Over the objections of the Navy, the USAF is created out of the remnants of the WWII Army Air Forces. American military leaders came back from World War II convinced of the importance of air power and the need for expansion in the future. On September 18th, 1947 the Air Force was split off from the Army and a new branch of the military was born. Within a year, the new service conducts the Berlin Airlift in its first Cold War test.
The Strategic Air Command is established and Gen. Curtis LeMay is named as its commander. The tension of the Cold War was immediately felt as the Air Force took the lead role int he Berlin airlift and also created the Strategic Air Command for the delivery of nuclear weapons. The Korean War begins in 1950, and the Air Force flies its first combat missions. Also: the development of intercontinental missiles begins in the mid-'50s.
The Korean Conflict took the USAF in a different direction, but provided no roadmap for winning the new war in Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, the Air Force faces a "politicized command structure" and micro-management of its operations from the White House. Ill-defined war goals and micro-management from Washington offered little hope of success in Southeast Asia.
In the 1970s and '80s, space becomes the new military frontier, and advances in electronics lead to a new generation of fighters and bombers. Also: Air Force personnel see an improvement in their quality of life as a result of improved training.
With the end of the Cold War, several major commands are dismantled; the Air Force helps guarantee an Allied victory in the Persian Gulf War. New leaders and new lessons did arise from the war and this built the foundation for stunning air victory in Iraq and a strong future for the US Air Force.