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,[1] 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.[2] The under secretary of the Air Force is appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
| Under Secretary of the Air Force | |
|---|---|
Seal of the Department of the Air Force
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Flag of the Under Secretary of the Air Force
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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 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:
| 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 | 21 days |
