United States Under Secretary of the Air Force

Under Secretary of the Air Force
Seal of the Department of the Air Force
Flag of the Under Secretary of the Air Force
Incumbent Gina Ortiz Jones since July 26, 2021
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

Under Secretaries of the Air Force

No.	Portrait	Name	Tenure
1		Arthur S. Barrows	September 26, 1947 – April 21, 1950
2		John A. McCone	June 15, 1950 – October 12, 1951
3		Roswell L. Gilpatric	October 19, 1951 – February 5, 1953
4		James H. Douglas, Jr.	March 3, 1953 – April 30, 1957
5		Malcolm A. MacIntyre	June 5, 1957 – July 31, 1959
6		Dudley C. Sharp	August 3, 1959 – December 10, 1959
7		Joseph V. Charyk	January 28, 1960 – March 1, 1963
8		Brockway McMillan	June 12, 1963 – September 30, 1965
9		Norman S. Paul	October 1965 – September 1967
10		Townsend Hoopes	September 1967 – February 1969
11		John L. McLucas	February 1969 – July 19, 1973
12		James W. Plummer	December 21, 1973 – June 28, 1976
13		Hans M. Mark	1977 – July 26, 1979
14		Antonia Handler Chayes	1979–1981
15		Edward C. Aldridge, Jr.	1981 – June 9, 1986
16		James McGovern	December 1986 – April 29, 1989
17		Anne N. Foreman	May 1, 1989 – January 20, 1993
18		Rudy de Leon	1994–1997
19		F. Whitten Peters	1997 – July 30, 1999
20		Carol A. DiBattiste	August 1999 – January 20, 2001
Acting		Lawrence J. Delaney	January 20, 2001 – May 31, 2001
21		Peter B. Teets	June 1, 2001 – 2005
22		Ronald M. Sega	August 2005 – August 2007
Vacancy 2007–2010
23		Erin C. Conaton	March 15, 2010 – January 23, 2012
Acting		Jamie M. Morin	July 3, 2012 – April 28, 2013
24		Eric Fanning	April 18, 2013 – February 17, 2015
25		Lisa S. Disbrow	March 30, 2015 – June 30, 2017
Acting		Patricia Zarodkiewicz	June 30, 2017 – August 3, 2017
26		Matthew Donovan	August 3, 2017 – December 27, 2019
Acting		John P. Roth	June 1, 2019 – October 18, 2019
Acting		Shon J. Manasco	December 27, 2019 – January 20, 2021
Acting		Anthony P. Reardon	February 2, 2021 – July 26, 2021
27		Gina Ortiz Jones	July 26, 2021 – present

See also

• Leadership of the National Reconnaissance Office

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