[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 783 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 783
Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the
Department of the Air Force and celebrating the United States Air Force
for 75 years of serving and defending the United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 20, 2022
Mr. Boozman (for himself, Mr. Tester, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Brown, Mr.
Warnock, and Ms. Rosen) submitted the following resolution; which was
considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the
Department of the Air Force and celebrating the United States Air Force
for 75 years of serving and defending the United States.
Whereas, on August 1, 1907, the Aeronautical Division of the Army Signal Corps,
consisting of 1 officer and 2 enlisted men, began operation under the
command of Captain Charles deForest Chandler with the responsibility for
``all matters pertaining to military ballooning, air machines, and all
kindred subjects'';
Whereas, in 1908, the Department of War contracted with the Wright brothers to
build 1 heavier-than-air flying machine for the Army and, in 1909, the
Department of War accepted the Wright Military Flyer, the first military
airplane in the world;
Whereas pilots of the United States, flying with both Allied air forces and with
the Army Air Service, performed admirably during the course of World War
I, the first air war in history, by participating in pursuit,
observation, and day and night bombing missions;
Whereas pioneering aviators of the United States, including Mason M. Patrick,
William ``Billy'' Mitchell, Benjamin D. Foulois, Frank M. Andrews, Henry
H. ``Hap'' Arnold, James H. ``Jimmy'' Doolittle, and Edward ``Eddie''
Rickenbacker, were among the first individuals to recognize the military
potential of airpower and, in the decades following World War I,
courageously laid the foundation for the creation of an independent arm
for the air forces of the United States;
Whereas General Henry H. ``Hap'' Arnold drew upon the industrial prowess and
human resources of the United States to transform the Army Air Corps
from a force of 22,000 men and 3,900 aircraft in 1939, into an entity
with a peak wartime strength of nearly 2,500,000 personnel and 75,000
aircraft;
Whereas, on June 20, 1941, the Department of War established the Army Air Forces
as the aviation element of that Department and, shortly thereafter, the
Department made the Army Air Forces co-equal to the Army Ground Forces;
Whereas the standard for courage, flexibility, and intrepidity in combat was
established for all airmen during the first aerial raid in the Pacific
Theater on April 18, 1942, when Lieutenant Colonel James ``Jimmy'' H.
Doolittle led 16 North American B-25 Mitchell bombers in a joint
operation from the deck of the USS Hornet to strike the Japanese
mainland in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor;
Whereas the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), signed into
law by President Harry S. Truman, realigned and reorganized the Armed
Forces to establish the Department of the Air Force and the United
States Air Force (referred to in this preamble as the ``USAF'') as
separate from other military services;
Whereas, on September 18, 1947, W. Stuart Symington became the first Secretary
of the newly formed and independent Air Force, marking the date on which
the USAF was established;
Whereas the Air National Guard was also created by the National Security Act of
1947 (50 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) and has played a vital role in guarding
the United States and defending freedom in nearly every major conflict
and contingency since its creation;
Whereas, on October 14, 1947, the USAF demonstrated the historic and ongoing
commitment of the USAF to technological innovation when Captain Charles
``Chuck'' Yeager piloted the X-1 developmental rocket plane to a speed
of Mach 1.06, becoming the first flyer to break the sound barrier in a
powered aircraft in level flight;
Whereas the Air Force Reserve, created on April 14, 1948, is comprised of
citizen airmen who serve as unrivaled wingmen of the active duty USAF
during every deployment and on every mission and battlefield around the
world in which the USAF is engaged;
Whereas the USAF carried out the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and 1949 to provide
humanitarian relief to post-war Germany and has established a tradition
of offering humanitarian assistance when responding to natural disasters
and needs across the world;
Whereas the Tuskegee Airmen served the United States with tremendous dignity and
honor, overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most
highly respected fighter groups of World War II, and helped to establish
a policy of racial integration within the ranks of the USAF, as, on
April 26, 1948, the USAF became the first military branch to announce a
policy of racial integration, a full 3 months before an executive order
integrated all military services;
Whereas, in the early years of the Cold War, the arsenal of bombers of the USAF,
such as the long-range Convair B-58 Hustler and B-36 Peacemaker, and the
Boeing B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress, served as the preeminent
deterrent of the United States against the forces of the Soviet Union
and were later augmented by the development and deployment of medium
range and intercontinental ballistic missiles, such as the Titan and
Minuteman, developed by General Bernard A. Schriever;
Whereas, on April 1, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation
establishing the United States Air Force Academy, the mission of which
is to educate, develop, and inspire men and women to become aerospace
officers and leaders of impeccable character and knowledge, and which,
as of 2022, has graduated 64 classes and commissioned 53,491 officers
into the USAF and United States Space Force (referred to in this
preamble as the ``USSF'');
Whereas, during the Korean War, the USAF employed the first large-scale combat
use of jet aircraft, helped to establish air superiority over the Korean
Peninsula, protected ground forces of the United Nations with close air
support, and interdicted enemy reinforcements and supplies;
Whereas, during the Vietnam War, the USAF engaged in a limited campaign of
airpower to assist the South Vietnamese government in countering the
communist Viet Cong guerillas and fought to disrupt supply lines, halt
enemy ground offensives, and protect United States and Allied forces;
Whereas, on April 3, 1967, former prisoner of war Paul W. Airey, a career radio
operator, aerial gunner, and First Sergeant, became the first Chief
Master Sergeant of the USAF;
Whereas, in recent decades, the USAF and coalition partners of the United States
have supported successful actions in Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Kuwait,
Somalia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Haiti, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria,
and many other locations around the world;
Whereas USAF Special Operations Command has served with honor and distinction
around the world since its activation in 1990, providing the United
States with specialized airpower across the broad spectrum of conflicts
in any place and at any time;
Whereas, for over 3 decades beginning in 1990, airmen engaged in continuous
combat operations from Operation Desert Shield to Operation Inherent
Resolve, demonstrating an air and space expeditionary force of
outstanding capability that is ready to fight and win wars and deter
aggression whenever and wherever called upon;
Whereas, when terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001,
fighter and air refueling aircraft of the USAF took to the skies to fly
combat air patrols over major cities of the United States and protect
the people of the United States from further attack;
Whereas, on December 20, 2019, in recognition that space had become a
warfighting domain, former President Donald Trump signed legislation
establishing the USSF as an independent service to ensure that the space
domain remained open to all countries;
Whereas, on May 30, 2020, in collaboration and engagement with interagency and
commercial partners, the USSF provided unparalleled space launch
capabilities in support of the first manned spaceflight from American
soil in 9 years;
Whereas, in 2021, in a step toward organizing the forces of the USSF to meet the
needs of an independent military service devoted to space, the USSF
activated Space Operations Command, Space Systems Command, and Space
Training and Readiness Command;
Whereas, to establish a unique and enduring culture for the USSF, the Department
of the Air Force redesignated certain Air Force Bases and Air Force
Stations supporting the USSF mission as Space Force Bases and Space
Force Stations and graduated its first-ever basic military training
course taught completely by USSF training instructors;
Whereas space capabilities provide the foundation for everything the United
States Armed Forces do, from humanitarian efforts to combat operations;
Whereas, in 2022, following a `wings of hope and compassion' tradition dating
back more than a century, when airmen provided food and supplies to
Texas flood victims in 1919, the USAF and coalition partners airlifted
124,334 people out of Afghanistan in the largest non-combatant
evacuation airlift in United States history, spanning 17 days, 9
countries, 8 time zones, and more than 10 temporary safe havens;
Whereas, since February 24, 2022, airmen and guardians have responded to Russian
aggression against Ukraine by guarding the skies of members of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (commonly referred to as ``NATO''),
transporting essential equipment to the Ukrainian military, and
providing critical support from space;
Whereas women have played a prominent role in the evolution of the Department of
the Air Force, courageously fighting alongside their male counterparts
and dedicating their lives to protecting peace, liberty, and freedom
around the world as they provide air and space power whenever and
wherever needed;
Whereas the Department of the Air Force has made tremendous strides in the
global warfighting domain of cyberspace by revolutionizing offensive and
defensive capabilities and effects with speed, agility, and surgical
precision, thereby ensuring the continuous command, control, and
execution of operations in contested, degraded, and limited
environments;
Whereas the Civil Air Patrol, as a Total Force partner and auxiliary of the
USAF, has maintained a steadfast commitment to the United States and the
communities of the United States through a proud legacy of service, from
the earliest days of World War II, when the Civil Air Patrol protected
the shorelines of the United States, through 2022, as the Civil Air
Patrol executes emergency service missions and aerospace education
programs;
Whereas the Department of the Air Force is steadfast in the commitment to
fielding a world-class air and space expeditionary force by recruiting,
training, and educating its officer, enlisted, and civilian corps
comprising the active duty, Guard, and Reserve components of the Total
Force;
Whereas airmen were imprisoned and tortured during several major conflicts,
including World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War,
and the Persian Gulf War, and, in the valiant tradition of airmen held
captive, continued serving the United States with honor and dignity
under the most inhumane circumstances;
Whereas airmen have earned the Medal of Honor 19 times, the Air Force Cross 203
times, the Distinguished Service Cross 42 times, and, since September
11, 2001, the Silver Star 92 times;
Whereas the USAF and the USSF are tremendous stewards of resources in developing
and applying groundbreaking technology to manage complex acquisition
programs for all air and space weapon systems throughout their life
cycles;
Whereas talented and dedicated airmen and guardians will continue to make the
investments necessary to accelerate transformation and modernization to
counter the adversaries of the United States and meet the future
challenges of an ever-changing world with limitless strength, resolve,
and patriotism;
Whereas the USAF and the USSF are committed to accelerating change and preparing
for the future, because failure is not an option;
Whereas, on every continent around the world, airmen and guardians have bravely
fought for freedom, liberty, and peace, preserved democracy, and
protected the people and interests of the United States;
Whereas the future success of the United States Armed Forces depends upon the
ability to control the air and space domains;
Whereas airmen and guardians will continue to be a tremendous resource for the
United States in fights across every domain and at every location,
thereby ensuring the safety and security of the United States; and
Whereas, for 75 years, the airmen and guardians of the Department of the Air
Force, through their exemplary service and sacrifice, have repeatedly
proven their value to the United States, the people of the United
States, the allies of the United States, and all free people of the
world: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) commemorates the 75th anniversary of the establishment
of the Department of the Air Force; and
(2) remembers, honors, and commends the achievements of the
United States Air Force and the United States Space Force in
serving and defending the United States.
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