Oce of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Environment, Safety, and Infrastructure
Executing Mission Assurance
DAF achieves mission assurance through the resilience, sustainability,
and sustainment of its power projection platforms. The Air Force Deputy
Chief of Stafor Operations (AF/A3) is the Oce of Primary Responsibility
for accomplishing mission assurance process execution, in accordance
with Air Force Policy Directive (AFPD) 10-24. The Assistant Secretary
of the Air Force for
Energy, Installations, and
Environment (SAF/IE)
is responsible executing
facility and enabling
systems investments that
bolster mission assurance
and ensure installations
receive the energy and
water supplies necessary
to operate and maintain
missions, as stated in
AFPD 32-10.
Mission Assurance
Why it Matters
Our nation depends more than ever on the unique competencies and
capabilities that the Department of the Air Force (DAF) provides to defend
the homeland, deter aggression and strategic attacks, and build a resilient
joint and combined force.
Mission assurance uderpins everything that we do. It is the process through
which DAF ensures the continued function and resilience of its capabilities
and assets by rening, integrating, and synchronizing all aspects of mission
execution. This process is dynamic and must account for evolving risks and
variable time horizons to secure mission success not only today, but well
into the future. DAF uses the mission assurance process to drive decision-
making, with a focus on optimizing risk reduction solutions.
Key Policies & Plans
June 2023 | Mission Directive
1-18
October 2022 | U.S. National
Defense Strategy
July 2020 | AFPD 32-10
“Installations and Facilities”
November 2019 | AFPD 10-24
“Mission Assurance”
January 2019 | U.S.
Air Force Infrastructure
Investment Strategy
September 2018 | DoDD
3020.40 “Mission Assurance”
Figure 1. Contractors work on electrical substation
renovations at Beale Air Force Base in California.
Photo by: Airmain 1st Class Tristan Viglianco, 9th
Reconnaissance Wing Public Aairs.
Last Updated June 2023
The Department of the Air Force
Resilience Integration Directorate
is integrating installation resilience
and sustainability activities to
ensure more ecient, eective, and
strategic outcomes.
For more information:
sae.hq.af.mil
Key Denitions
• Mission Assurance: a process to protect or ensure the continued function and resilience of capabilities and
assets – including personnel, equipment, facilities, networks, information and information systems, infrastructure,
and supply chains – critical to the execution of DoD mission-essential functions in any operating environment or
condition. (Department of Defense Directive (DoDD) 3020.40)
• Resilience: ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions and withstand, respond to, and
recover rapidly from disruptions. (DoDD 4715.21)
• Sustaining (Sustainment): the provision of personnel, logistics, and other support required to maintain and pro-
long operations or combat until successful accomplishment or revision of the mission or of the national objective.
The activities of the air logistics complexes are considered non-operational, except when in direct support of
military operations or training. (DAF Instruction 90-1701)
Supporting Mission Assurance, Present & Future
DAF operates at the nexus of complex challenges including but not limited to growing resource demand, economics,
climate change, technological advancement, and supply chain risk. In support of SAF/IE’s directive, the Oce of the
Secretary of the Air Force for Environment, Safety, and Infrastructure (SAF/IEE) stood up the Resilience Integration
directorate to integrate resilience, sustainability, and sustainment activities through stakeholder coordination across
SAF/IEE and its federal, state, and DAF partners for more ecient, eective, and strategic outcomes.
Resilience: Activities that support operational adaptability through risk
management and are agnostic of hazards, threats, and technological
solutions, and yield benets in the near, mid, and long-term from avoided
disruptions, impacts, and costs.
Sustainability: Activities that contribute to resilient outcomes in the mid and
long-term by making resource management more ecient and eective. For
example, reducing fossil fuel dependency strengthens long-term mission
assurance by reducing pricing and supply uncertainty and mitigating climate
impacts.
Sustainment: Activities that support enduring logistics for operations in the
near-term. These activities should account for resilience and sustainability to
improve outcomes in the mid and long-term.
Together, these activities ensure the successful execution of DAF missions
today and tomorrow.