The Aeronautics Research Center in the Department of Aeronautics seeks to provide every Aeronautical Engineering cadet with a meaningful research experience, employing projects supporting customers in the Air Force, DoD, other government agencies, and commercial partners. The center makes use of the U.S. Air Force Academy Aeronautics Laboratory, the best-equipped aeronautics facility in all of academia. It is complemented by a broad range of faculty and researcher expertise in aerodynamics, flight control, propulsion, and flight test. These capabilities combine to produce highly motivational cadet learning experiences, quality research products for the customers, and faculty/researcher technical currency.

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The Center for Aircraft Structural Life Extension has a two-fold research mission in support of the safe sustainment of aging structures. First, to perform a wide range of research and technology development projects focused on delivering critical science and technology (S&T)data, tools, and other products required to understand the impact of material degradation in structural systems for various government, academic, and commercial sponsors. Second, but no less important, to educate, train, inspire, and otherwise prepare future generations that might become the core of the S&T community within the government and the general professional population. CAStLE’s core competencies, developed over more than two decades of successful research product delivery to our sponsors, fully address all aspects of the mission.

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The Hypersonic Vehicle Simulation Institute, sponsored by the DoD High Performance Computing Modernization Program, is a national effort managed by the U.S. Air Force Academy. The vision of this effort is to bring together disparate DoD, DOE, NASA, academic, and industry hypersonic researchers to address current shortcomings and advance the state-of-the-art in hypersonic vehicle simulation. This program will enable academic and research institutions around the country to pursue advances in the ability to simulate the challenging aerothermodynamic and propulsion system phenomena—such as boundary layer transition, shock-shock and shock-boundary layer interactions, ablation, non-equilibrium chemistry, and fluid/thermal/ structural interactions—of hypersonic flight in order to accelerate technology development and transition into superior defense capabilities for the the United States. Faculty and cadets associated with the U.S. Air Force Academy Research Centers may compete for funding through this effort in areas such as development and evaluation of hypersonic turbulence models, and creation of experimental datasets to enable verification and validation of new simulation capabilities.

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The Academy Center for Cyberspace Research is the research center for the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences (DFCS). Through deliberate development, the faculty in the DFCS is prepared to conduct high-impact research driven by partnerships with internal research centers, operational Air Force entities, and industry. All of the ACCR projects are designed to match operational needs, industry partners, faculty expertise, and cadet interest. Through this pairing, we are able to create powerful capabilities that are targeted for providing a direct capability to USAF operations.

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Air Force CyberWorx collaborates with Airmen, academic, and industry experts to solve operational problems using human-centered and agile design methods. CyberWorx aims to resolve challenges for the Air Force with forward-looking solutions. Partnering with AF CyberWorx provides airmen and cadets with the opportunity to work with real-world practitioners, creating teaming environments that will help with their leadership skills in their Air Force careers. CyberWorx is based at the Air Force Academy to harness the ingenuity of 4,000 digital-native airmen and cadets and more than 100 Ph.D. faculty members, its vibrant

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The High Performance Computing Research Center provides access to high-performance computing resources (local and remote), high-speed network access to those resources, and the expertise to use them efficiently. These resources are available to all faculty, staff, and cadets, regardless of academic department or discipline. As part of the Department of Aeronautics, HPCRC researchers assist aeronautical engineering majors to conduct research in computational modeling of aerodynamics and high-speed gas dynamics.

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The Institute for Information Technology Applications (IITA), funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI), engages in multidisciplinary research at the US Air Force Academy to develop products and technology benefiting education and operations at the Academy, the Air Force, and the DoD. IITA fosters collaborative efforts between AFRL (all technical directorates) and the Academy by supporting research proposal development, funding, and execution; and the exchange of personnel through summer internships, sabbaticals, and working TDYs.

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The Center for Physics Education Research engages in pedagogical innovation and the thoughtful application of technology to the learning experience by developing and evaluating effective teaching strategies using research-based approaches.

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The Human Performance Laboratory applies sports science principles to improve Academy athletic teams and individual cadet performance. Coaches, cadet athletes, and cadets receive specific physiological information by way of testing, research, training, and education. The Human Performance Lab also provides subject matter expertise on the Air Force fitness program and human performance, offering scientific data through research and exercise physiology principles. Through the use of various physiological tests, to include Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scans for body composition, Resting Metabolic Rate, VO2max, Anaerobic Endurance, Anaerobic Power, and Anaerobic Threshold, the HPL can aid athlete and cadets to improve their performance, nutritional habits, and overall fitness levels. The HPL tests and trains more than 2,000 cadets and approximately 200 faculty, staff, and active-duty members annually while also hosting and conducting informational and educational tours for more than 150 high schools, college universities, elite athletes, professional sports teams, and military personnel from all over the world.

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The Office of Labor and Economic Analysis is dedicated to providing labor economic analysis with the rigor necessary to define, develop, shape, sustain, and deliver a U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force workforce with efficiency. Products from OLEA provide senior leaders responsible for managing the Department of the Air Force’s human capital portfolio with critical information in the development of strategic guidance. OLEA addresses unmet needs in personnel policy identified by senior leadership, with a focus on the application of labor economics principles and econometric analysis to understand the impacts of policy and incentive structures on the behavior of Airmen and members of the Space Force.

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The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program represents a growing national and international professional movement that recognizes, publicizes, funds, and advocates the scholarly approach to understanding factors that impact student learning. These factors include specific teaching techniques, incorporation of technology, organization of materials, and use of group work.

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The Astronomical Research Group and Observatory, based at the U.S. Air Force Academy Observatory, houses a 41-cm Ritchey–Chrétien telescope and supports the worldwide Falcon Telescope Network (FTN). A state-of-the-art 1-meter Ritchey–Chrétien telescope and large-format camera system was installed in fall 2019 (pictured above), and is now fully operational. A high-resolution echelle spectrograph is scheduled for integration into the 1-meter system in fall 2020. ARGO conducts deep space research including asteroid tracking, astronomical spectroscopy and photometry, and exoplanet studies, as well as SDA research including resolved and non-resolved space object tracking. ARGO also supports the other Department of Physics research centers and grant work. Finally, ARGO hosts STEM outreach activities at the observatory for Scout groups, school groups, and teachers, in partnership with the newly- reopened U.S. Air Force Academy Planetarium.

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The Center for Space Situational Awareness Research provides cadets and faculty at the United States Air Force Academy an education and research program in space situational awareness(SSA) using world-class facilities and capabilities.

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The Laser and Optics Research Center performs research in laser development, laser applications, and large optics for space with cadets, faculty, and contractors using a well-equipped laboratory. Lasers and large optics are increasingly used by the military for directed energy weapons, precision munitions, communications, and surveillance.

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The Space Physics and Atmospheric Research Center faculty and cadets perform basic research in the solar-terrestrial environment and investigate how perturbations in that environment can negatively impact the performance and longevity of U.S. Air Force space assets. SPARC specializes in the development of aggressively miniaturized payloads that fly on experimental spacecraft to make observations of the ionosphere. SPARC then works with cadets to incorporate these measurements into the broader framework of the ionospheric system, with the long-term goal of developing physics-based predictive models eventually leading to the ability to forecast the geospace environment.

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The Space Systems Research Center designs, builds, tests, and flies cadet-built, DoD-backed satellites. It focuses on cadet education while achieving real DoD objectives and supports national Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educational objectives.

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Named after President Dwight Eisenhower, the first American president to establish a national policy-shaping U.S. engagement in space for both military and peaceful purposes. The Eisenhower Center provides cadets and faculty with unique opportunities to participate in research and policy discussions on the future of American security through the first-hand contact with senior leaders and experts in the military, civilian government, and private sector from the United States and major space-faring nations. Building on this foundation, the Eisenhower Center examines challenges to America’s national security across other frontiers of technology development to include cybersecurity and developments in hypersonic delivery vehicles. Through its journal, Space, and Defense, the Eisenhower Center promotes an ongoing discussion of space and security policy issues from a broad range of professional and intellectual perspectives among academic experts and defense policymakers.

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The Institute for Future Conflict (IFC) is an integrative concept designed to enhance the capabilities and skills of all cadets and faculty in thinking about and waging the future fight. The IFC helps produce leaders of character not only versed in emerging technology, but also able to think critically about the social, historical, and philosophical implications of these developments. The IFC supports and integrates existing programs and provides resources for cadets, faculty, and senior leaders to pursue high-impact learning opportunities and build deeper roots in the technological and socio-cultural demands of modern/future conflict.

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The U.S. Air Force Academy Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) is located within the Academy facility. From its inception in 1992, INSS has focused on strategic security, arms control, and strategic stability, advising the Air Force strategic policy and arms control communities on current and emerging issues of interest. The mission of INSS is to promote national security policy research for the Department of Defense within the military academic community, to foster the development of strategic perspective within the U.S. Armed Forces, and to support national security discourse through outreach and education. Air Force sponsorship to INSS comes from the HAF/A10, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration. Other core sponsors include the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the broader Defense strategic research community.

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The modern battlefield is continually changing by adapting and integrating new technologies to gain efficiencies, lethality, and precision. From autonomous weapon systems and cyber operations to hypersonic and space-based weapons systems, new technology is rapidly developing, and new capabilities are being brought to bear both for and against our enemies. With each new technology, military lawyers are confronted with questions of their legality under the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL). As these questions and conversations arise, it falls on the practitioners to answer the tough questions and, perhaps more importantly, shape the conversations. Taking advantage of the spirit of technological innovation at the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Law, Technology, and Warfare Research Cell (LTWRC) offers faculty, cadets, and the wider Air Force community the opportunity to research new technologies and their legal application in warfare, ensuring the United States continues its technological advantage in an ever-changing battlespace.

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The Academy Nuclear Enterprise Research Center, hosted by the Department of Physics, focuses on interdisciplinary research in support of the nuclear weapons complex. The center utilizes partnerships across the nuclear enterprise to perform cutting edge research across the nuclear science and policy spectrum. The center supports the Nuclear Weapons and Strategy Minor and provides research opportunities for cadets of all academic backgrounds and majors.

The center develops agile warfighter-leaders for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force through education and research of contemporary, joint, multi-domain military, and strategic concepts across all levels of warfare.

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The Center for Character and Leadership Development is the Academy’s most visible focal point for understanding, enhancing, and integrating Academy cadet and staff efforts to achieve the essential mission of developing officers of character. CCLD conducts research and brings scholars and practitioners together to understand the evolving Profession of Arms and the changing demands of military leadership and character development. We support the developmental processes which prepare cadets to serve effectively as leaders.

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The Academy Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research, hosted by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, focuses on adding autonomy to UAS, to allow one operator to control multiple UAS that can autonomously search, find, identify and track various targets. UAS serve as an excellent platform for our cadets across various disciplines to conduct meaningful research supporting the warfighter.

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The research team in the Chemistry Research Center at the U.S. Air Force Academy focuses on new chemical discoveries to meet operational Air Force and DoD mission partner needs as well as private partnerships with academia and industry. CRC and the Department of Chemistry faculty have proven success through external partnering with academia, industry and national laboratories in order to leverage an expanding technology base.

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The Life Sciences Research Center’s primary mission is to support the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and the Defense Health Agency (DHA) through faculty and cadet research efforts. The main objective of the LSRC is to develop basic research within a broad range of biological sciences topics. Multidisciplinary, there are two main research thrusts which include biomedical and Natural Materials and Systems.

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Warfighter’s Edge (WEdge) is an advanced development lab activity with sponsorship from various commands. The lab is hosted in Colorado Springs, CO on the campus of the USAF Academy. WEdge leverages GOTS and COTS software with custom modifications to meet the urgent or emerging needs of unit-level warfighters. Established in 2005, WEdge has contributed over 20 innovative software products used throughout the DoD with an average eight-month delivery time.

The Warfighter Effectiveness Research Center is the research arm of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership and is dedicated to facilitating faculty and cadet research in the behavioral sciences that enhance warfighter effectiveness. A trans-disciplinary approach is generally used to address the research areas mentioned below. Current collaborators include government laboratories, academia, industry, and military operators— all dedicated to the same warfighter-focused approach to science and technology.

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