The Air Force Academy Professor Badge is a military decoration

Military badges of the United States

Military badges of the United States are awards authorized by the United States armed forces that signify rating, qualification, or accomplishment in several career fields, and also serve as identification devices for personnel occupying certain assignments. Personal recognition is granted to...

 of the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 which was first created in the 1980s. The badge recognizes those 23 Air Force colonels (and one brigadier general) who have been appointed by the Congress under US Code Title 10 as permanent professors and heads of academic departments, and as the Dean of Faculty, at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Air Force is the only branch of the United States armed forces

United States armed forces

The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

 to issue a badge for serving as a military academy

Military academy

A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...

professor.

The Air Force Academy Professor Badge is a permanent decoration.