The Air Force Academy’s top officer said the school’s pursuit of modernization and innovation will lead to a bright future for cadets, the Air Force and the Pikes Peak Region, April 12 at the State of USAFA forum.  

Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson hosted the annual forum to update civic and industry partners on the school’s state of affairs and future plans. This was her second State of USAFA address since she became the superintendent in 2013.  

General Johnson focused on the Academy’s Strategic Plan and it’s six goals as a roadmap for the discussion: Character and leadership development; Produce highly trained and educated officers; Strengthen the Academy’s communication and reputation; Enhance faculty, staff and cadet diversity; Develop and motivate the workforce; and Build and maintain strategic partnerships.

“We’re in a great place to move forward,” she said to an audience of Colorado Springs, El Paso Country and Academy officials. “There’s so much energy in the Pikes Peak region and Colorado Springs.”

Tech-transfer

The general said the Academy continues to make big advances in the tech-transfer realm, including its first Invention License Agreement with a Colorado company that designs unmanned aerial vehicles.

The ILA allows the Academy to receive royalties based on the scientific advances of cadets and staff in its Research Office.

“The royalties are relatively small, but they’re reinvested in our research programs,” she said.  

The Academy is one of about 700 national and federal research labs across the U.S. with a legislative requirement to exchange intellectual property and technology with private businesses.

“We’re doing just that,” General Johnson said.

The Academy leads the Air Force in cooperative research and development agreements, or “CRADAS” -- legal agreements allowing federal labs and industry partners to work together and share resources.

“Our partnerships are paying dividends for the Academy and the Pikes Peak Region,” General Johnson said. “These partnerships help us identify and prioritize technologies ripe for commercialization and codify the processes and policies necessary for us to provide commercial entities access to our research facilities.”

The general said research partnerships add to the Academy’s already significant economic impact on the Pikes Peak Region and Colorado Springs.

“In 2015, our economic impact was $981 million -- almost $1 billion,” she said. “We know it’s not the most important thing about our partnership [with Colorado Springs], but it is important. We’re very pleased to have such a large impact on our community.”

Community support

The general also discussed the Academy’s admission liaison officer program, and its Reserve Officer Training Corps Exchange program.

Admissions liaison officers meet high school officials and students across the U.S. to talk about the Academy’s admissions requirements.

“We have 1,500 liaison officers connecting with kids from across the nation,” General Johnson said. “We’re really trying hard to elevate our game in raising national awareness of the Air Force’s Academy.”

Brig. Gen. Stephen Williams, commandant of cadets, said the ROTC Exchange program, unveiled last year, has been a “wonderful experiment.”

“It gives us the opportunity to take our cadets and expose them to ROTC cadets and see their education from a different perspective,” he said. “One of the things we’ve learned is how ROTC units give cadets very honest and open feedback. Our exchange cadets have come back and said, ‘Wow -- that’s brutal,’ but that’s how it should be. On the other side, cadets have a very rigorous schedule here.”

Along with these and many other programs at the Academy, cadets have donated nearly 40,000 hours of community service each year in the last five academic years. Their volunteer efforts are coordinated through the  cadet service leadership program, which connects community organizations with nearly 4,000 cadet volunteers.

One highly-visible example of cadets’ volunteer service is the alternate spring break program, where cadets give up their spring break to team-up with Habitate for Humanity to build or repair homes for lower-income families.

This year, cadets worked on homes in Corpus Christi, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; Houston; Oklahoma City; Sacramento; and Tupelo, Mississippi.

On the local front, cadet volunteers traveled to eight Colorado counties in September to work with more than 30 public service organizations during the cadet wing’s community service day.    

Public concerns

General Johnson said the Academy plans to open a 7-mile section of the Santa Fe Trail that runs through its property along I-25. The Academy closed this section in May because of security concerns. Since then, Academy and El Paso County officials have been working to reopen the trail.

The general said the Academy is putting security measures in place while El Paso County repairs the damaged trail.

“There’s been significant degradation to [the trail],” she said. “We intend to open the trail once those necessary repairs have been made and security equipment has been installed.”

Barring changes in local threat conditions, the Academy should stay open to its more than one million annual visitors.

“The base will be secure but open,” General Johnson said. “Current world threats continue to evolve. We have been the target of terrorists and we have to find a good balance to ensure the safety of all at the Academy, including our visitors using the trail.”

The cadet chapel, the most visited manmade building in Colorado with more than 500,000 annual visitors, is scheduled to close for renovations in the summer of 2018. The project is expected to last 2 years and cost $50 million.

The building badly needs to be repaired after 53-years of wear and tear, but the project won’t affect cadets’ ability to worship as they choose, General Johnson said.

“It’s leaked consistently since it was built,” she said. “Cadets will have the ability to exercise their religious preference through a variety of alternate locations and venues.”

Academy officials are also studying options for visitors to see the building while it’s closed, including a filmed walking tour at the Barry Goldwater Visitors Center or outside the cadet chapel.

Engine noise produced by the Academy’s T53A aircraft as they reach flying altitude has concerned some residents just east of the base.  

The Federal Aviation Administration changed the flight patterns of aircraft to and from Colorado Springs Airport and Denver International Airport in 2013, so the Academy had to adjust its own flight path, General Johnson said.

“We will continue to work with the community to address concerns and ensure compatible land use practices are in place,” General Johnson said. “Our elected officials have provided tremendous support in these efforts and we thank you for that.”

Teaching cadets to fly powered aircraft has been a mainstay of the Academy since it opened its doors in 1954, but since then the city has doubled in population and size.

The Academy is studying ways to reduce the noise caused by its T-53A aircraft, including evaluating various propeller designs to allow for faster climbing speeds and installing air conditioners in the aircraft to reduce early morning flights.  

General Johnson said the Academy wants to continue to promote growth of the city while preserving the Academy and its mission of developing leaders of character.

“We need your help to inform your constituencies and stay engaged with the dialogue,” she said to the civic officials in the audience.

General Johnson thanked the Colorado Springs and El Paso County civic leaders for their support and partnership.

“We are very excited about what lies ahead,” she said. “We live and work in a great community and we’re grateful to be part of Colorado Springs.”