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Madera Cyber Innovation Center opens with ribbon-cutting ceremony

The Madera Cyber Innovation Center officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
The Madera Cyber Innovation Center officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy, April 25, 2025. The three-story, 48,000-square-foot facility will serve more than 1,400 cadets who attend Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences courses annually. (U.S. Air Force photo by Dylan Smith)

By Randy Roughton
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Madera Cyber Innovation Center officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 25 at the U.S. Air Force Academy. The three-story, 48,000-square foot facility will better support cadets to more efficiently focus on their training for military conflicts, identify cyber warfare threats and learn cutting-edge technologies.

“The DoD is moving toward a future-fight, near-peer conflict footing,” said Cadet 1st Class Enrique Oti, a Computer Science and Cyber Science major. “Early exposure for cadets to cutting-edge research, technologies, and tactics, techniques and procedures prepares us for a potential future war. The new Madera Cyber Innovation Center provides the space and technology for that exposure.”

The Madera Cyber Innovation Center reflects the Academy’s commitment to providing world-class facilities for cadets. It houses the Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences, AF CyberWorx and the Institute for Future Conflict. In 14 unique laboratories and classrooms, cadets will learn cyber through hands-on opportunities and traditional instruction. Since core computer and cyber sciences courses will be taught in the facility, cadets from all academic disciplines will experience the center.

Among the center’s key features is the sensitive compartmented information facility, where cadets will have access to real-world training. The facility offers two large rooms, each four times larger than previously available.

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Madera and his wife, Joan, at the Madera Cyber Innovation Center ribbon-cutting ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Madera and his wife, Joan, at the Madera Cyber Innovation Center ribbon-cutting ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy, April 25, 2025. In the background is an artist’s rendering of the facility. The three-story, 48,000-square-foot facility will serve more than 1,400 cadets who attend Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences courses annually. (U.S. Air Force photo by Dylan Smith)

‘A game-changer’ for cadet cyber training

Computer and Cyber Sciences department head Lt. Col. James Maher said the Madera Cyber Innovation Center will bring academia, industry and military cyber operators together to educate and train future Air Force and Space Force warrior-leaders.

“The Madera Cyber Innovation Center is a game-changer for our current and incoming cadets,” Maher said. “This facility will increase the productivity and output of cadet research, specifically in cyber security and artificial intelligence. The secure facility downstairs allows us to provide our warrior-leaders with real-world cyber training with the ability to connect with the rest of the Air Force and Space Force for cyber learning and competition.”

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Madera and his wife, Joan, tour the Madera Cyber Innovation Center with cadets and Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences faculty.
Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Madera and his wife, Joan, tour the Madera Cyber Innovation Center with cadets and Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences faculty on April 24, 2025. The three-story, 48,000-square-foot facility officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 25. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)

Named for Academy graduate Paul Madera

Alumni donations and military construction funds financed the $60-million project. The center is named for retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Madera, Class of 1978, and his wife Joan. Madera is a U.S. Air Force Academy Foundation director. Foundation donations funded half of the $60 million cost for the Madera project. The couple toured the center with cadets and Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences faculty the day before the ceremony.

“For every countermeasure we develop, there is a rapidly developed countermeasure,” Madera said. “There are two drivers behind our interest in funding this facility. The first is preparedness, and the second is digital vulnerability. This building has been prepared to serve as a resource for phenomenal preparation for our cadets and our active-duty Air Force and Space Force.”

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Judson Dressler speaks at the Madera Cyber Innovation Center ribbon-cutting ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Judson Dressler speaks at the Madera Cyber Innovation Center ribbon-cutting ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy, April 25, 2025. Dressler was head of the Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences during the construction of the center. The three-story, 48,000-square-foot facility will house the department, AF CyberWorx, and the Institute for Future Conflict. (U.S. Air Force photo by Dylan Smith)

A facility ‘made for cadets’

Cadet 1st Class David Petzold, a Computer Science major who will attend pilot training at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, after graduation, considers the Madera Center a facility that could attract prospective cadets.

“If I were an incoming fourth-degree cadet interested in computer science, Madera would be especially awesome because it was specifically designed for cadets,” Petzold said. “It is a separate, dedicated space made for cadets to focus on what they want to learn and further their academic interests and excellence. I believe it will bring a wider cyber technology to the Air Force.”

See photos of the Madera Cyber Innovation Center ribbon-cutting ceremony.