United States Secretary of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force ( SECAF , or SAF / OS ) is the Head of the Department of the Air Force , a component organization within the Department of Defense of the United States of America . The Secretary of the Air Force is appointed from civilian life by the President , by and with the advice and consent of the Senate . The Secretary reports to the Secretary of Defense and / or the Deputy Secretary of Defense , and is by statute responsible for and has the authority to conduct all the affairs of the Department of the Air Force . The Secretary works closely with his / her civilian deputy , the Under Secretary of the Air Force ; and his / her military deputy , the Chief of Staff of the Air Force , who is the senior ranked uniformed officer in the United States Air Force . The first Secretary of the Air Force , Stuart Symington , was sworn - in on September 18 , 1947 upon the re - organization of the Army Air Forces into a military department and a military service of its own , independent of the War Department / Army , with the enactment of the National Security Act . The salary of SECAF IS $ 179 , 700 , Level II . Responsibilities . The Secretary is the head of the Department of the Air Force , analogous to that of a chief executive officer of a corporation . The Department of the Air Force is defined as a " Military Department " . It is not limited to the Washington headquarter staffs , rather it is an entity which includes all the components of the United States Air Force and the Air National Guard : The exclusive responsibilities of the Secretary of the Air Force are enumerated in Title 10 Section 8013 ( b ) of the United States Code . They include , but are not limited to : By direction of the Secretary of Defense , the Secretary of the Air Force assigns military units of the Department of the Air Force , other than those who carry out the functions listed in " 10 USC 8013 ( b ) " , to the Unified and Specified Combatant Commands to perform missions assigned to those commands . Air Force units while assigned to Combatant Commands may only be re - assigned by authority of the Secretary of Defense . However , the chain of command for Air Force units for other purposes than the operational direction goes from the " President " to the " Secretary of Defense " to the " Secretary of the Air Force " to the " Commanders of Air Force Commands " . Air Force Officers have to report on any matter to the Secretary , or the Secretary ' s designate , when requested . The Secretary has the authority to detail , prescribe the duties , and to assign air force service members and civilian employees , and may also change the title of any activity not statutorily designated . The Secretary has several responsibilities under the Uniform Code of Military Justice ( UCMJ ) with respect to Air Force service members , including to authority to convene General Courts Martial and to commute sentences . The Secretary of the Air Force may also be assigned additional responsibilities by the President or the Secretary of Defense , e . g . the Secretary is designated as the " " DoD Executive Agent for Space " " , and as such : Office of the Secretary of the Air Force . The Secretary of the Air Force ' s principal staff element , the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force , has responsibility for acquisition and auditing , comptroller issues ( including financial management ) , inspector general matters , legislative affairs , and public affairs within the Department of the Air Force . The Office of the Secretary of the Air Force is one of the Department of the Air Force ' s two headquarter staffs at the seat of government , the other one is the Air Staff . Composition . The Office of the Secretary of the Air Force is composed of :