Basic cadets from the class of 2028 arrive at the U.S. Air Force Academy for in-processing (I-Day), June 26, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colo. I-Day marks the start of the cadet's journey of becoming a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force and Space Force. (Dylan Smith/U.S. Air Force)
(Tribune News Service) — 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.
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.
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.
The academy’s 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.”
© 2025 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
Visit www.gazette.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
