Sierran Royal Air Force

  

Sierran Royal Air Force
Real Fuerza Aérea sierrana (es) Aviation royale sierrain (fr) Maharlikang hukbong panghimpapawid ng Sierra (tn) 黃金王國皇家空軍 (zh) Không quân Hoàng gia Vàng Quốc (vn) 시에라 왕립 공군 (kr) Sierrisch Königliche Luftwaffe (de) シエラ王室空軍 (ja)
Emblem of the Sierran Royal Air Force
Founded	May 13, 1921 (1921-05-13)
Country	Kingdom of Sierra
Branch	Air force
Role	Aerial warfare
Size	121,260 active duty personnel 49,174 civilian employees 25,085 reserve personnel 53,573 Air National Guard airmen 2,020 manned aircraft 116 ICBMs
Part of	K.S. Ministry of Defense
Headquarters	Pendleton Military Center Escondido County, Laguna, K.S.
Blue, yellow, and red
March	"The Tricolor Sky" (official) "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" (unofficial)
Engagements	See list: Mexican Civil War Great War Vietnam War Colombia War Syrian Civil War Operation Inherent Resolve
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief	Queen Elizabeth II
Supreme Air Marshal	Prime Minister Maggie Chan
Minister of Defense	Preston Bolivar
Secretary of the Air Force	Doug Scarborough
Chief of the Air Staff	Gen. Jon Dryden
Assistant Chief of the Air Staff	Gen. Glenn Pike
Warrant Officer of the Air Force	WOAF Julio Santos de la Cruz
Insignia
Flag
Ensign
Fin flash
Roundel

Her Royal Majesty's Sierran Royal Air Force (commonly shortened to the Sierran Royal Air Force or the Royal Air Force and abbreviated as SRAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the Sierran Crown Armed Forces. It is one of the eight uniformed services of the Kingdom of Sierra. It was formed in 1921 after it spent its formative years as a part of the Sierran Royal Army since 1908. It is one of the largest air forces in the world and the third largest military branch in the Sierran Crown Armed Forces.

The Sierran Royal Air Force is one of the younger branches in the Sierran Crown Armed Forces and saw its first major operations during the Great War where it played a significant role in both the Norht American and Pacific theaters. During the Cold War, the Sierran Royal Air Force assumed control over most of Sierra's nuclear stockpile and missiles system, and worked with is allies in the Northern Treaty Organization to protect the Western North American airspace from the United Commonwealth and its allies in the Chattanooga Pact. Its present-day mission and objective is to project Sierran air power, maintain air supremacy in wartime, provide airlifts, oversee global strikes, conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations, and provide command and control.

The Royal Air Force is under the administration and supervision of the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments of the K.S. Ministry of Defense. The Department is headed by the Secretary of the Air Force, a civilian who reports directly to the Defense Minister. The most senior air force officer is the Chief of the Air Staff (currently Gen. Jon Dryden), while the most senior enlisted air force member is the Warrant Officer of the Air Force (currently WOAF Julio Santos de la Cruz).

It operates on a $82 billion budget with 121,160 active duty airmen, 49,174 civilian employees, 25,085 reserve airmen, 53,573 Air National Guard airmen, more than 3,300 aircraft (2,020 manned aircraft), 116 ICBMs, and 55 military satellites.

Role and mission

The purpose of the Sierran Royal Air Force is to provide an organized aviation force capable of readily responding to threats within and beyond the Kingdom's airspace, to preserve and protect the sovereign integrity and security of the Kingdom and its territories, to assert dominance in air and space, and to provide aerial support for the Sierran Crown Armed Forces. According to the Sierran Royal Air Force Code, its vision is to be a reliable component of the Sierran Crown Armed Forces which can provide air and space operations deemed necessary for use by the unified combatant commanders.

History

In 1908, the Sierran Royal Army established an aviation section that was initially limited to testing and development. By 1920, advances in aviation technology made it possible for aircraft to be used in wartime operations. The Sierran Aviation Corps was the predecessor to the modern Sierran Royal Air Force and provided mainly tactical support for ground troops. Aircraft was also utilized by the Sierran Royal Navy under their own separate aviation unit and there were initial overlaps between the two forces. At the beginning of the Mexican Civil War, Sierra had only 40 aircraft in its arsenal but by the war's end, war production increased it to over 2,000. After the war ended, rather than downsize Sierra's aircraft amount, the Sierran government made the decision to continue the maintenance and gradual enlargement of its aerial capabilities. Government spending was devoted primarily towards the repair of existing aircraft and progress towards the creation of newer models and generations of warplanes during the interwar period.

In 1921, Parliament passed a law which authorized the creation of an independent, separate aerial warfare branch. The Sierran Royal Air Force succeeded the Sierran Royal Army Aviation Corps and became the fourth service branch in the Sierran Crown Armed Forces. The decision was initially questioned by several military leaders, especially Gen. Donald Ferguson, who had overseen the Aviation Corps' rise, and members of the public about the necessity or usefulness of an independent air force. The Air Force saw continued development throughout the 1920s as tensions between the Kingdom of Sierra and the United Commonwealth rose in preparation for a potential conflict with its communist neighbor.

Command, control, and organization

The Department of the Air Force is one of the three military departments within the Ministry of Defense. The Sierran Royal Air Force is one of the three military branches within the Department of the Air Force, alongside the Sierran Royal Space Force and the Sierran Royal Cyber Defense Force. The Department of the Air Force is under the command and control of the Secretary of the Air Force, a civilian position. Other senior positions within the Office of the Secretary include the Under Secretary of the Air Force, the assistant secretaries, and the General Counsel, all of whom are appointed by the Crown on the advice of the Prime Minister and consent of the Senate. The most senior uniformed leaders are the Chief of Air Staff and the Vice Chief of Air Staff while the most senior enlisted leader is the Warrant Officer of the Air Force.

The entire Department of the Air Force and its branches are under the general authority and command of the Minister of Defense. The operational chain of command bypasses the civilian and administrative leadership of the Sierran Royal Navy. The unified combatant command commanders are responsible for commanding and deploying the Sierran Royal Air Force's ten commands.