The Secretary of the Air Force is the civilian head of the United States Department of the Air Force, a component organization of the Department of Defense. He reports directly to the Secretary of Defense and is responsible for running the day-to-day affairs of the United States Air Force. The first Secretary of the Air Force, Stuart Symington, was appointed in 1947 upon the re-organization of the Army Air Force into a separate service branch.
The Secretary of the Air Force is appointed by the President and must be approved by the Senate.
The current Secretary of the Air Force is Dr. James G. Roche. Roche submitted his resignation on 16 November 2004. Secretary Roche plans to depart January 20, 2005, or sooner if his successor is confirmed by the Senate before then.
Secretaries of the Air Force
| Name |
Term of Office |
President(s) served under |
|---|
| Stuart Symington |
September 18, 1947 - April 24, 1950 |
Harry S. Truman |
| Thomas K. Finletter |
April 24, 1950 - Jan. 20, 1953 |
Harry S. Truman |
| Harold E. Talbott |
February 4, 1953 - August 13, 1955 |
Dwight Eisenhower |
| Donald A. Quarles |
August 15, 1955 - April 30, 1957 |
Dwight Eisenhower |
| James H. Douglas Jr. |
May 1, 1957 - December 10, 1959 |
Dwight Eisenhower |
| Dudley C. Sharp |
December 11, 1959 - January 20, 1961 |
Dwight Eisenhower |
| Eugene M. Zuckert |
January 24, 1961 - September 30, 1965 |
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Harold Brown |
October 1, 1965 - February 15, 1969 |
Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon |
| John L. McLucas (acting) |
May 15, 1973 - July 18, 1973 |
Richard M. Nixon |
| John L. McLucas |
July 18, 1973 - November 23, 1975 |
Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford |
| James W. Plummer (acting) |
November 24, 1975 - January 1, 1976 |
Gerald Ford |
| Thomas C. Reed |
January 2, 1976 - April 6, 1977 |
Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter |
| John C. Stetson |
April 6, 1977 - May 18, 1979 |
Jimmy Carter |
| Hans Mark (acting) |
May 18, 1979 - July 26, 1979 |
Jimmy Carter |
| Hans Mark |
July 26, 1979 - February 9, 1981 |
Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan |
| Verne Orr |
February 9, 1981 - November 30, 1985 |
Ronald Reagan |
| Russell A. Rourke |
December 9, 1985 - April 6, 1986 |
Ronald Reagan |
| Edward C. Aldridge Jr. (acting) |
April 8, 1986 - June 8, 1986 |
Ronald Reagan |
| Edward C. Aldridge Jr. |
June 9, 1986 - December 16, 1988 |
Ronald Reagan |
| James F. McGovern (acting) |
December 16, 1988 - April 29, 1989 |
Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush |
| John J. Welch Jr. |
April 29, 1989 - May 21, 1989 |
George H. W. Bush |
| Donald B. Rice |
May 22, 1989 - January 20, 1993 |
George H. W. Bush |
| Michael B. Donley (acting) |
January 20, 1993 - July 13, 1993 |
Bill Clinton |
| Gen. Merrill A. McPeak (acting) |
July 14, 1993 - August 5, 1993 |
Bill Clinton |
| Sheila E. Widnall |
August 6, 1993 - October 31, 1997 |
Bill Clinton |
| F. Whitten Peters (acting) |
November 1, 1997 - July 30, 1999 |
Bill Clinton |
| F. Whitten Peters |
July 30, 1999 - January 20, 2001 |
Bill Clinton |
| James G. Roche |
January 20, 2001 - Present |
George W. Bush |
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