[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 262 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 262

  Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Air 
Force as an independent military service and celebrating the Air Force 
        for 70 years of serving and defending the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 18, 2017

   Mr. Boozman (for himself, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Tester, Mr. Brown, Mr. 
 Inhofe, Mr. Crapo, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Udall, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Daines, 
   Mr. Rounds, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sullivan, and Mr. Burr) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Air 
Force as an independent military service and celebrating the Air Force 
        for 70 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 accepted the Wright Military Flyer, the first military 
        airplane;
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, on June 20, 1941, the Department of War created 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 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 22,400 men and 2,402 aircraft in 1939 into an entity 
        with a peak wartime strength of 2,400,000 personnel and 79,908 aircraft;
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 (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 USAF, marking the date on which the 
        USAF was established;
Whereas, on September 26, 1947, General Carl A. Spaatz, a pioneering aviator and 
        former Commanding General of the Army Air Forces, became the first Chief 
        of Staff of the USAF;
Whereas the Air National Guard was also created by the National Security Act of 
        1947 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 1.07, 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 integrate, 
        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, under the command of 
        General Curtis LeMay, 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 that, as 
        of 2017, has graduated 59 classes and 49,700 cadets;
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, after the development of launch vehicles and orbital satellites, the 
        mission of the USAF expanded into space and, as of 2017, provides 
        exceptional support with respect to real-time global communications, 
        environmental monitoring, navigation, precision timing, missile warning, 
        nuclear deterrence, and space surveillance;
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 Forces have served with honor and distinction 
        around the world since their activation in 1990, providing the United 
        States with specialized airpower across the broad spectrum of conflict 
        in any place and at any time;
Whereas, for 27 consecutive years beginning in 1990, Airmen have--

    (1) been engaged in continuous combat operations ranging from Operation 
Desert Shield to the Global War on Terrorism to Operation Inherent Resolve; 
and

    (2) shown that the Airmen constitute an air and space expeditionary 
force of outstanding capability and are ready to fight and win wars for the 
United States when and where they are 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 protected 
        the families, friends, and neighbors of the people of the United States 
        from further attack;
Whereas, on December 7, 2005, the USAF modified its mission statement to include 
        flying and fighting in air, space, and cyberspace and prioritized the 
        innovation, operationalization, and sustainment of warfighting 
        capabilities to deliver unrestricted access to cyberspace to defend the 
        United States and its worldwide interests;
Whereas women have played a prominent role in the evolution of the USAF, 
        courageously fighting alongside their male counterparts and dedicating 
        their lives to protecting peace, liberty, and freedom around the world 
        as they provide ``ready to fight tonight'' airpower whenever and 
        wherever needed;
Whereas, as of 2017, the USAF 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 joint and service operations in contested, degraded, and 
        limited environments;
Whereas the untapped potential of enlisted aviators is recognized by the USAF as 
        these highly trained, intelligent, and professional Airmen fly remotely 
        piloted aircraft to distant skies in support of combatant commanders and 
        meet the insatiable demand for persistent intelligence, surveillance, 
        and reconnaissance capabilities;
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 2017, as the Civil Air 
        Patrol executes emergency service missions;
Whereas the USAF is steadfast in the commitment to fielding a world-class air 
        expeditionary force by recruiting, training, and educating its officer, 
        enlisted, and civilian corps comprising the active duty, Air National 
        Guard, and Air Force Reserve components of the USAF;
Whereas more than 100,000 Airmen stand watch around the world at 175 global 
        locations, committed to winning the constant fight against violent 
        extremist organizations by expending more than 56,000 munitions and 
        striking more than 32,000 enemy targets over the course of 18,200 
        airstrikes;
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 18 times, the Air Force Cross 183 
        times, the Distinguished Service Cross 42 times, and the Silver Star 74 
        times;
Whereas the USAF is a tremendous steward of resources, develops and applies 
        groundbreaking technology, manages complex acquisition programs, and 
        maintains test, evaluation, and sustainment criteria for all USAF weapon 
        systems throughout the life cycles of those weapon systems;
Whereas talented and dedicated Airmen will continue to meet the future 
        challenges of an ever-changing world with limitless strength, resolve, 
        and patriotism;
Whereas, on every continent around the world, the USAF has bravely fought for 
        freedom, liberty, and peace, preserved democracy, and protected the 
        people and interests of the United States;
Whereas Airmen of the USAF, together with their joint force partners, will 
        continue to be a tremendous resource for the United States in fights 
        across every domain and at every location, delivering continuous air and 
        space superiority, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid 
        global mobility, global strike, and command and control capabilities, 
        thereby ensuring the safety and security of the United States; and
Whereas, for 70 years, the USAF and the Airmen of the USAF, 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 70th anniversary of the establishment 
        of the Air Force as an independent military service; and
            (2) remembers, honors, and commends the achievements of the 
        Air Force in serving and defending the United States through 
        global vigilance, global reach, and global power.
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