Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force - wikipedia Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force Chief of Staff of the Air Force CSAF or CC / AF Seal of the Chief of Staff Flag of the Chief of Staff Incumbent General David L. Goldfein since July 1, 2016 Department of the Air Force The Air Staff Member of Joint Chiefs of Staff Reports to Secretary of Defense Secretary of the Air Force Appointer The President with Senate advice and consent Term length 4 years Renewable Constituting instrument 10 U.S.C. § 8033 Precursor Commanding General, United States Army Air Forces Formation September 18, 1947 First holder Carl A. Spaatz Deputy Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Website Official Website The Chief of Staff of the Air Force ( acronym : CSAF, or AF / CC ) is a statutory office ( 10 U.S.C. § 8033 ) held by a four - star general in the United States Air Force, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Air Force ; and is in a separate capacity a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and thereby a military adviser to the National Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, and the President. The Chief of Staff is typically the highest - ranking officer on active - duty in the U.S. Air Force unless the Chairman and / or the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are Air Force officers. The Chief of Staff of the Air Force is an administrative position based in the Pentagon, and while the Chief of Staff does not have operational command authority over Air Force forces ( that is within the purview of the Combatant Commanders who report to the Secretary of Defense ), the Chief of Staff does exercise supervision of Air Force units and organizations as the designee of the Secretary of the Air Force. The current Chief of Staff of the Air Force is General David L. Goldfein. Contents 1 Responsibilities 1.1 Department of the Air Force 1.2 Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 2 Appointment and rank 2.1 Special uniform cap 3 List of Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Air Force ( 1947 -- present ) 4 See also 5 References 5.1 Notes 6 External links Responsibilities Department of the Air Force Under the authority, direction and control of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Chief of Staff presides over the Air Staff, acts as the Secretary 's executive agent in carrying out approved plans, and exercises supervision, consistent with authority assigned to Commanders of the Combatant Commands, over organizations and members of the Air Force as determined by the Secretary. The Chief of Staff may also perform other duties as assigned by either the President, the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of the Air Force. The Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, also a four - star general, is the Chief of Staff 's principal deputy. Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Chief of Staff of the Air Force is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as prescribed by 10 U.S.C. § 151. When performing his JCS duties the Chief of Staff is responsible directly to the Secretary of Defense. Like the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CSAF is an administrative position, with no operational command authority over the United States Air Force. Appointment and rank The CSAF is nominated for appointment by the President and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate. By statute, the CSAF is appointed as a four - star general. Special uniform cap The Chief of Staff is also authorized to wear a special service cap with clouds and lightning bolts around the band of the hat. This cap is different from those worn by other general officers of the Air Force and it is for use by the Chief of Staff and Air Force officers serving as Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. List of Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Air Force ( 1947 -- present ) Prior to the creation of this position, General Henry H. Arnold was designated first Chief of the Army Air Forces and Commanding General of the Army Air Forces during World War II. No. Image Name Term of Office Primary Background Secretaries served under : Began Ended Days of Service Air Force Defense Carl A. Spaatz September 26, 1947 April 29, 1948 216 Fighters Stuart Symington James Forrestal Hoyt S. Vandenberg April 30, 1948 June 29, 1953 1887 Attack and Fighters Stuart Symington Thomas K. Finletter Harold E. Talbott James Forrestal Louis A. Johnson George C. Marshall Robert A. Lovett Charles E. Wilson Nathan F. Twining * June 30, 1953 June 30, 1957 1461 Fighters and Bombers Harold E. Talbott Donald A. Quarles James H. Douglas, Jr. Charles E. Wilson Thomas D. White July 1, 1957 June 30, 1961 1460 Observation aircraft and Staff James H. Douglas, Jr. Dudley C. Sharp Eugene M. Zuckert Charles E. Wilson Neil H. McElroy Thomas S. Gates Robert S. McNamara 5 Curtis E. LeMay June 30, 1961 January 31, 1965 1311 Bombers Eugene M. Zuckert Robert S. McNamara 6 John P. McConnell February 1, 1965 July 31, 1969 1641 Fighters Eugene M. Zuckert Harold Brown Robert C. Seamans, Jr. Robert S. McNamara Clark M. Clifford Melvin R. Laird 7 John D. Ryan August 1, 1969 July 31, 1973 1460 Bombers Robert C. Seamans, Jr. John L. McLucas Melvin R. Laird Elliot Richardson James R. Schlesinger 8 George S. Brown * August 1, 1973 June 30, 1974 333 Bombers John L. McLucas James R. Schlesinger 9 David C. Jones * July 1, 1974 June 20, 1978 1450 Bombers John L. McLucas Thomas C. Reed John C. Stetson James R. Schlesinger Donald H. Rumsfeld Harold Brown 10 Lew Allen Jr. July 1, 1978 June 30, 1982 1460 Bombers John C. Stetson Hans Mark Verne Orr Harold Brown Caspar Weinberger 11 Charles A. Gabriel July 1, 1982 June 30, 1986 1460 Fighters Verne Orr Russell A. Rourke Edward C. Aldridge Jr. Caspar Weinberger 12 Larry D. Welch July 1, 1986 June 30, 1990 1460 Fighters Edward C. Aldridge Jr. Donald B. Rice Caspar Weinberger Frank Carlucci Dick Cheney 13 Michael J. Dugan July 1, 1990 September 17, 1990 78 Fighters Donald B. Rice Dick Cheney ( Acting ) John M. Loh September 18, 1990 October 29, 1990 41 Fighters 14 Merrill A. McPeak October 30, 1990 October 25, 1994 1456 Fighters Donald B. Rice Sheila E. Widnall Dick Cheney Les Aspin William J. Perry 15 Ronald R. Fogleman October 26, 1994 September 1, 1997 1041 Fighters Sheila E. Widnall William J. Perry William S. Cohen ( Acting ) Ralph E. Eberhart September 2, 1997 October 5, 1997 33 Fighters William S. Cohen 16 Michael E. Ryan October 6, 1997 September 5, 2001 1430 Fighters Sheila E. Widnall F. Whitten Peters James G. Roche William S. Cohen Donald H. Rumsfeld 17 John P. Jumper September 6, 2001 September 2, 2005 1457 Fighters James G. Roche Donald H. Rumsfeld 18 T. Michael Moseley September 2, 2005 July 12, 2008 1044 Fighters Michael Wynne Donald H. Rumsfeld Robert M. Gates ( Acting ) Duncan J. McNabb July 12, 2008 August 12, 2008 31 Airlift Michael B. Donley Robert M. Gates 19 Norton A. Schwartz August 12, 2008 August 10, 2012 1459 Airlift and Special Operations aircraft Michael B. Donley Robert M. Gates Leon Panetta 20 Mark A. Welsh III August 10, 2012 June 24, 2016 1414 Attack and Fighters Michael B. Donley Deborah Lee James Leon Panetta Chuck Hagel Ashton Carter 21 David L. Goldfein July 1, 2016 Incumbent 549 Fighters Deborah Lee James Heather Wilson Ashton Carter James Mattis * Three former chiefs of staff would later serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff : Twining served as the Chairman from August 1957 to September 1960. Brown served as the Chairman from July 1974 to June 1978. Jones served as the Chairman from June 1978 to June 1982. The fourth Air Force officer to have served as the Chairman, General Richard B. Myers, did not serve as Chief of Staff of the Air Force. McPeak is the only Chief of Staff of the Air Force to date who has served as Acting Secretary of the Air Force ( from July 14, 1993 to August 5, 1993 before Sheila Widnall took office as Secretary ), thus being the only uniformed Air Force officer to have truly been the `` head of the Air Force ''. See also United States Air Force portal Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force References Department of Defense Key Officials 1947 -- 2015 ( PDF ). Washington DC : Office of the Secretary of Defense, Historical Office. 2015. HAF MISSION DIRECTIVE 1 - 4 - CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE AIR FORCE ( PDF ). Washington DC : Secretary of the Air Force. 7 March 2012. Headquarters United States Air Force Key Personnel ( PDF ). Washington DC : Air Force Historical Studies Office. January 2013. Notes ^ Jump up to : ( 1 ) 10 USC 8033. Chief of Staff Jump up ^ ( 2 ) 10 USC 8034. Vice Chief of Staff Jump up ^ ( 3 ), Accessed on 2011 - 09 - 12 Jump up ^ ( 4 ) ^ Jump up to : ( 5 ) External links Air Force History Support Office : Air Force Chiefs of Staff Chiefs of Staff of the Air Force Spaatz Vandenberg Twining White LeMay McConnell J.D. Ryan Brown Jones Allen Gabriel Welch Dugan Loh ( acting ) McPeak Fogleman Eberhart ( acting ) M.E. Ryan Jumper Moseley McNabb ( acting ) Schwartz Welsh Goldfein Senior officials in the United States Department of Defense Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan Secretaries of the Military Departments Secretary of the Army : Mark Esper Secretary of the Navy : Richard V. Spencer Secretary of the Air Force : Heather Wilson Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Joe Dunford, USMC Under Secretaries of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics : Ellen Lord Policy : David Trachtenberg Comptroller / Chief Financial Officer : David Norquist Personnel and Readiness : Robert Wilkie Intelligence : Joseph D. Kernan Deputy Chief Management Officer John H. Gibson Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Paul Selva, USAF Chiefs of the Military Services Chief of Staff of the Army : GEN Mark Milley Commandant of the Marine Corps : Gen Robert Neller Chief of Naval Operations : ADM John Richardson Chief of Staff of the Air Force : Gen David Goldfein Chief of the National Guard Bureau Gen Joseph Lengyel, USAF Unified Combatant Command Commanders Africa : Gen Tom Waldhauser, USMC Central : GEN Joe Votel, USA European : GEN Mike Scaparrotti, USA Northern : Gen Lori Robinson, USAF Pacific : ADM Harry Harris, USN Southern : ADM Kurt Tidd, USN Special Operations : GEN Tony Thomas, USA Strategic : Gen John Hyten, USAF Transportation : Gen Darren McDew, USAF - Acting United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Dunford ( Chairman ) Selva ( Vice Chairman ) Milley ( Army ) Richardson ( Navy ) Neller ( Marine Corps ) Goldfein ( Air Force ) Lengyel ( National Guard ) United States Air Force Leadership Secretary of the Air Force Under Secretary of the Air Force Chief of Staff Vice Chief of Staff Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Four - star generals 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 AFSPC AFSOC AMC USAFE PACAF Numbered Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Fourteenth Seventeenth Eighteenth Nineteenth Twentieth Twenty - Second Twenty - Fourth Twenty - Fifth Air Forces Central Wings ANG Groups ANG Squadrons ANG Security Forces Civilian auxiliary : Civil Air Patrol Personnel and training Airmen Rank officers enlisted Specialty Code Aeronautical ratings Judge Advocate General 's Corps RED HORSE Medical Service Chief of Chaplains Chief Scientist Training : Air Force Academy Officer Training School Reserve Officer Training Corps Basic Training Airman Leadership School SERE Fitness Assessment Uniforms and equipment Awards and decorations Badges Equipment Uniforms 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 The Airmen of Note Tops In Blue Airman 's Creed Core Values Flag Symbol Memorial National Museum Air Force One Honor Guard Thunderbirds Service numbers Category United States Air Force portal United States Armed Forces Book Portal MC AF CG Category MC AF CG Navbox MC AF CG Leadership Commander - in - chief : President of the United States Secretary of Defense Deputy Secretary of Defense Secretary of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Joint Chiefs of Staff : Chairman Vice Chairman United States Congress : Committees on Armed Services : Senate House Active duty four - star officers United States military seniority National Security Act of 1947 Goldwater -- Nichols Act Organization Service departments Department of Defense ( Secretary ) : Army ( Secretary ) Navy ( Secretary ) Air Force ( Secretary ) Department of Homeland Security ( Secretary ) : Coast Guard Branches Army ( Chief of Staff ) Marine Corps ( Commandant ) Navy ( Chief of Naval Operations ) Air Force ( Chief of Staff ) Coast Guard ( Commandant ) Reserve components Reserves : Army Marine Corps Reserve N AF CG National Guard : A AF Civilian auxiliaries Military Auxiliary Radio System Merchant Marine Civil Air Patrol Coast Guard Auxiliary Unified Combatant Command Northern Central European Pacific Southern Africa Special Operations Strategic Transportation Structure United States Code Title 10 Title 14 Title 32 Title 50 The Pentagon Installations Units : A MC N AF CG Logistics Media Unit mottoes Operations and history Current deployments Conflicts Wars Timeline History : A MC N AF CG Colonial World War II Civil affairs African Americans Asian Americans Buddhist Americans Jewish Americans Muslim Americans Pakistani Americans Sikh Americans Historiography : Army Center of Military History MC History Division Naval History and Heritage Command Air Force Historical Research Agency American official war artists : Army Art Program AF Art Program Personnel Training MEPS ASVAB Recruit training : A MC N AF CG Officer candidate school : A MC N AF Warrant : A MC Service academies : A ( prep ) N ( prep ) AF ( prep ) CG Merchant Marine ROTC A : ECP MC / N AF Medical Other education Uniforms Uniforms : A MC N AF CG Awards & decorations : Inter-service A MC / N AF CG Foreign International Devices Badges : Identification A MC N AF CG Ranks Enlisted : A MC N AF CG Warrant officers Officer : A MC N AF CG Other Oath : Enlistment Office Creeds & Codes : Code of Conduct NCO A MC N AF CG Service numbers : A MC N AF CG Military Occupational Specialty / Rating / Air Force Specialty Code Pay Uniform Code of Military Justice Judge Advocate General 's Corps Military Health System / TRICARE Separation Veterans Affairs Conscription Chiefs of Chaplains : A MC N AF CG Equipment MC : vehicles weapons other AF CG Land Individual weapons Crew - served weapons Vehicles ( active ) Sea All watercraft Ships : A N ( active ) AF CG MSC Weapons : N CG Aircraft : N CG Reactors Air Aircraft World War I active Aircraft designation Missiles Helicopter arms Other Nuclear football Electronics ( designations ) Flags : A MC N AF CG Ensign Jack Guidons Food WMDs : Nuclear Biological Chemical Legend A = Army MC = Marine Corps N = Navy AF = Air Force CG = Coast Guard Highest military ranks General officer Flag officer Air officer Imperator Marshal of Italy Generalissimo Generalissimus of the Soviet Union Supreme Allied Commander Admiral of the Navy General of the Armies General of the Air Force Generalfeldmarschall Mareşal Marshal of the air force Marshal of the Soviet Union Marshal of the Russian Federation Mushir Magister militum Spahbed Ispahsalar Beylerbey Bojni Vojvoda Chom Thap Thai Constable of France Domestic of the Schools Grand Domestic Shogun Dux bellorum Grand marshal Hetman Jenderal besar Polemarch Reichsmarschall Federal General of Switzerland Sardar Serasker Autokrator First marshal of the empire Da yuan shuai Dai - gensui Taewonsu Yuan shuai Wonsu Marshal of Yugoslavia Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chief_of_Staff_of_the_United_States_Air_Force&oldid=813393818 '' Categories : Air force chiefs of staff Chiefs of Staff of the United States Air Force Joint Chiefs of Staff United States Air Force appointments United States Air Force generals Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Bahasa Melayu 日本 語 Русский Suomi Svenska Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 3 December 2017, at 13 : 07. About Wikipedia

Question: who is the highest ranking air force officer
Answer: General David L. Goldfein