Air Force Core Missions
/ Published August 15, 2013
Airmen bring to the Nation’s military portfolio five interdependent and integrated core missions that have endured since
President Truman originally assigned airpower roles and missions to the Air Force in 1947. Although the way we do them
will constantly evolve, the Air Force will continue to perform these missions so that our military can respond quickly and
appropriately to unpredictable threats and challenges. Today, we call our core missions: (1) air and space superiority; (2)
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); (3) rapid global mobility; (4) global strike; and (5) command and control.
Through these core missions, the Air Force provides Global Vigilance, Global Reach, and Global Power for America. Each
of these core missions is, in its own right, vitally important to the defense of our national interests; however, no single core
mission functions independently. Airpower is maximized when Airmen leverage its unique characteristics—speed, range,
flexibility, precision, lethality, and persistence—to harness the integrated power of our air, space, and cyber forces. The Air
Force is effective precisely because its interdependent operations are synchronized to provide an unparalleled array of airpower
options, giving America the ability to respond quickly anywhere in the world.
RELATED 'AIRPOWER FOR AMERICA' CONTENT
Click here to go back to the Airpower for Airmen Page
Click here to go to Air and Space Superiority Page
Click here to watch the Global Vigilance, Global Reach, Global Power for America Video