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Vance Challenges Air Force Academy Class of 2026 to Defend America’s Future
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Colorado Politics, Approved, National

Vance Challenges Air Force Academy Class of 2026 to Defend America’s Future

By: Eric Young | Colorado Politics As artificial intelligence and space defense become more prevalent in warfare, Vice President JD Vance told the 2026 Air Force Academy graduating class to uphold their standards while embracing innovation on a cloudy Thursday morning. Marking the academy’s 68th graduating class and the United States of America’s 250th anniversary, Vance told this year’s 931 graduating cadets to apply the skills and character they developed over the last four years as they enter “an entirely new era of warfare.” He recalled the Air Force’s history in American conflicts in European airspaces, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the “extraordinary skill and professionalism” of its servicemen and servicewomen and its ability to adap...
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JD Vance To Address Air Force Academy Graduates In Colorado Springs
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Approved, CBS Colorado, National

JD Vance To Address Air Force Academy Graduates In Colorado Springs

By Jesse Sarles | CBS Colorado The U.S. Air Force Academy announced on Tuesday that Vice President JD Vance will be the guest speaker for this year's commencement ceremony. Graduation will take place on May 28 at Falcon Stadium on the academy's campus in Colorado Springs, and as usual it will include a flyover by the Air Force Thunderbirds at the end of the ceremony. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Colorado Could See Thousands Furloughed if D.C. Gridlock Persists
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kdvr.com, Approved, State

Colorado Could See Thousands Furloughed if D.C. Gridlock Persists

By Spencer Kristensen | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) — The United States government has been shut down since Oct. 1, with Congress unable to agree on funding for 2026. On day eight of the shutdown, many federal agencies have deferred to contingency plans for funding, which means that many employees have been furloughed. Those employees will not receive a paycheck until a deal is struck, and might not receive backpay if a budget is approved. A study by SmartAsset, a financial advisory agency, estimated how many jobs will be affected in each state. SmartAsset described its methodology as follows: “SmartAsset ranked 50 states based on the estimated per-capita furloughs due to the October 2025 federal government shutdown. Data for federal employment comes from the FedScope Employmen...
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Air Force Academy Ends Race Based Admissions After Legal Settlement
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National, Approved, The Gazette

Air Force Academy Ends Race Based Admissions After Legal Settlement

By Stephanie Earls | The Gazette More than four months after the U.S. Air Force Academy announced it no longer would consider race as a factor in its admissions process, the Justice Department said Tuesday a settlement has been reached between the Colorado Springs academy and a conservative nonprofit whose years long lawsuit challenged the school’s now-abandoned affirmative-action policies. The settlement closes the book on litigation against both the Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., filed by Students For Fair Admissions, the group whose successful challenge of such practices won over the nation’s top justices and swiftly — after Trump was sworn in for a second time — became a cause celebré for the new administration. “This Department is committ...
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Faculty reform underway at Air Force Academy to meet Secretary Hegseth’s directive
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Faculty reform underway at Air Force Academy to meet Secretary Hegseth’s directive

By Jerilee Bennett | Denver Gazette The Air Force Academy superintendent is proposing to cut civilian faculty positions without hiring uniformed instructors to replace them — a change that could eliminate some majors.  The proposal floated in internal meetings and communications is intended to increase the percentage of military service members among the faculty up to 80% and bring the percentage of civilians down from about 37% to 20%. The internal communication listed Superintendent Tony Bauernfeind's goals for reducing the staff overall, lowering the civilian representation and reducing the number of faculty members with doctorates to the minimum viable for accreditation. He would like to see changes in place by the coming fall semester, the note said.  The Ac...
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Air Force Academy graduate pilots SpaceX mission to International Space Station, known as ‘focused’
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Approved, Colorado Springs Gazette, Local

Air Force Academy graduate pilots SpaceX mission to International Space Station, known as ‘focused’

By O'Dell Isaac | Colorado Springs Gazette A Woodland Park High School and Air Force Academy alum is currently representing the Pikes Peak region in space. Air Force Maj. Nichole “Vapor” Ayers, a 2011 academy graduate, served as the pilot on a SpaceX capsule that launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, bound for the International Space Station. The capsule, which carried Ayers and three other astronauts, successfully docked into the ISS on Sunday. The mission was part of a NASA crew swap that allowed astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who had been on the orbiting space lab for nine months, to return home. Williams and Wilmore, both retired Navy test pilots, were scheduled to depart the ISS on Wednesday along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russi...
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Nearly 100 cadets identified in investigation into honor code violations, U.S. Air Force Academy says
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Approved, DENVER7, Local

Nearly 100 cadets identified in investigation into honor code violations, U.S. Air Force Academy says

By Sydney Isenberg | Denver 7 News The U.S. Air Force Academy on Thursday said it identified nearly 100 cadets during an investigation into potential violations of its honor code. Academy officials said the cadets admitted to either cheating or tolerating cheating during a weekly knowledge test. The cadets who admitted to cheating received "punitive sanctions and rehabilitation actions," according to the academy. READ THE FULL STORY AT DENVER 7 NEWS
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Air Force Academy ending minor in diversity and inclusion
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The Center Square, Approved, Local

Air Force Academy ending minor in diversity and inclusion

By Tate Miller | The Center Square West Point Military Academy and the Air Force Academy have both ended their “Diversity and Inclusion Studies” minors. As late as Jan. 8, West Point, based in New York, offered its DEI minor, while as of Jan. 9 the Air Force Academy, based in Colorado, still offered its DEI minor, according to internet archives. Currently, a minor in “Diversity and Inclusion Studies” is no longer listed on either service academy’s website. Around the same time the DEI minors disappeared, President Donald Trump ended all DEI programs in federal agencies via an executive order. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CENTER SQUARE
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Air Force Academy: Dorm remodel could cost almost $600 million
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Approved, Military.com, State

Air Force Academy: Dorm remodel could cost almost $600 million

By Mary Shinn | Military.com (via Colorado Springs Gazette) The Air Force Academy estimates over time that one of its two dormitories will need almost $600 million to remodel. Sijan Hall, built in 1968, is expected to need a major remodel to upgrade its heating, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems. It also needs work to renovate window walls, bathrooms, cadet rooms and workspaces, an academy spokesman said. It's a six-story building with 625,000 square feet housing 891 dorm rooms. The academy expects the work on the building could take place over five phases and cost $597 million, a written statement said. READ THE FULL STORY AT MILITARY.COM
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