Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
| Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force | |
|---|---|
 Headquarters Air Force Identification Badge | |
 Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force flag | |
 | |
| United States Air Force Air Staff | |
| Abbreviation | VCSAF |
| Reports to | Secretary of the Air Force Chief of Staff of the Air Force |
| Seat | The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | 4 years fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | 10 U.S.C. § 8034 |
| Formation | 1 October 1947 |
| First holder | Hoyt Vandenberg |
The vice chief of staff of the Air Force (VCSAF) is the second-highest-ranking military officer in the United States Air Force. If the chief of staff of the Air Force (CSAF) is absent or is unable to perform his duties, then the VCSAF assumes the duties and responsibilities of the CSAF. The VCSAF may also perform other duties that the secretary of defense (SECDEF), the secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) or the CSAF assigns to him. The VCSAF is appointed by the president of the United States and must be confirmed via majority vote by the Senate.[1] By statute, the VCSAF is appointed as a four-star general.
General James C. Slife has served as the vice chief of staff of the Air Force since 19 December 2023.[2]
List of Vice Chiefs of Staff of the Air Force
| No. | Vice Chief of Staff[3][4] | Term | Chief of Staff | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | ||
| 1 | General Hoyt S. Vandenberg (1899–1954) | 10 October 1947 | 28 April 1948 (became CSAF) | 201 days | Carl Spaatz | |
| 2 | General Muir S. Fairchild (1894–1950) | 27 May 1948 | 17 March 1950 † | 1 year, 294 days | Hoyt Vandenberg | |
| - | General Lauris Norstad (1907–1988) Acting | 2 May 1950 | 9 October 1950 | 160 days | Hoyt Vandenberg | |
| 3 | General Nathan F. Twining (1897–1982) | 10 October 1950 | 29 June 1953 (became CSAF) | 2 years, 262 days | Hoyt Vandenberg | |
| 4 | General Thomas D. White (1901–1965) | 30 June 1953 | 30 June 1957 (became CSAF) | 4 years, 0 days | Nathan F. Twining | |
| 5 | General Curtis E. LeMay (1906–1990) | 1 July 1957 | 30 June 1961 (became CSAF) | 3 years, 364 days | Thomas D. White | |
| 6 | General Frederic H. Smith Jr. (1908–1980) | 1 July 1961 | 30 June 1962 (retired) | 364 days | Curtis LeMay | |
| 7 | General William F. McKee (1906–1987) | 1 July 1962 | 31 July 1964 (retired) | 2 years, 30 days | Curtis LeMay | |
| 8 | General John P. McConnell (1908–1986) | 1 August 1964 | 31 January 1965 (became CSAF) | 183 days | Curtis LeMay | |
| 9 | General William H. Blanchard (1916–1966) | 19 February 1965 | 31 May 1966 † | 1 year, 101 days | John P. McConnell | |
| - | Lieutenant General Hewitt T. Wheless (1913–1986) Acting | 13 June 1966 | 31 July 1966 | 48 days | John P. McConnell | |
| 10 | General Bruce K. Holloway (1912–1999) | 1 August 1966 | 31 July 1968 (reassigned) | 1 year, 365 days | John P. McConnell | |
| 11 | General John D. Ryan (1915–1983) | 1 August 1968 | 31 July 1969 (became CSAF) | 364 days | John P. McConnell | |
| 12 | General John C. Meyer (1919–1975) | 1 August 1969 | 30 April 1972 (reassigned) | 2 years, 273 days | John D. Ryan | |
| 13 | General Horace M. Wade (1916–2001) | 1 May 1972 | 31 October 1973 (reassigned) | 1 year, 183 days | John D. Ryan George S. Brown | |
| 14 | General Richard H. Ellis (1919–1989) | 1 November 1973 | 18 August 1975 (reassigned) | 1 year, 290 days | George S. Brown David C. Jones | |
| 15 | General William V. McBride (1922–2022) | 19 August 1975 | 31 March 1978 (retired) | 2 years, 224 days | David C. Jones | |
| 16 | General Lew Allen Jr. (1925–2010) | 1 April 1978 | 30 June 1978 (became CSAF) | 90 days | David C. Jones | |
| 17 | General James A. Hill (1923–2010) | 1 July 1978 | 29 February 1980 (retired) | 1 year, 243 days | Lew Allen | |
| 18 | General Robert C. Mathis (1927–2016) | 1 March 1980 | 31 May 1982 (retired) | 2 years, 91 days | Lew Allen | |
| 19 | General Jerome F. O'Malley (1932–1985) | 1 June 1982 | 5 October 1983 (reassigned) | 1 year, 126 days | Lew Allen Charles A. Gabriel | |
| 20 | General Lawrence A. Skantze (1928–2018) | 6 October 1983 | 31 July 1984 (reassigned) | 299 days | Charles A. Gabriel | |
| 21 | General Larry D. Welch (born 1934) | 1 August 1984 | 31 July 1985 (reassigned) | 364 days | Charles A. Gabriel | |
| 22 | General John L. Piotrowski (born 1934) | 1 August 1985 | 31 January 1987 (reassigned) | 1 year, 183 days | Charles A. Gabriel Larry D. Welch | |
| 23 | General Monroe W. Hatch Jr. (born 1933) | 1 February 1987 | 1 June 1990 (retired) | 3 years, 120 days | Larry D. Welch | |
| 24 | General John M. Loh (born 1938) | 4 June 1990 | 1 April 1991 (reassigned) | 301 days | Larry D. Welch Michael Dugan Merrill McPeak | |
| 25 | General Michael P. C. Carns (1937–2023) | 16 May 1991 | 28 July 1994 (retired) | 3 years, 73 days | Merrill McPeak | |
| 26 | General Thomas S. Moorman Jr. (1940–2020) | 29 July 1994 | 11 July 1997 (retired) | 2 years, 347 days | Merrill McPeak Ronald Fogleman | |
| 27 | General Ralph E. Eberhart (born 1946) | 11 July 1997 | 26 May 1999 (reassigned) | 1 year, 319 days | Ronald Fogleman Michael E. Ryan | |
| 28 | General Lester L. Lyles (born 1946) | 27 May 1999 | 17 April 2000 (reassigned) | 326 days | Michael E. Ryan | |
| 29 | General John W. Handy (born 1944) | 17 April 2000 | 5 November 2001 (reassigned) | 1 year, 202 days | Michael E. Ryan John P. Jumper | |
| 30 | General Robert H. Foglesong (born 1945) | 5 November 2001 | 11 August 2003 (reassigned) | 1 year, 279 days | John P. Jumper | |
| 31 | General T. Michael Moseley (born 1949) | 12 August 2003 | 2 September 2005 (became CSAF) | 2 years, 21 days | John P. Jumper | |
| 32 | General John D. W. Corley (born 1951) | 2 September 2005 | 17 September 2007 (reassigned) | 2 years, 15 days | T. Michael Moseley | |
| 33 | General Duncan J. McNabb (born 1952) | 17 September 2007 | 4 September 2008 (reassigned) | 353 days | T. Michael Moseley Norton A. Schwartz | |
| 34 | General William M. Fraser III (born 1952) | 8 October 2008 | 27 August 2009 (reassigned) | 322 days | Norton A. Schwartz | |
| 35 | General Carrol H. Chandler (born 1952) | 27 August 2009 | 14 January 2011 (retired) | 1 year, 140 days | Norton A. Schwartz | |
| 36 | General Philip M. Breedlove (born 1955) | 14 January 2011 | 27 July 2012 (reassigned) | 1 year, 195 days | Norton A. Schwartz | |
| 37 | General Larry O. Spencer (born 1954) | 27 July 2012 | 6 August 2015 (retired) | 3 years, 10 days | Norton A. Schwartz Mark Welsh | |
| 38 | General David L. Goldfein (born 1959) | 6 August 2015 | 1 July 2016 (became CSAF) | 330 days | Mark Welsh | |
| 39 | General Stephen W. Wilson (born 1959/1960) | 22 July 2016 | 16 November 2020 (retired) | 4 years, 117 days | David L. Goldfein Charles Q. Brown Jr. | |
| 40 | General David W. Allvin (born 1963) | 16 November 2020 | 2 November 2023 (became CSAF) | 2 years, 351 days | Charles Q. Brown Jr. | |
| 41 | General James C. Slife (born 1967) | 19 December 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 0 days | David W. Allvin | |
Timeline
See also
- Under Secretary of the Air Force
- Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
- Director of Staff of the United States Air Force
- Vice Chief of Staff of the Army
- Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
- Vice Chief of Naval Operations
- Vice Chief of Space Operations
- Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard
References
- ^ "10 USC 8034. Vice Chief of Staff". Retrieved 9 November 2007.
- ^ "General James C. "Jim" Slife". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Defense AFD-130410-035" (PDF). Retrieved 13 September 2022.[dead link]
- ^ "Air Force Magazine, Volume 100, Issues 1-10". Air Force Magazine. Air Force Association. 15 December 2016. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
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