Letter to the Editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette:
This letter is in response to an April 17 article, “Air Force Academy mission statement drops ‘educate.”
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 cites opinions by retired Brig Gen France. Contrary to France’s claim, “This clears the way to reduce greatly the rigor . . .,” the current AFA leadership is deliberately promoting rigor with a sharper focus on a warfighter ethos.
This is obvious given the theme of the most recent National Character and Leadership Symposium and an unprecedented wing-wide training exercise during this semester.
Moreover, General France’s opinion on deterrence misses the reality that deterrence is a by-product of readiness for war.
Suggesting the Secretary’s language is bellicose exaggerates the measured language in the mission statement.
Ron Scott, Colonel, USAF, Retired
Class of 1973
President & CEO STARRS.us
New Air Force Academy Mission Statement Drops Educate, Adds a Different Focus
By Mary Shinn | Colorado Springs Gazette
The Air Force Academy has rolled out a new mission statement that drops the word “educate” and adds in a focus on winning wars.
The statement was posted recently on the academy’s website without consulting or informing the school’s faculty.
The new mission 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.”
An academy spokesperson said the statement reflects the priorities outlined by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to develop warrior-leaders prepared to lead warfighters on Day One.
The previous mission statement was “To educate, train and inspire men and women to become officers of character motivated to lead the U.S. Air Force and Space Force in service to our nation.”
The older mission statement is closer to the one at West Point.
The U.S. Military Academy states its mission is “To build, educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets to be commissioned leaders of character committed to the Army values and ready for a lifetime of service to the Army and nation.”
The Naval Academy places emphasis on ideals, as well as a well-rounded education, in its statement.
Annapolis says its mission is “To develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.”
The Air Force Academy adopted a new mission statement while it is also reevaluating its curriculum and planning to lose civilian faculty as part of budget cuts, as The Gazette reported earlier.
Longtime Air Force Academy department head and retired Brig. Gen. Marty France said in an email he was concerned the academy deleted “educate” from the statement, because it’s been part of the institution’s mission since its founding.
“This clears the way to reduce greatly the rigor of program that’s been highly rated by all possible agencies since the first class graduated,” he said in an email.
France also pointed out it does not include an emphasis on deterrence.
“It is unnecessarily bellicose and focused on fighting wars without mentioning the critical roles played by the Air Force and Space Force in assuring world peace. That would include things like airlift, satellite services like GPS, as well as the war deterrence mission that has been vital since WWII.”
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