CAP History

The Civil Air Patrol is an all-volunteer organization with 57,000 members nationwide. CAP is divided into 8 geographic regions and 52 wings with over 1,700 units throughout the country and abroad. As the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force, CAP executes over 90% of all federal inland search and rescue missions. CAP also runs the foremost youth leadership development program in the country - the CAP Cadet Program.

Civil Air Patrol was founded in December 1941, one week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, by more than 150,000 citizens who were concerned about the defense of America's coastline. Under the jurisdiction of the Army Air Forces, CAP pilots flew more than one-half million hours, were credited with sinking two enemy submarines and rescued hundreds of crash survivors during World War II. On July 1, 1946, President Harry Truman established CAP as a federally chartered benevolent civilian corporation, and Congress passed Public Law 557 on May 26, 1948, making CAP the auxiliary of the new U.S. Air Force

The Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters (NHQ) is located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

We perform essential Search and Rescue functions for missing aircraft, aircraft emergency beacons, disaster relief, aerial reconnaissance, and more. In addition, our Cadet Program aids youths from 12-18 years of age learn and experience some of the best opportunities available! These opportunities include extensive leadership training, scholarships, national activities such as flight academy, international exchanges, search and rescue schools, music academy, and more. We also aim to educate the public on matters of aerospace and aviation.