In the early 1960s, Cliff Stearns was a young Air Force officer stationed in Los Angeles. He used to travel around the US to work on the service's military space endeavors. The Air Force was on the cutting edge of technology, and he found that tremendously appealing.

Fast forward to 1998. Now a ten-year veteran of the House, Rep. Stearns (R-FL) asked Air Force leaders what he could do to help them keep the service strong as it looked to develop new capabilities for the decades ahead. Their answer: Band together with like-minded legislators to support Air Force positions and needs on Capitol Hill.

He did just that. With fellow Air Force veterans Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX) and Rep. Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA), Stearns founded the Air Force Caucus in September, 1998. It is the first such group formed around pure Air Force issues.

The Caucus has grown from its original 19 members, and now has nearly 70 members. Members come from both major parties and all regions of the country. Many have served in the Air Force, Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve. As the caucus spread across the Capitol to the Senate side, Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) took the reigns as the Senate Co-Chair.

Today, a declining percentage of national lawmakers have military experience in their background. In 1994, about 40 percent of House members and 61 percent of Senators were veterans. By 2002, this figure had decreased to 32% for both chambers combined. The diminishing military “voice” on Capitol Hill makes the value of a service-specific caucus to the men and women of the Air Force greater than ever.

Air Force Caucus Roster

House

Senate