Who must approve an action to activate a new unit?

The correct choice indicates that the approval to activate a new unit must come from the Headquarters United States Air Force, Directorate of Manpower and Organization. This office has the specific responsibility for managing manpower authorizations and organizational structures within the Air Force. They review and validate requests for new units, ensuring that they align with the overall strategic objectives and available resources of the Air Force.

The Directorate of Manpower and Organization assesses factors such as mission requirements, manpower constraints, and organizational efficiency when considering activation requests. This centralization of authority helps maintain a standardized approach to unit activation, avoiding potential duplication of efforts and ensuring that all new units serve a clear and purposeful role within the larger organizational framework.

Other entities, such as the Secretary of the Air Force or Major Command Leadership, while involved in broader strategic decision-making, do not handle the specific approval process for unit activations. The Joint Chiefs of Staff primarily focus on overall military strategy and inter-service coordination rather than individual unit activations within a specific branch.