Civil Air Patrol Shield v2 (Color), Graphic courtesy of Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters. Commercial reproduction of this emblem is NOT permitted without the permission of the proponent organizational/unit commander. Image is 7x7 inches @ 300 ppi.
Civil Air Patrol - U.S. Air Force is part of the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development with headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. It is responsible for ensuring that the Civil Air Patrol auxiliary is organized, trained and equipped to fulfill Air Force-assigned missions.
Mission CAP-USAF provides day-to-day support, advice and liaison to Civil Air Patrol and provides oversight for CAP programs, with particular emphasis on safety and programmatic requirements. CAP-USAF personnel are the primary functional interface between other federal agencies and the CAP as the auxiliary performs homeland security, disaster response, citizen development and aerospace education missions.
CAP-USAF provides assistance and oversight on search and rescue, disaster relief and other emergencies and contingencies nationwide. CAP-USAF serves as the Air Force program office for the CAP cooperative agreement and statement of work with the CAP-USAF commander serving as the program manager.
Personnel and Resources Headquarters CAP-USAF is staffed with 18 active-duty military and civil service members. CAP-USAF members are the only active-duty flying unit at Maxwell AFB and are the sole operational unit in Air University.
Forward presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico is made possible by eight geographic regions. CAP-USAF's total active component, including all regions, is 116 members. These members are assigned to one of 43 locations across the country. Air Force Reservists complement the CAP-USAF team with approximately 160 attached members. The CAP Reserve Assistance Program is the largest Air Force Reserve program in Air University.
Organization In addition to the eight geographic regions, Headquarters CAP-USAF's functional offices include inspector general, chief legal advisor, operations directorate, aviation and ground safety, financial management office, logistics, and information management.
Civil Air Patrol Auxiliary is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official auxiliary of the U. S. Air Force. The CAP performs three main functions -- emergency services, aerospace education and cadet training. Headquarters Civil Air Patrol is also located at Maxwell AFB. The headquarters is staffed with nearly 100 full-time civilian employees who provide administrative and logistics support to 57,000 CAP members nationwide. Although paid by the Air Force, these employees are neither Air Force civil servants or contractors, they are employees of the CAP Corporation.
CAP Emergency Services includes air and ground search and rescue, disaster relief, counterdrug, and an increasing role in homeland security. Its members fly more than 95 percent of the inland search and rescue missions directed by the Air Force Rescue and Coordination Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. CAP flew over 111,000 hours and was credited with saving 112 lives in fiscal 2010.
CAP assists Joint Task Force North, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Forest Service in their counterdrug efforts. In 2010, CAP aircrews flew more than 10,500 hours in support of the nation's war on drugs on drug interdiction missions and were credited with contributing to the confiscation of millions of dollars in illegal drugs.
CAP aircraft fly non-combat homeland security missions such as surveillance of critical infrastructure, airborne communications relay and airlift of critical cargo. These missions are flown under the authority of the U.S. Northern Command, the joint command responsible for the continental United States. CAP receives tasking from the air component of Northern Command, 1st Air Force, located at Tyndall AFB, Fla.
CAP provided extensive support to the nation's Gulf coast following Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. During the Deepwater Horizon response, CAP supported operations out of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. More than 600 CAP members from 10 wings volunteered over 18,000 man hours over 120 days of operations to provide airborne reconnaissance and transportation support throughout the Gulf Coast. In total, CAP flew over 2,100 hours in support of the U.S. Coast Guard and state counterparts.
CAP Aerospace Education programs promote aviation and space education across the nation. The organization develops and publishes numerous K-12 curriculum materials, including a full-color, 675-page textbook, for use in CAP units and in schools and youth development organizations throughout the country. CAP's aerospace education programs annually impact over 100,000 students and 25,000 CAP cadets, ages 12-20. CAP also supports educational conferences for teachers, as well as professional development workshops oriented toward the use of an aerospace theme to teach science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, subjects. CAP also has special educational initiatives for teachers, such as CAP's TOP Flight Program, whereby teachers are provided orientation flights in CAP aircraft. Ultimately, CAP's aerospace education mission helps fulfill the organization's 1946 charter from the U.S. Congress to promote aerospace supremacy for America through the development of citizens equipped with a patriotic view of our nation and possessing the technical knowledge needed to support our national security well into the future.
CAP Cadet Program transforms youth ages 12 to 20 into responsible citizens and aerospace leaders. To achieve that goal, the program is centered on four elements: leadership, aerospace, fitness and character. As cadets participate in those elements they advance through a series of achievements, earning promotions in grade, honors and increased responsibilities along the way. Most cadets experience CAP in their community-based hometown squadron as an extra-curricular activity, while a growing number of cadets attend CAP at their middle or high school. Weekend and summer activities afford cadets opportunities to explore aerospace-related careers, develop leadership skills and become ambassadors of the drug-free ethic. The cadet program follows a military model, emphasizing Air Force traditions and values. Cadets who earn the Billy Mitchell Award (the top 15 percent of cadets) become eligible for the grade of airman first class upon enlisting in the Air Force, and both Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and U.S. Air Force Academy also look favorably upon participation in the CAP Cadet Program.
CAP membership consists of approximately 25,500 cadets and more than 35,000 adult volunteers. They wear the Air Force uniform, but with distinctive CAP emblems and insignia.
CAP History
Civil Air Patrol was founded Dec. 1, 1941. During World War II, its principal purpose was to allow private pilots and aviation enthusiasts to use their light aircraft and flying skills in civil defense efforts. In 1943, the organization came under control and direction of the Army Air Forces. Civil Air Patrol became a permanent peacetime institution July 1, 1946, when President Harry S. Truman signed Public Law 476 establishing it as a federally chartered, benevolent, civilian corporation.
In May 1948, Public Law 557 made the organization the official auxiliary of the Air Force. This law, known as the CAP Supply Bill, authorized the Secretary of the Air Force to assign military and civilian personnel to liaison offices at all levels of CAP. Congress again fundamentally modified the organization in 2000. With the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act, Congress clarified auxiliary status as a conditional state dependent on CAP performing actual services for a federal department or agency. Congress also specified the funding mechanisms the Air Force must use to provide funds to CAP for operations, maintenance, and procurement of property.
Most significantly, Congress created the CAP Board of Governors to serve as the principal governing body of the organization. This 11-member board is made up of members appointed by the Secretary of the Air Force and senior CAP volunteers. The Board of Governors provides strategic direction and guidance to CAP, while delegating many day-to-day operations of CAP to the CAP National Commander and his staff.
For more than 60 years, CAP-USAF has provided guidance, assistance and oversight to CAP organizations nationwide to ensure they are organized, trained and equipped to perform their mission of homeland security, disaster response, citizen development and aerospace education
Point of Contact For more information about CAP or the address of respective state liaison offices contact Air University, Public Affairs Office; ATTN: CAP-USAF; 55 LeMay Plaza South; Maxwell AFB AL 36112-6332; DSN 493-4241 or 334-953-4241. Web sites: CAP-USAF and Headquarters Civil Air Patrol
