The US Air Force begins operations as a separate service, with W. Stuart Symington as its first Secretary. Gen. Carl A. “Tooey” Spaatz, Commanding General of the AAF, becomes the first Chief of Staff on Sept. 26.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III conducted virtual talks on April 16 with his Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun, Beijing's Minister of Defense, marking the first direct talk between defense chiefs of the two nations in close to two years.