May 30, 2025

SECAF gives commencement speech to USAFA Class of 2025

Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink 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. During his first public speech as SECAF, Meink emphasized the importance of national security and the shift of focus to the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Dylan Smith) By Tech. Sgt. Sahara Fales U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Approximately 900 cadets, along with their friends and loved ones, listened as Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink addressed...

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May 30, 2025

From Cadet-for-a-Day to Class of 2025 graduate

Then-Cadet 1st Class Mark Carnes, Class of 2025, is pictured in front of the F-15 Eagle on the U.S. Air Force Academy Terrazzo, May 12, 2025. Carnes will begin EURO-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - At the age of 15, U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Mark Carnes visited the U.S. Air Force Academy and made a life-changing decision: to become a cadet and fulfill a childhood dream to fly fighter aircraft. Carnes’ ambition...

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June 2, 2025

Academy Dean retires after 29 years of service

Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre, U.S. Air Force Academy Dean of Faculty, gives a speech during her retirement ceremony at Fairchild Hall here, May 30, 2025. The blue and white pennant has been with Letendre since childhood and symbolized her goal of attending the Academy. Throughout her 29-year-career, Letendre found herself serving in multiple roles here such as the Assistant Professor of Law, Permanent Professor and Head of the Department of Law, and more recently as the Chair of the Social Sciences Division. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Tech. Sgt. Sahara Fales U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications...

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June 3, 2025

Graduation Breakdown: Class of 2025 stats

U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2025 graduates toss their hats skyward in Falcon Stadium May 29, 2025. Class of 2025 stats indicate 791 cadets were commissioned into the Air Force, and 93 were commissioned into the Space Force as second lieutenants. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Harry Lundy U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - More than 900 cadets graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in a ceremony at Falcon Stadium May 29. In all, 791 Class of 2025 cadets were commissioned into the Air Force, and 93 were commissioned...

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June 6, 2025

Service Before Self: 2nd Lt. Billie Botes’ combats veteran homelessness

Marine veteran Carl Lewis salutes Cadet 1st Class Billie Botes at the Cadet Squadron 14 commissioning ceremony at Arnold Hall in the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., May 28, 2025. Botes met Lewis while volunteering at Marian House Kitchen and requested that he render her a first salute as an Air Force officer to honor his positive influence on her life. (U.S. Air Force photo by Sonie Munson) By Sonie Munson U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Marine veteran Carl Lewis renders a first salute to then Cadet 1st Class Billie Botes, Class of...

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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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June 18, 2025

Academy Military Trainers provide mentorship; discipline

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Kimberly Kouete, Cadet Squadron 38 Academy Military Trainer, poses for a photo with her cadet squadron on the Terrazzo before the Founders’ Day Parade at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., April 12, 2025. In her role as an AMT, Kouete shapes cadet leadership, discipline and officer development through mentorship. (Courtesy photo provided by Kimberly Kouete) By SSgt Michael Ward U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - Academy Military Trainers, or AMTs, shape cadet development. These enlisted leaders provide real-world perspective, mentorship and leadership, often forming some of the most...

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January 17, 2025

Cadets tackle mistletoe mitigation to fight forest decline

Cadet 1st Class Camryn Miller and Cadet 2nd Class Adam Rouse spot signs of dwarf mistletoe infestation in a ponderosa pine on the southern side of the U.S. Air Force Academy Jan. 16, 2025. The cadets created a Geospatial Science plan to map the parasite that affects trees on the installation during a Department of Economics and Geosciences sustainability course during the 2023-24 academic 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. – Two cadets made their mark on the conservation of Rocky Mountain forests in...

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December 30, 2024

Cadets receive personalized instruction at the Academic Success Center

Cadet 3rd Class Olivia Cha works with faculty member Dr. Mary Hertz in a one-on-one extra-instruction lesson in the U.S. Air Force Academy Academic Success Center April 23, 2024. Cha, a Biology major, improved her grades after using the center’s services, and she is excelling academically. (Courtesy photo by Sam Hastings) By Randy Roughton U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Early in his first semester at the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 4th Class Joseph Anderson realized he needed help with a few classes. Anderson found the support he needed at the Academic Success...

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September 12, 2024

Academy instructor shapes tomorrow’s military leaders through strategic education

Bruce Beyerly, U.S. Air Force Academy Military and Strategic Studies Department instructor, poses for a photo at the Academy, Colo., Sept. 5, 2024. Beyerly brings a breadth of knowledge and expertise to his role in shaping the next generation of U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force leaders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) By Mackenzie Mendez U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – At the heart of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s mission to develop future strategists stands Bruce Beyerly, an instructor in the Military & Strategic...

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