Remarks and position paper submitted by Maj. General Bentley Rayburn, USAF ret, USAFA ’75 (STARRS Chairman of the Board of Directors) to the July 20, 2026 USAFA Board of Visitors meeting:
Transcript:
“Well, as a grad, I want to express my thanks to the Board of Visitors for the interest you’ve taken in the operation of the Academy since ensure appointments, interest that I feel has been lacking for quite some time. In front of you is a paper entitled Position Paper on Academy Statutory Realignment.
It’s very straightforward and it highlights several issues covered by other speakers, so I won’t reiterate those.
Let me just make two quick points. I’ve served with many wonderful ROTC and OCS grads over the course of my nearly 31 years in uniform. But if we are adding $1 trillion to the national debt every 150 days or so, how can we afford the military academies when ROTC and OCS programs produce officers at a much cheaper cost?
What is the fundamental difference between our military academies and our other officer accession programs that make the academies worthwhile?
That answer goes to the very core of the academy mission, a mission I must say that has not been fully met for quite some time.
One can get a degree in any of the majors offered at the academies from many colleges and universities. One can compete in intercollegiate sports at other schools as well.
So what makes, or what ought to make, the military academies different? The simple answer is culture.
There must be a distinct military culture in all aspects of the cadet’s life. Academics, athletics, and the function of the cadet wing. That is the biggest difference between the experience of an ROTC or OCS officer candidate and a military academy graduate.
The other item I would like to highlight is our mission.
Several years ago, the phrase motivation to become a career officer in the United States Air Force was excised from our mission statement. I recognize that every grad isn’t going to stay for a full career, but if we aren’t judging ourselves on our success of producing career officers, we are missing the mark.
We need to know the return on investment the citizens of this country are making in our academy. Thanks for listening.”
Position Paper
Academy Statutory Realignment
Problem: Cultural shifts over time have affected the U.S. Air Force Academy, resulting in the operating environment drifting from its statutory essence and purpose. All programs should be linked to character-based leadership development in support and defense of the Constitution.
Facts:
- Amended over time, the United States Air Force Academy was established by 10 U.S.C. § 9431 — Establishment; Superintendent; faculty. It remains the statutory basis for the U.S. Air Force Academy’s creation and structure . See https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title10/subtitleD/part3/chapter953&edition=prelim.
- AFMD 12, 16 January 2025: “ 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.” See https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/afmd12/afmd12.pdf
- USAFAI 36-3540, 10 August 2023: “The Academy Board is an internal governing body of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). The Academy Board is a principal advisory board to the Superintendent and the decision-making body on all matters related to the USAFA Course of Instruction (COI) and on all policy matters related to admissions, cadet performance (military, athletic, academic, honor), eligibility, retention, and merit. As a Higher Learning Commission-accredited institute for higher learning, USAFA utilizes the Academy Board to autonomously make decisions and/or provide advice based on the best interest of the institution with inputs from subordinate advisory groups and committees, and in compliance with Department of the Air Force and Board of Visitors (BOV) guidance.” See https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/usafa/publication/usafai36-3540/usafai36-3540.pdf (Emphasis added.)
- The Course of Instruction (COI) Handbook, AY2025-2026. See https://www.usafa.edu/app/uploads/COI.pdf
Issues:
- Discipline: unclear standards of behavior; enforcement often not appropriate, timely, fair, and consistently applied; needed is a functional appeal process including feedback loops to those cadets who appeal.
- Insufficient due process, g., excessive punishments and insufficient time to adjudicate, nine seniors at AFA kept them from graduating and notified of intention to discharge/dis-enroll untimely, as a “group” punishment.
- Residual resistance to the reduction of civilian faculty. How to increase military to civilian instructor ratio given current manpower pool?
- FOIAs lack responsiveness and transparency, grossly exceeding the 20-day response The failure to respond on a complete and timely basis to Freedom of Information Act requests conceals the truth from external constituencies. It is the antithesis of transparency and is indicative of a desire to cover up ongoing issues that would be found to be problematic to the public, the media, governing bodies, and higher echelons within the Department of War.
- Fully deploying Presidential Executive Orders and SECDEF Memoranda throughout the institution, countering bureaucratic agendas.
- Accreditation implications regarding the Academy Board composition and influence.
Reforms:
Admissions: Merit-based admissions policy.
- Eliminate all discriminatory lower admission standards for special identity groups based on race, gender, ethnicity, sex orientation,
- Provide equal opportunity on a level playing field for all applicants to the academies.
- Using transparent admission criteria, select the best, to be future leaders of America’s sons and
Academics:
- Promote an Academic Board focused on warrior ethos/of An accreditation shift may better accommodate this focus by transferring from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to the Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE).
- Increase the military to civilian ratio with active duty or retired military instructors who have solid combat and/or field leadership experience.
- Revise the curriculum:
- Eliminate all social engineering related topics
- Concentrate on:
- Military history and U.S. history including the Constitution.
- Duty, Honor, Country, and all the associated values, and ethics:
- Study Marxism vs a Constitutional Republic; socialism vs free market capitalism.
- Above all, focus on character, leadership, and team building.
Athletics:
- Increase the number of military (active duty or retired) coaches or assistant coaches in the Athletic Department to ensure proper warrior culture is cultivated.
- Ensure new civilian coaches are properly trained in the mission and culture of the Academy and their role in producing the best Lieutenants for the Air and Space Forces.
- Examine the impact of the NIL program and the NCAA Transfer Portal on Air Force Athletics and the impact these programs have on recruiting the best athletes that meet admission standards.
- The Director of Athletics should be an Air or Space Force officer—active duty or retired. Restrictions on fundraising by active duty officers can be accommodated as they have been in the past.
Character:
- Organizing principle: American creed, Constitution, Commissioning Oath of Of
- Honor code provides a moral compass (augmented/boosted by spiritual grounding).
- Core values frame behavior, decision-making, inculcated by officership curriculum.
- Milestones: graduation and commitment to serve as career of
Recommendations:
- Include “to become a career officer” in the mission of the USAFA.
- Emphasize character development beginning before arrival as a Cadet Fourth Classmen—this could include an online introduction to the honor code, core values, conduct requirements, and the oath to the Constitution.
- Emphasize the importance of character-based leadership as an officer in the Air and Space Forces.
- Link all Academy experiences to character-based leadership in support and defense of the Constitution.
- Switch from HLC to CPHE accreditation organizations.
POC: Major General Bentley B. Rayburn, USAF, Retired, USAFA Class of 1975
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