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    • .airforce

    Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC

    Overview

    .airforce is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) applied for under ICANN's New gTLD Program. The string was proposed to serve the global community associated with air forces — veterans, active duty personnel, families, supportive organizations and civilians — providing an identifiable namespace related to air force service.

    History

    • Applicant / registry operator listed in the application materials: Rightside / Demand Media (United TLD Holdco Ltd.).
    • The application succeeded and the string was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 30 April 2014.
    • ICANN records indicate a Registry Agreement for .airforce was received by Donuts on 6 March 2014 after the required processes to become a Registry Operator.
    • During evaluation, the application received GAC (Governmental Advisory Committee) Early Warnings from the United States, Australia, and India, each expressing concern about similarity to official government agency names and recommending withdrawal.

    Usage and Audience

    • Intended audience as described in the application:
      • Air force veterans and active duty personnel
      • Family members and supportive organizations
      • Civilians with an affiliation or interest in air force communities
    • The applicant described the namespace as global in scope and aimed at creating an accessible identifier for the universe of air force–related individuals and organizations.

    Registration Rules

    • The applicant stated an intent to be inclusive in registration policies and not to limit registrant eligibility for second-level registrations.
    • The operator indicated it may reserve or hold back certain strings at launch.
    • The registry pledged to enforce against illegal activity and to adhere to ICANN-required registration policies and the Registry Agreement.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • National governments raised concerns that the .airforce string is confusingly similar to official government agencies, potentially affecting trust, public safety, and the perceived legitimacy of sites using the TLD.
    • Because of these concerns, the TLD carries sensitivities related to brand positioning and public perception when used in contexts associated with official military or governmental functions.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • GAC Early Warnings from the United States, Australia, and India recommending withdrawal of the application due to name similarity and security concerns.
    • Similar governmental warnings were issued for related military-focused applications such as .navy and .army.
    • Key milestones: Registry Agreement recorded (6 March 2014) and delegation to the Root Zone (30 April 2014).

    Operator

    Dog Beach, LLC

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       AIRFORCE

organisation: Dog Beach, LLC
address:      c/o Identity Digital Limited
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Vice President, Engineering
organisation: Identity Digital Limited
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.425.298.2200
fax-no:       +1.425.671.0020
e-mail:       tldadmin@identity.digital

contact:      technical
name:         Senior Director, DNS Infrastructure Group
organisation: Identity Digital Limited
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.425.298.2200
fax-no:       +1.425.671.0020
e-mail:       tldtech@identity.digital

nserver:      V0N0.NIC.AIRFORCE 2a01:8840:22:0:0:0:0:34 65.22.32.34
nserver:      V0N1.NIC.AIRFORCE 2a01:8840:23:0:0:0:0:34 65.22.33.34
nserver:      V0N2.NIC.AIRFORCE 2a01:8840:24:0:0:0:0:34 65.22.34.34
nserver:      V0N3.NIC.AIRFORCE 161.232.16.34 2a01:8840:fa:0:0:0:0:34
nserver:      V2N0.NIC.AIRFORCE 2a01:8840:25:0:0:0:0:34 65.22.35.34
nserver:      V2N1.NIC.AIRFORCE 161.232.17.34 2a01:8840:fb:0:0:0:0:34
ds-rdata:     3715 8 2 d8c2c957776b06cc6b58a15da206712613092e36e90af34015d6881061dfb5a8

whois:        whois.nic.airforce

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://www.identity.digital/

created:      2014-04-17
changed:      2023-09-12
source:       IANA

    Registrars