On This Day in History / September 18, 2024 Today marks the 77th anniversary of the establishment of the USAF as a separate military service. The United States Air Force became a separate military service on 18 September 1947 with the implementation of the National Security Act of 1947. The Act created the National Military Establishment, later renamed the United States Department of Defense, which was composed of four of the five branches, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and a newly created Air Force.