The chain of command provides the control and communications necessary to accomplish the mission. Each level in the chain is responsible for a lower level and accountable to all higher levels. The chain cannot work without loyalty to every level. With loyalty up and down the chain, it is a highly efficient and effective system for getting things done. The key principle is to resolve problems and seek answers at the lowest possible level.

All services of the United States military are arranged organizationally to follow this single chain of command concept. This concept provides a clear structure for orders to flow from the highest levels of the military to the most junior ranking soldier, sailor, airman, and marine. Just as important, this same concept allows information, ideas, and complaints to flow upwards from the most junior person to the highest levels.

The Civil Air Patrol organizational structure is modeled on the USAF chain of command with the same chain of command concept. This concept provides CAP to use the chain of command as an organizational tool for communicating with its membership.

USAF Chain Of Command

The Air Force is organized to best use available resources. This requires simple, streamlined structures designed for seamless transition from peace to war. The USAF organizational structure is designed to provide a clear chain of command running from the President to the most junior airman. The Secretary of the Air Force is responsible for organizing the Air Force, under the direction of the Chief of Staff, discharges this responsibility.

Air Force organizations are designed to achieve the characteristics as just described. Its organizational structure follows these management principles : (1) emphasis on wartime tasks (2) functional grouping (3) lean organizational structures (4) skip-echelon structure, and (5) standard levels.

The Air Force is comprised of establishments, units, and non-units.

An establishment is an organizational entity consisting of a headquarters unit and its subordinate units. The name of the establishment is in the name of the headquarters unit. For example, Air Mobility Command (AMC) is an establishment; HQ AMC is its headquarters. Subordinate units are assigned to the establishment and not to the headquarters unit. A group with subordinate squadrons is generally the lowest-level establishment. Lower-level establishments are assigned to higher-level ones. For example: groups to wings, wings to NAFs, NAFs to MAJCOMs, MAJCOMs to HQ USAF.

This arrangement (units reporting to establishments, subordinate establishments to superior ones) sets up the chain of command, through which all control and accountability flow.

A unit is a military organization constituted by directives issued by HQ USAF. A unit is either named or numbered.

Each unit having military members must have an officer designated as its commander. While civilians in a unit may hold supervisory positions and provide work direction, they cannot assume military command.

A non-unit is an organizational entity that is not constituted by Headquarters US Air Force as a unit.

The following standard levels of organization are used in structuring and designating Air Force units: Headquarters USAF, Major Command , and Numbered Air Force .

Organization of the US Air Force

Air Staff provides US Air Force guidance to the CAP through Air Education and Training Command, Air University, and the HQ CAP-USAF Commander. The US Air Force will assign Air Force personnel to liaison duty at the national, regional, and state (wing) levels of CAP. These liaison personnel will advise and assist CAP in fulfilling its missions. They will provide liaison between CAP, the Air Force, and other government agencies.

When necessary, CAP squadron and wing personnel should communicate to USAF personnel through their assigned USAF liaison officer.

The US Congress, through public law, has recognized the need for a voluntary civilian auxiliary to assist the Air Force in providing search and rescue (SAR), disaster relief, counterdrug (CD) support, a cadet program, and aerospace education assistance for both military and civilian operations. Air Force Policy Directive 36-50 sets guidelines for the support and utilization of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) to ensure the maximum and most effective employment of this resource. The Secretary of the Air Force is responsible for policy, resource advocacy, and oversight of Air Force support for the CAP. Headquarters US Air Force, through Air University and CAP-USAF, is responsible for establishing CAP support programs, identifying requirements, and executing programs in compliance with this directive.

CAP Board of Governors Mar 2001

The Air Force will provide personnel, materiel, and financial support for the CAP, in accordance with applicable law and Air Force capability. Personnel support for CAP liaison may consist of active, reserve, or civilian Air Force members assigned to CAP national, region, and wing headquarters. The Air Force maintains complete authority to determine CAP liaison organization, structure, and duties of its members.

Under Public Law 79-476, CAP will have a constitution and bylaws directing its organization as a corporation and for selecting officers. CAP Constitution and Bylaws  

Summary of changes to CAP Constitution and Bylaws     Mar 2001  



The CAP national headquarters is at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. The CAP Board of Governors by law is the governing body of CAP.  Day-to-day activities and actions remain under the auspices of the national board consisting of the national commander, his staff, and the region and wing commanders. 

The CAP organization will parallel that of the US Air Force; it will have wings, groups, squadrons, and flights. This organization best allows CAP to function using the single chain of command concept as the USAF and the other services.

The national board divides the United States geographically into 8 CAP regions and 52 wings.

CAP is not a military service and CAP membership will not confer upon an individual any of the rights, privileges, prerogatives or benefits of military personnel, active, reserve or retired.

The US Air Force also reserves complete authority over CAP’s general officer grade structure.

The Secretary of the Air Force, instead of using Air Force resources, may use CAP in fulfilling any Air Force noncombat mission. HQ CAP-USAF is the Air Force agency that will coordinate or approve using the CAP. The CAP will refer to Air Force noncombat missions assigned to the CAP as Air Force-assigned missions.

The objective of Air Force-assigned missions is to employ CAP’s resources to assist Federal, state, and local agencies in search and rescue, disaster relief, and law enforcement activities.

Whenever the CAP is performing an Air Force-assigned mission, it becomes an instrumentality of the United States for civil liability purposes. Without Air Force-assigned mission status, the Federal Government will not provide the CAP reimbursement or liability protection.

Both the military and state or local civil agencies simultaneously may request CAP support because of CAP’s peacetime agreements with state or local civil authorities. The priority for employing CAP resources will be, first, the Air Force, then other DoD departments and agencies, other Federal departments and agencies, state civil agencies, and finally, local agencies.

The single chain of command concept permits an organization to delegate authority and direct orders from its leadership through all of its members while at the same time allows the same members to channel up information to the leadership. The USAF and CAP are both organized to permit the chain of command concept to allow information to flow both ways throughout each organization. For that reason, it is imperative that all members follow their chain of command at all times.