AFA National Awards: what each honor recognizes

Lifetime Achievement Award

AFA uses this honor to recognize a career of contributions to aerospace power. Its National Awards page lists Gen. Lester Lyles, USAF (Ret.) and Col. Phillip Meilinger, USAF (Ret.) as its 2026 recipients. Read the official award history for other years and AFA's current national listing before citing a winner.

Outstanding Airmen of the Year

This is a distinct program honoring 12 enlisted Airmen for leadership, job performance, community involvement, and personal achievement. AFA says the program began in 1956 and recognized the 2026 class at the 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference. Our next-conference guide covers 2027 planning. Its 2026 announcement carries the 12 names and service accounts. Use that dated record for the 2026 roster; see AFA's live National Awards page for any newer year.

Which National Air & Space Award recognizes which contribution?

These four AFA honors recognize different work. Select an award to read its official criteria and year-by-year winner record:

• H. H. Arnold Award — AFA's highest honor to a member of the armed forces for contributions to national defense.
• W. Stuart Symington Award — AFA's highest honor to a civilian in national security.
• John R. Alison Award — AFA's highest honor for industrial leadership.
• Gen. Jerome F. O'Malley Space Visionary Award — recognizes visionary leaders whose work advances U.S. space organizations and spacepower.

AFA's current overview displays 2025 recipients for these categories. Do not read those 2025 labels as the 2026 winners; use each official past-winners record for year-specific research.

Pitsenbarger Full Measure and other education honors

The National Awards overview also identifies the A1C William Pitsenbarger Full Measure Award and lists Sgt. Momomi M. Atkinson as its 2026 recipient. That recognition has different criteria from the award for CCAF graduates. Our Pitsenbarger guide separates the two paths and links to AFA's application requirements. For school-based STEM recognition, see the separate Teacher of the Year guide; it is not one of the National Air & Space award categories above.

Find current recipients and events

Start with AFA's official National Awards directory for the current category list and winner links. The AFA Connect events calendar and our newsroom help you follow award ceremonies and announcements, while the official year-specific source controls names, roles, and award decisions.

Sources and review date

Reviewed October 12, 2026 against AFA's National Awards page and its linked winner records. Award categories and winners change by year. The dated names above refer to the year AFA currently displays for each honor, not a prediction of the next recipient.