Under US law, Congress must authorize the size and general organizational structure of the military services, as well as appropriating and authorizing the funds they are seen to need. Existing legislation already applied to the Army and Navy, but the newly created Air Force, after 18 September, no longer was covered by similar law. It left the USAF with pretty much of a free hand, initially, for organizing its headquarters and its field commands.

The background for the USAF organization was the work of General Carl Spaatz, who had taken over from Arnold as Commander, Army Air Forces, on 15 February 1946. Spaatz had an Air Staff study recommending a specific reorganization, and he put it into effect. The basic structure was 70 combat groups and 22 specialized squadrons, plus a support force. The Staff recommended changes in the headquarters and field organizations, also. Spaatz created three functional combat commands: Strategic Air, Tactical Air and Air Defense. Those three major units, born on 21 March 1946, stayed as the basic organizational building blocks for the last year of the USAAF and for 32 years of the USAF (1979 and 1992 saw sweeping changes to the command structure). Five support and five overseas commands also were set up at the same time, with most of the foreign-based air strength concentrated in United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and Far East Air Forces (FEAF). It should be noted that theater commands, such as FEAF, were operating commands that 'owned' no combat airplanes. Their strength was in the deployed or detached units drawn from one of the combat commands. The headquarters organization charts looked like one for any large corporation. The Chief of Staff, who also had several staff officers, had four deputy chiefs: operations, materiel, personnel plus administration, and finance. The operations deputy included directorates of plans and operations, training and requirements, and intelligence. Two staff officers to the deputy headed the guided missiles group and the air communications group. The deputy for materiel included four directorates: research and development, procurement and industrial planning, supply and services, and air installations, with a single staff officer in charge of the special weapons group. Each of the commands, whether functional or theater, shared an equal level in the overall organization of the USAF. Each reported directly to a headquarters deputy charged with supervision of the specific command.

Now the USAF had an organization, and had inherited a doctrine for guidance. It had few people, and fewer planes, but it was beginning to formulate the outlines for the legislation it hoped Congress would pass to make its status legal.

Then, almost overnight, the United States took on new responsibilities as a protector of the free countries of Europe, devastated by war, and the Air Force was faced with a new challenge of overwhelming responsibility.