The United States Air Force Statistical Digest has been published each year since 1948. It is the longest running continuing publication in the Air Force having first appeared one year after the Air Force was formed as a separate service. Individuals requiring a historical description of Air Force resources, organizations, and activities have found each issue an invaluable addition to their reference sources.

In his National Security Strategy, President William J. Clinton emphasized that the United States will remain globally engaged for many years to come, and that an integral part of that engagement will be the projection of military power. In the midst of budget cuts, personnel reductions, and base closures, the United States Department of Defense (DOD) is in a dilemma. It is being called on to be the dominant instrument of power in many regions of the world while its people and equipment are being stretched to their limits. Senior leaders are expressing serious concern for the operations tempo...