For 75 years, American Airmen have excelled as they execute the Air Force mission to fly, fight, and win — delivering airpower anytime, anywhere in defense of our nation.

Airmen are called to “Innovate, Accelerate and Thrive” as the U.S. Air Force and Department of the Air Force approach their 75th anniversaries on Sept. 18, 2022. Airmen will always be there to provide America with the airpower it needs to defend the nation, deter or defeat our adversaries, reassure our partners and allies, and help diplomacy proceed from a position of strength.

Commentary: Lessons from our past – Claire Chennault on Agile Combat Employment

As the Air Force leans into Agile Combat Employment, lessons can be learned from Claire Chennault's Flying Tigers and how they operated in China during WWII.

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AF 75th Birthday INNOVATE

Innovation, fueled by Airmen, is our heritage. Airmen continue to push technological and cultural boundaries which make America the leader in airpower and spacepower. Innovation is an integral part of how we train and employ our squadrons, develop our capabilities, and continue to move toward an even more effective Air Force.

AF 75th Birthday Accelerate

From their inception 75 years ago, the U.S. Air Force and Department of the Air Force have excelled at keeping pace with rapid changes in technology and in the demands placed on the Air Force’s five core missions: air superiority; global strike; rapid global mobility; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and command and control.

AF 75th Birthday Thrive

We are the world’s greatest Air Force because of those who have gone before us – particularly those who weren’t afraid to break barriers. Empowered Airmen are the competitive edge we have over our adversaries and the reason we are the world’s greatest Air Force.

Air Force 75th Anniversary Commemorative Poster: Air Force Firsts

Air Force 75th Anniversary Poster: The Doolittle Raid - 1940s Era

Air Force 75th Anniversary Poster: Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. - 1950s Era

Air Force 75th Anniversary Poster: Flight of the Blackbird - 1960s era

Air Force 75th Anniversary Poster: Apollo 15 - 1970s era

Air Force 75th Anniversary Poster: B-52 Stratofortress - 1980s era

Air Force 75th Anniversary Poster: Stealth War - 1990s era

Air Force 75th Anniversary Poster: Dominate the Skies – 2000s era

Air Force 75th Anniversary Poster: First Unmanned Flight - 2010s era

Air Force 75th Anniversary Poster: Force of the Future - 2020s Era

Air Force Posters Frontiers of Blue — Air Force Posters Archive

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Video by Brannen Parrish

USACE, Hydropower and the Rural Electrification Act

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District

Aug. 23, 2019 | 4:14

Today is National Hydropower Day! The Tulsa District has eight hydroelectric dams in its inventory. Seven of those dams - Keystone, Fort Gibson, Webbers Falls, Tenkiller, Eufaula, Broken Bow, and Robert S. Kerr - are located in Oklahoma. The powerhouse at Denison Dam, which straddles the Red River, is on the Texas bank.

Tulsa District's hydroelectric production is marketed and sold by the Southwestern Power Administration to rural municipalities and electric cooperative in several states.

Jeffrey Miller, power plant manager at Fort Gibson Powerhouse explains how power generated by the Corps of Engineers reaches customers.

Hydroelectric Dams are excellent sources of 'peak power', power generated during the hours of highest electricity usage, because they can be quickly activated to generate electricity for the grid.

We spoke with Chris Meyers, the General Manager and CEO of the OAEC - Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, about the cost benefit of hydroelectric power for rural Oklahomans. Electric cooperatives operate in all 77 counties in Oklahoma.

The hydroelectric mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was made possible by the Rural Electrification Act, which allowed the federal government to provide low-cost power to rural communities and municipalities. Additional legislation authorized the Corps of Engineers to install hydroelectric generators in flood control structures.

Due to limited investment in rural areas in the decades preceding the REA, small, rural communities trailed far behind large cities in access to electric infrastructure.