WASHINGTON D.C. (KOAA) — The Air Force Academy’s (USAFA) Board of Visitors (BoV) urged the Department of Defense to allow more cadets, audit the faculty numbers and dedicate more spending on campus infrastructure in its semiannual report.
The semiannual report is considered one of the main responsibilities of the USAFA BoV, which is charged with inquiring into the following at the Academy
- morale
- discipline
- curriculum
- fiscal affairs
- other matters
A number of elected senators and representatives along with presidential designees make up the board.
The report, which was delivered concurrently to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Air Force Dr. Troy Meink, along with the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, asked for a cadet wing increase from 4,000 to 4,400.
Colorado Republican Congressman Jeff Crank released the following statement regarding the report.
The release of the USAFA Semiannual Report reflects the Board’s commitment to restoring the Cadet Wing to 4,400 students, increasing transparency in faculty decisions, and strengthening the Academy’s long-term future through leadership of the Infrastructure Working Group.
The Academy is within Crank’s district.
BoV Chair Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) said during their February meeting that the increase to the number of cadets would match and provide parity with West Point and Annapolis. West Point currently has 4,459 cadets and Annapolis has 4,350 midshipmen, according to the report.
The disparity is the result of previous budget cuts, according to the report.
“Restoring the Air Force Academy cadet wing to its pre-sequestration level of 4,400 is a strategic necessity. This increase is critical to compensate for the graduates who now commission into the newly formed Space Force, ensuring the Air Force's officer production numbers remain robust,” the report said.
The report also called for a faculty audit, noting that USAFA Superintendent Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind informed the Board about a “reduction in available resources due to civilian faculty departures.”
This follows a tumultuous year of controversial civilian faculty cuts at the Academy, which resulted in multiple reports by KOAA, including a report on low morale experienced by USAFA staff.
“We believe that an analysis, a detailed analysis on the current state and required number of personnel is very beneficial to the future, and especially looking at that in-strength recommendation of 4,400, that this is going to be a very key aspect and important to making those decisions,” said Chair Pfluger during the Feb. BoV meeting.
“I'm concerned by the information that we learned in our last meeting about a reduction in manpower across the Academy, and I think this audit would aid in helping understand that situation better of where we're going,” said Pfluger.
The semiannual report also requested to establish a Military Service Academy Commission to consider Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), the higher education accreditation process, and a uniform merit-based admission standard across all military service academies.
Recognizing the impact college athletics have on recruitment, money, and prestige, especially college football, the BoV said it hopes to “level the playing field” since USAFA student athletes can’t profit off NIL as they are considered federal employees.
As for accreditation, which allows credits to transfer between schools and ensures eligibility for federal financial aid, the BoV wants to consider a new accreditation partner.
One possible partnership would be with the newly formed Commission for Public Higher Education, which would “respect the mission, purpose, and unique qualities of our nation's military institutions,” the report said.
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is the current USAFA accrediting agency and largest in the country, but due to new Department of Education regional restrictions being lifted, the BoV report said the Academy should consider a new accrediting body.
Part of their reasoning is the service academies aren’t all accredited by the same agency.
But the report noted that HLC has an international footprint, and USAFA faculty would likely prefer to continue the relationship.
The HLC conducted a review of the Academy's accreditation last year following a formal complaint about the faculty cuts, but Superintendent Bauernfeind said their status was reaffirmed during the February BoV meeting.
The semiannual report is also requesting renewed and continued financial support, especially for the Academy’s aging 1950s infrastructure, through a dedicated section in next year’s National Defense Authorization Act.
“The majority of its infrastructure, built in the late 1950s, has far exceeded its expected lifespan,” said the report. “This has led to significant life-health-safety concerns, with degraded conditions causing health incidents among cadets.”
Similarly, the Cadet Chapel, which has faced years of delays and an exploding budget during a renovation that drew scrutiny of President Trump, is mentioned in the report as having the “focused scrutiny of the Board” and an injection of a “much-needed sense of urgency.”
KOAA broke the news last year about a new $88 million contract for the renovation project, delaying the reopening another year. President Trump posted a lengthy complaint about the chapel’s renovation on Truth Social weeks later.
“The chapel, it's a beautiful historic site. We probably should have pulled all the historic artifacts out of it, leveled it, built it exact to look exactly like it does now,” said Secretary Meink during the February BoV meeting.
“It would have taken half as much money and half as long. And we would have a building that's much better built to survive the weather of Colorado for the next 50 to 100 years. That's going to require help from the Hill, from probably the president, the state. Because I think we're going to have to take a different approach to some of this infrastructure,” said Secretary Meink.
The report also touched upon a review of the disciplinary process following a 2024 suspension of several men’s soccer players, the establishment of a distinct home for the Space Force within the Air Force Academy, and a focus on drone warfare.
The full report can be read here.
Email Senior Reporter Brett Forrest at brett.forrest@koaa.com. Follow or message @brettforrestTV on X and Brett Forrest News on Facebook.
Brett can also communicate via encrypted apps like Signal. Due to the sensitive nature of ongoing reporting from federal actions, he is willing to take steps to protect identities.
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