A comprehensive look at the Air Force and the Space Force, including people, equipment, budget, weapons systems, and more. This Almanac was compiled by Amanda Miller, Aaron M.U. Church, and the staff of Air & Space Forces Magazine. We gratefully...
May/June 2025
Vol. 108, No. 5
As futuristic aviation programs gain priority, the F-35—the only in-production, fifth-generation American fighter—is facing new headwinds. Fresh debate over its challenges and its potential in the coming months will shape its future role in the force. The House’s $150 billion...
How one pilot’s unblinking focus on technology, tactics, and preparation helped turn the tide in the air war over North Vietnam. Operation Linebacker was conceived and promulgated from discussions at the bar at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand,...
USAF’s Capacity, Capability, and Readiness Crisis
The Cold War Air Force was bigger, deeper, and readier than today’s. Here’s why it’s time for a reset. For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States faces a true peer potential adversary in...
Heroes and Leaders: George E. Day
Name, rank, serial number … and the aftermath. Medal of Honor recipient George “Bud” Day was born in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1925. He grew up during the Depression and after dropping out of high school and joining the Marines...
Editorial: Preparing for a Fight
It is a law of survival, if not physics: In war, any advantage wielded by one side will be countered with an opposite, if not equal force, in a continuous back-and-forth until one or the other capitulates. The resultant innovation...
2025 USAF & USSF Almanac: DAF Personnel
DAF TOTAL FORCE END STRENGTH Fiscal 2024 end strength is as of Sept. 30, 2024, except where noted by a single *, which is an estimate provided in the fiscal 2025 Defense Department budget request. The White House had not...
2025 USAF & USSF Almanac: DOD Personnel
DOD TOTAL FORCE END STRENGTH Fiscal 2024 end strength is as of Sept. 30, 2024, except where noted by a single *. Congress approved a full-year continuing resolution to fund the government for fiscal 2025 at the same levels as...
2025 USAF & USSF Almanac: Pay & Allowances
ANNUAL MILITARY BASIC PAY (Effective Jan. 1, 2025) GRADE 2 3 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 COMMISSIONED OFFICERS O-10 — — — — — — — — — — 225,698 225,698...
2025 USAF & USSF Almanac: USAF Major Commands
The Air Force has six Institutional Commands focused on the recruit, train, and equip function of the department, and 10 Service Component Commands focused on meeting the needs of the nation’s joint combatant commands.
2025 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, lead by the Chief of Space Operations.
2025 USAF & USSF Almanac: Spending
The annual defense budget is prepared by the Department of Defense, reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, and then submitted to Congress. Yet it is Congress that has the final say. The House and Senate must...
2025 USAF & USSF Almanac: Equipment
Total aircraft inventory; aircraft inventory trends; ICBM and satellite inventory; and aircraft age. Aircraft Total Active Inventory (TAI) (As of Sept. 30, 2024) ACTIVE ANG AFRC TOTAL FORCE AVG. AGE BOMBER B-1B Lancer[i] 46 0 0 46 37.40 B-2A Spirit[i]...
Faces of the Force
Tell us who you think we should highlight here. Write to letters@afa.org While skiing in the Italian Alps,Senior Airman Sebastian d’Alton, an Air Force Pararescueman with the 57th Rescue Sq., Aviano AB, Italy, put his rescue training to use when...
Letters
We love letters! Write to us at letters@afa.org. To be published, letters should be timely, relevant and concise. Include your name and location. Letters may be edited for space and the editors have final say on which are published. The...
Verbatim
Still Smaller, Still Older “The fleet is aging; 30-plus years on average. Some of the … critical platforms, are significantly older than that. When I was a navigator, I never flew a KC-135 that was younger than me. They’re...
WORLD: Air
Meink, 27th Secretary, Gets to Work Air Force vet brings deep space experience. By Chris Gordon and Rachel Cohen Troy E. Meink was sworn in as Secretary of the Air Force May 16, a career civil servant who brings extensive...
WORLD: Weapons Development
Air Force Reveals Range and Inventory Goals for F-47, CCAs By John A. Tirpak The F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter will have a combat radius greater than 1,000 miles—nearly double that of the F-22—and the Air Force plans to acquire...
WORLD: Space
Guetlein to Lead ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Shield Program By Chris Gordon President Donald Trump aims to deploy his signature Golden Dome missile defense shield before the end of his term and he picked the Space Force’s No. 2 officer, Gen....
WORLD: Air Operations
US Doubles Airstrikes in Somalia, Surpassing 2024 Levels By Chris Gordon U.S. Africa Command has ratcheted up airstrikes in Somalia as it looks to pressure militants there, the head of the command told reporters May 30. Marine Corps Gen. Michael...
2025 USAF & USSF Almanac: Glossary of Acronyms & Abbreviations
A non-exhaustive list of acronyms and abbreviations found in the 2025 Almanac.
AFA IN ACTION: Deptula, Chilton Earn AFHF Lifetime Honors
The Air Force Historical Foundation honored a pair of storied Airmen with lifetime achievement awards at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center May 22. Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, dean of AFA’s Mitchell Institute...
AFA IN ACTION: AFA McChord Makes 7-Year-Old Benny a C-17 ‘Pilot for a Day’
At Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), a little boy with a huge heart became a hero among heroes. On April 16 and 17, AFA’s McChord Field Chapter in Tacoma, Wash., in partnership with McChord’s 4th Airlift Squadron, brought back a beloved...
