STARRS President Col. Ron Scott, PhD, USAF ret, USAFA ’73 wrote a letter to the editor of the Denver Post in reference to “Excellence of Air Force Academy’s educational programs at risk if civilian faculty cuts continue”. This opinion piece (paywalled so no one can read it) was signed by 92 Air Force Academy instructors, veterans and graduates who argued that “the Academy’s civilian reduction plans make them concerned for the future.”
Three of the cosigners were interviewed by KOAA News5, including a retired Lt. Colonel USAFA professor who said, “My pension is secure. If they come after my pension, that would be, I think, quite the escalation in their efforts to become more fascist.” He also demeans Secretary of Defense Hegseth multiple times. All three of the interviewees were biased (and frankly rather clueless) with no opposing voice included.
Here is Col. Scott’s response to the Denver Post opinion piece:
This letter is in response to an April 30 article, “Excellence of Air Force Academy’s educational programs at risk if civilian faculty cuts continue.”
The 90 plus cosigners use a strawman argument by claiming the mission statement removed the word education.
The Air Force Academy mission statement is specified by the Secretary of the Air Force in Air Force Mission Directive 12, dated January 16, 2025. Here is the complete statement (see https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/afmd12/afmd12.pdf):
“1. Mission. The mission of the United States Air Force Academy is to forge leaders of character, motivated to a lifetime of service, and developed to lead our Air Force and Space Force as we fight and win our Nation’s wars. The Academy offers an elite college experience with developmental military, academic, and athletic programs that produce officers prepared to lead warfighters in technically complex combat environments. The Academy commissions cadets who are reflective of the best and brightest young Americans from across our great nation and who have demonstrated the character, aptitude, and intellectual rigor required to serve with distinction as officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force.”
The article fails to mention that the Air Force Academy is $7.8 million dollars OVER budget in monies programmed for civilian pay, nor does it address that some majors have only a handful of cadets.
Moreover, a Presidential order “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” directed the SECDEF to “…carefully review the leadership, curriculum, and instructors of the Service Academies…”
The implied central argument in the article is that civilian faculty members are critical to ensuring a quality education that can withstand rigorous accreditation standards.
Yet, this argument ignores the essence of a Service Academy: to educate and train young men and women to become commissioned officers in our armed forces.
When I graduated in 1973, we had one civilian on the faculty—a foreign service officer instructing cadets in international affairs and political science majors.
The justification: while theory is useful, operational experience provides the real-world context to drive a deeper meaning and understanding of the subject matter, thus, role modeling “officership” with a military faculty.
The current Superintendent brings a refreshing new focus on a warrior ethos.
The Academy was established by Congress to produce officers to lead in the profession of arms, not to use the Academy experience to pursue any other endeavor.
The latter is a secondary benefit once service to our nation is completed, preferably 20 or 30 years later.
As a member of an organization focused on restoring merit and readiness to our armed forces, the current Superintendent is a breath of fresh air.
Ron Scott, Colonel, USAF, Retired
Class of 1973
President & CEO of STARRS.us
SECDEF reminds Academy Supes: “These are MILITARY ACADEMIES, not civilian universities.”
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