USAF celebrates 68 years Published Sept. 17, 2015 By Staff Sgt. Matthew Plew 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, NEW MEXICO -- Air Force Special Operations Command provides highly-trained, rapidly-deployable combat-ready Air Commandos to conduct and support global special operations missions. As you read this, Special Operations Forces members around the world are actively engaged in on-going campaigns ranging from precision application of firepower, to infiltration, exfiltration, re-supply and refueling of SOF operational elements. This year, the Air Force will celebrate its 68th birthday. On Sept. 18, 1947, the implementation of the National Security Act of 1947, under President Harry S. Truman, the Army Air Forces formally cut ties with the Army to become a separate and equal military branch. As Airmen celebrate, we should reflect and acknowledge that none of AFSOC’s achievements would be possible without the creation of our separate military branch within the Department of Defense. The Air Force has enjoyed a rich history that can be traced as far back as the Civil War with the Union Army Balloon Corps. The Balloon Corps used seven specially built, hydrogen-filled balloons to conduct aerial reconnaissance on the Confederate Army. This is a stark contrast from the MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers that AFSOC uses in the fight in the war against terrorism today. The first successful flight of the Wright Flyer in 1903 changed the world and the way militaries fight wars forever. Prior to World War I, America formed the Aeronautical Division of the Army Signal Corps, making it the first heavier-than-air military aviation organization in U.S. military history. World War I saw rapid and dramatic advancements in aerial warfare, with many nations forming independent air forces, such as the British Royal Air Force. The U.S. military saw the Aeronautical Division transform into the Aviation Section of the Army Signal Corps and then again into the Division of Military Aeronautics. By the end of WWI, the Army Air Service was formed as the primary air force. Calls to create a fully independent Air Force started to become more and more relevant and out of that debate, the air service became the Army Air Corps. The onset of World War II brought yet another change, when the Army Air Corps was once again transformed, this time into the Army Air Forces, the immediate predecessor to the modern Air Force. At its height during the summer of 1944, the Army Air Force flew nearly 80,000 aircraft with the support of 2.4 million service members. Today’s Air Force is comprised of more than 680,000 Airmen, made up of active duty, reservists, guardsmen and civilians, who support more than 5,600 aircraft, 450 intercontinental ballistic missiles and 63 satellites. It is the world's preeminent air, space and cyberspace force with an ability to rapidly adapt to uncertainty, ensuring future success any time any place. On Sept. 19, Air Commandos will celebrate this momentous birthday during the 2015 Air Force Cannon Ball, hosted at the Landing Zone on base; the event is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. For additional information, please call the Protocol office at 575-784-2729. Air Commandos are reminded to dedicate themselves to the mission; the more effective they can be at executing AFSOC’s mission, the more efficiently the Air Force will be able to fly, fight and win. Each member of the 27th Special Operations Wing is a critical component to the big picture of generating airpower.