[20211026]IF10547_防务基础：美国空军.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov Updated October 26, 2021Defense Primer: The United States Air ForceWhen it was established as a separate service in 1947, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) was to be “organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air operations . necessary for the effective prosecution of war except as otherwise assigned.” That statutory language remains almost identical today. Similarly, although the words used to describe its core missions have changed, space and cyberspace joined air as operational domains, and the means used to carry them out have evolved with technology, the USAFs missions themselves have remained remarkably constant. Table 1. Air Force Core Missions Air and Space Superiority Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Rapid Global Mobility Global Strike Command and Control Source: U.S. Air Force, Global Vigilance, Global Reach, Global Power for America at http:/www.af.mil/Airpower4America.aspx. Air and Space Superiority The most familiar Air Force mission, air superiority, includes establishing and maintaining control of the skies over conflict areas, allowing U.S. forces to operate at the times and plac