Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§9784 Air Force and Space Force Museum System

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle D— - Air Force and Space Force › Part PART IV— - SERVICE, SUPPLY, AND PROCUREMENT › Chapter CHAPTER 979— - REAL PROPERTY › § 9784

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Air Force must support an official system of Air Force and Space Force museums inside the Department of the Air Force. The system must include the National Museum of the United States Air Force and can include other museums the Secretary chooses if they meet rules. The Secretary must make rules that cover the museum’s historical importance, public access and education, and fit with Air Force and Space Force heritage. A museum cannot be closed until the Secretary sends the House and Senate Armed Services Committees a notice with a plan for preserving, storing, or displaying the collections; how staff issues will be handled; any public‑private partnership efforts; and a cost analysis for moving and caring for the collections, and 90 days have passed. The Secretary may enter partnerships, including with nonprofits, to help fund and run the museums.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §9784

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary of the Air Force shall support a system of official Air Force and Space Force museums within the Department of the Air Force. Such system shall include the National Museum of the United States Air Force and may contain other museums honoring individual installations, units, and branches, as designated by the Secretary of the Air Force, that meet criteria established under subsection (b).

(b)The Secretary of the Air Force shall establish criteria for designating museums of subsection (a) for inclusion in the Air Force and Space Force museum system. Such criteria shall include—

(1)historical significance to Air Force and Space Force operations, technology, or personnel;

(2)public accessibility and educational outreach programs; and

(3)alignment with the mission of the Air Force and Space Force to preserve the heritage of the Air Force and Space Force.

(c)The Secretary of the Air Force shall establish criteria for the closure of museums within the Air Force and Space Force museum system. No museum within such system may be closed until—

(1)the Secretary of the Air Force submits to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate notice that includes—

(A)a plan for the preservation, storage, or alternate display of historical collections contained in the museum;

(B)how any issues relating to museum personnel will be resolved;

(C)an identification of any efforts to maintain museum operations through public-private partnerships; and

(D)an analysis of the cost to transport, consolidate, and preserve the historical collections contained in the museum; and

(2)a period of 90 days has elapsed after the date on which such notice is received by such committees.

(d)Consistent with applicable law, the Secretary may enter into partnerships, including with nonprofit organizations, to enhance the financial sustainability and public engagement of the museums in the Air Force and Space Force museum system.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 9784

Title 10 — Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73