October 10, 2023

Cadets develop cyber skills in classroom and competition

U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Cyber and Computer Sciences cadets and faculty pose with the 2023 National Security Agency Cyber Exercise Trophy August 28, 2023. The department won the trophy for the second consecutive year. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- U.S. Air Force Academy cyber and computer sciences cadets hone their skills in the classroom and competitions against the best computer hackers in the world. A superior cyber education The Academy continues to be a leader in cyber education with one of the...

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October 20, 2023

Cadet survivors find outlet in weekly support group

Sexual assault is a direct violation of the U.S. Air Force Academy Honor Code Oath. Sexual assault survivors and supporters meet weekly in the Cadet Wing’s Victims, Allies, Survivors and Thrivers support group. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Pacheco) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- Cadets in recovery from sexual assault have a support group where they can meet safely to share common experiences and coping skills. Victims, Allies, Survivors and Thrivers The Victims, Allies, Survivors and Thrivers support group meets weekly at a private time and place in the Cadet...

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October 25, 2023

Cadets urge survivors to ‘Take Back the Night’

The U.S. Air Force Academy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response table awaits cadets entering the Arnold Hall Ballroom for Take Back the Night Oct. 24, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Randy Roughton  U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications  U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.– About 200 U.S. Air Force Academy cadets, faculty and staff supported sexual assault survivors in taking control of their trauma at Take Back the Night in Arnold Hall Oct. 24, 2023. Support and empowerment Take Back the Night is the oldest worldwide stand against sexual violence, with the first event in the U.S....

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October 31, 2023

Flying Team wins 37th consecutive region title

A U.S. Air Force Academy Precision Flying Team pilot flies a T-51A Deathhawk during the National Intercollegiate Flying Association Region I Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference 2023 competition at Davis Airfield Oct. 10, 2023. The Flying Team has won the regional championship every year since 1987. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rayna Grace) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- The U.S. Air Force Academy Precision Flying Team members captured their 37th consecutive National Intercollegiate Flying Association Region I Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference championship. The Academy has won the competition every year...

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October 27, 2023

Professor embraces language-culture connection

Dr. Pete Swanson, U.S. Air Force Academy Department of Foreign Languages associate Spanish professor, takes a moment before a scheduled appointment with a cadet Oct. 5, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Domingos) By Randy Roughton  U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.– U.S. Air Force Academy Spanish professor Dr. Pete Swanson has a simple educational philosophy that echoes that of the Department of Foreign Languages mission: “From the Classroom to the field to the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.” “We want to see the best in the cadets,” Swanson...

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November 1, 2023

Airmanship programs turn cadets into aviators

Cadets return from an Aug. 15, 2023, jump from a UV-18B Twin Otter in the U.S. Air Force Academy parachuting program. Parachuting is one of the Academy’s four Airmanship Programs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- U.S. Air Force Academy Airmanship programs introduce cadets to flying fundamentals and potential careers as Air Force aviators. The Airmanship Experience Model Cadets develop airmanship through the Academy’s Airmanship Experience Model, said Lt. Col. Daniel Bellissimo, chief of current operations. The model includes powered and unpowered flight concepts, navigation...

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November 6, 2023

WWII airpower legend receives honorary promotion to Colonel

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. James H. Harvey III., a Tuskegee Airman and one of the nation’s first African American fighter pilots is honorarily promoted to colonel at Denver’s Empower Field Nov. 4, 2023. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – At 100 years old, World War II and Korean War airpower legend U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. James H. Harvey III., one of the nation’s first African American fighter pilots with the famed Tuskegee Airmen, received an honorary promotion to the rank of colonel. The honorary promotion...

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November 13, 2023

Academy grad making his name with Space Delta 9

U.S. Space Force Capt. Dillon Duarte, a U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2016 graduate, is now chief of the Space Delta 9 Commander’s Action Group at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. (U.S. Space Force photo by Tiana Williams) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- A year before then-Cadet 2nd Class Dillon Duarte graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2016, he learned his eyesight made his dream of flying impossible. But the path to a new passion began with inspiration from a Geospatial Science satellite imagery course during his junior...

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November 13, 2023

Program opens Academy admission for enlisted

Kiana Baruela, pictured here as a prior-enlisted Airman first class at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, graduated from Basic Military Training Jan. 14, 2016. Baruela, now a U.S. Air Force Academy cadet first class, earned her appointment through the Leaders Encouraging Airmen Development program. (Photo provided by Cadet 1st Class Kiana Baruela) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- In 2018, then-Senior Airman Kiana Baruela was on track for a successful U.S. Air Force health management career, but she had one concern. She wanted to be an officer. Fortunately, Baruela’s attitude and leadership...

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June 9, 2025

Integrity first: 2nd Lt. Caleb Kavanaugh’s leadership path

Cadet 1st Class Caleb Kavanaugh, Class of 2025 president, speaks to graduates and audience members during the U.S. Air Force Academy’s 2025 graduation ceremony held at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 29, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Dylan Smith) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - U.S. Air Force Academy military trainer Master Sgt. Nicholas Filip first met 2nd Lt. Caleb Kavanaugh when Kavanaugh joined Cadet Squadron 6 four years ago as a four-degree. Filip appraised the prior-enlisted cadet from that first meeting as “the boldest and most confident...

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