 5, 1957	July 31, 1959	2 years, 56 days
6		Dudley C. Sharp (1905–1987)	August 3, 1959	December 10, 1959	129 days
7		Joseph V. Charyk (1920–2016)	January 28, 1960	March 1, 1963	3 years, 32 days
8		Brockway McMillan (1915–2016)	June 12, 1963	September 30, 1965	2 years, 110 days
9		Norman S. Paul (1919–1978)	October 1, 1965	September 30, 1967	1 year, 364 days
10		Townsend Hoopes (1922–2004)	October 2, 1967	February 3, 1969	1 year, 124 days
11		John L. McLucas (1920–2002)	March 17, 1969	July 18, 1973	~4 years, 123 days
12		James W. Plummer (1920–2013)	December 20, 1973	November 5, 1976	2 years, 321 days
-		John Joseph Martin (1922–1997) Acting	April 6, 1977	July 21, 1977	106 days
13		Hans M. Mark (1929–2021)	July 22, 1977	May 18, 1979	1 year, 300 days
-		Antonia Handler Chayes (born 1929) Acting	May 19, 1979	July 26, 1979	68 days
14		Antonia Handler Chayes (born 1929)	July 26, 1979	January 20, 1981	1 year, 178 days
15		Edward C. Aldridge, Jr. (born 1938)	August 3, 1981	June 8, 1986	4 years, 343 days
16		James F. McGovern (born 1946)	November 19, 1986	May 1, 1989	2 years, 163 days
17		Anne N. Foreman (born 1947)	May 1, 1989	January 20, 1993	3 years, 264 days
18		Rudy de Leon (born 1952)	May 5, 1994	August 5, 1997	3 years, 92 days
19		F. Whitten Peters (born 1946)	November 13, 1997	August 1, 1999	1 year, 261 days
20		Carol A. DiBattiste (born 1951)	August 5, 1999	January 8, 2001	1 year, 156 days
-		Lawrence J. Delaney (born 1935) Acting	January 20, 2001	May 31, 2001	~131 days
21		Peter B. Teets (1942–2020)	April 15, 2001	March 25, 2005	3 years, 344 days
22		Ronald M. Sega (born 1952)	August 4, 2005	August 2007	~2 years, 11 days
23		Erin C. Conaton (born 1970)	March 11, 2010	July 6, 2012	2 years, 117 days
-		Jamie M. Morin (born 1975) Acting	July 6, 2012	April 28, 2013	296 days
24		Eric Fanning (born 1968)	April 18, 2013	February 17, 2015	1 year, 305 days
25		Lisa S. Disbrow (born 1962)	March 30, 2015	June 30, 2017	2 years, 92 days
-		Patricia Zarodkiewicz Acting	June 30, 2017	August 3, 2017	34 days
26		Matthew Donovan (born 1958)	August 3, 2017	December 27, 2019	2 years, 146 days
-		John P. Roth (born 1952/1953) Acting	June 1, 2019	October 18, 2019	139 days
-		Shon J. Manasco (born 1970) Acting	December 27, 2019	January 20, 2021	1 year, 24 days
-		Anthony P. Reardon Acting	February 2, 2021	July 26, 2021	174 days
27		Gina Ortiz Jones (born 1981)	July 26, 2021	March 6, 2023	1 year, 223 days
-		Kristyn E. Jones Acting	March 6, 2023	May 29, 2024	1 year, 84 days
28		Melissa Dalton	May 29, 2024	Incumbent	204 days

See also

• Leadership of the National Reconnaissance Office

References

1. https://facebook.com/USairforce/videos/416675599780986/
2. "10 U.S. Code § 9015 - Under Secretary of the Air Force". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 5 July 2021.

Sources

• HAF MISSION DIRECTIVE 1–2, UNDER SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE, 8 SEPTEMBER 2008, accessed on 2011-01-10.
• Department of Defense Key Officials 1947–2004. Washington, D.C.: Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 2004
• Office of the Secretary of the Air Force – Organizational and Functional Charts 1947–1984. Washington, D.C.; Office of Air Force History, 1985
• Report To The Congress – Use of Missile Procurement Funds To Finance Research And Development Efforts – B-146876. Washington, D.C.; Comptroller General of the United States, 1969
• Watson, George M., Office of the Secretary of the Air Force 1947–65. Washington, D.C.; Center for Air Force History, 1993

External links

• United States Air Force biography

v t e United States secretaries of the Air Force
Secretaries	Symington Finletter Talbott Quarles Douglas Sharp Zuckert Brown Seamans McLucas Reed Stetson Mark Orr Rourke Aldridge Rice Widnall Peters Roche Wynne Donley James Wilson Barrett Kendall
Under secretaries	Barrows McCone Gilpatric Douglas MacIntyre Sharp Charyk McMillan Paul Hoopes McLucas Plummer Mark Chayes Aldridge McGovern Foreman De Leon Peters DiBattiste Teets Sega Conaton Fanning Disbrow Donovan Jones Dalton

v t e Senior officials in the United States Department of Defense
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks Secretaries of the Military Departments Secretary of the Army: Christine Wormuth Secretary of the Navy: Carlos Del Toro Secretary of the Air Force: Frank Kendall III Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Charles Q. Brown Jr., USAF Under Secretaries of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment: William A. LaPlante Research and Engineering: Heidi Shyu Policy: Amanda J. Dory (acting) Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer: Michael J. McCord Personnel and Readiness: Ashish Vazirani (acting) Intelligence: Milancy Harris (acting) Under Secretaries of the Military Departments Under Secretary of the Army: Gabe Camarillo Under Secretary of the Navy: Thomas Mancinelli (acting) Under Secretary of the Air Force: Melissa Dalton Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ADM Christopher W. Grady, USN Chiefs of the Military Services Chief of Staff of the Army: GEN Randy A. George Commandant of the Marine Corps: Gen Eric M. Smith Chief of Naval Operations: ADM Lisa M. Franchetti Chief of Staff of the Air Force: Gen David W. Allvin Chief of Space Operations: Gen B. Chance Saltzman Chief of the National Guard Bureau Gen Steven S. Nordhaus, USAF Unified Combatant Command Commanders Africa: Gen Michael E. Langley, USMC Central: GEN Michael E. Kurilla, USA Cyber: Gen Timothy D. Haugh, USAF European: GEN Christopher G. Cavoli, USA Indo-Pacific: ADM Samuel J. Paparo Jr., USN Northern: Gen Gregory M. Guillot, USAF Southern: ADM Alvin Holsey, USN Space: Gen Stephen N. Whiting, USSF Special Operations: GEN Bryan P. Fenton, USA Strategic: Gen Anthony J. Cotton, USAF Transportation: Gen Randall Reed, USAF
- Acting

v t e United States Air Force
Leadership	Department of the Air Force Secretary of the Air Force Under Secretary of the Air Force Air Staff Chief of Staff Vice Chief of Staff Director of Staff Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Four-star generals Three-star generals 1940–1959 2000–2009 2010–2019 2020–present House Armed Services Committee House Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Senate Committee on Armed Services Senate Subcommittee on Airland Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
Structure	Commands Reserve Air National Guard Field Operating Agencies Installations Direct Reporting Units District of Washington Operational Test and Evaluation Center USAF Academy Major commands ACC AETC AFGSC AFMC AFRC AFSOC AMC PACAF USAFE–AFAFRICA Numbered Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Expeditionary Fifteenth Sixteenth Eighteenth Nineteenth Twentieth Twenty-Second Wings ANG Groups ANG Squadrons ANG Security Forces Civilian auxiliary: Civil Air Patrol
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History and traditions	History Aeronautical Division / Aviation Section / Division of Military Aeronautics / Army Air Service / Army Air Corps / Army Air Forces "The U.S. Air Force" Air Force Band Airman's Creed Core Values Flag Symbol Memorial National Museum Women Airforce Service Pilots Air Force One / Air Force Two Honor Guard Thunderbirds Service numbers Air & Space Forces Association
Category

v t e United States Space Force
Leadership	Department of the Air Force Secretary of the Air Force Under Secretary of the Air Force Space Staff Chief of Space Operations Vice Chief of Space Operations Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force Director of Staff Deputy Chiefs of Space Operations General Officers Generals Lieutenant Generals Oversight House Armed Services Committee Strategic Forces subcommittee Senate Committee on Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee
Structure	Field commands Space Futures Command Space Operations Command Commander Space Systems Command Commander Space Training and Readiness Command Commander Component Field Commands United States Space Forces Central United States Space Forces Europe and Africa United States Space Forces Indo-Pacific United States Space Forces Korea United States Space Forces – Space Deltas Space Delta 1 Mission Delta 2 Mission Delta 3 Mission Delta 4 Space Delta 5 Space Delta 6 Space Delta 7 Space Delta 8 Space Delta 9 Space Delta 10 Space Delta 11 Space Delta 12 Space Delta 13 Space Delta 15 Space Delta 18 Space Delta 21 Space Delta 23 Space Delta 26 Space Launch Delta 30 Mission Delta 31 Space Launch Delta 45 Space Base Delta 1 Space Base Delta 2 Space Base Delta 3 Squadrons 1st Delta Operations 319th Combat Training 328th Weapons 392d Combat Training 533rd Training 21st Operations Support 15th Space Surveillance 18th Space Defense 19th Space Defense 20th Space Surveillance 3rd Combat Training 4th EW 5th EW 16th EW 23rd EW 2nd Space Warning 3rd satellite Communications 5th Space Warning 6th Space Warning 7th Space Warning 10th Space Warning 11th Space Warning 12th Space Warning 13th Space Warning 55th Combat Training 21st Space Operations 22nd Space Operations 23rd Space Operations 62nd Cyberspace 63rd Cyberspace 64th Cyberspace 65th Cyberspace 68th Cyberspace 69th Cyberspace 645th Cyberspace 71st ISR 72nd ISR 73rd ISR 74th ISR 75th ISR 76th ISR 1st Space Operations 2nd Navigation Warfare 3rd Space Operations 4th Space Operations 10th Space Operations 53rd Space Operations 527th Space Aggressor 1st Test and Evaluation 3rd Test and Evaluation 17th Test and Evaluation 25th Space Range 2nd Space Launch 5th Space Launch 1st Range Operations NSSI Direct reporting units Space Development Agency Space Rapid Capabilities Office Space Warfighting Analysis Center
Locations	Space Force Bases Buckley Los Angeles Patrick Peterson Schriever Vandenberg Space Bases Pituffik Space Force Stations Cape Canaveral Cape Cod Cavalier Cheyenne Mountain Clear Kaena Point New Boston
Personnel and training	Astronauts Awards and decorations Badges Ranks Training Academy Reserve Officer Training Corps Officer Training School Basic Military Training Uniforms
History and traditions	Delta Flag History Seal "Semper Supra" Air & Space Forces Association Space Force Association Former wings and deltas 21st Space Wing 50th Space Wing 460th Space Wing Space Training and Readiness Delta (Provisional)

• United States Air Force
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• United States Under Secretaries of the Air Force