New USAF Academy superintendent says the “academy will become more demanding,” and Cadets will only be promoted when ready

Mary Shinn
The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
(TNS)

The roar of two MC-130J gunships Friday over the Air Force Academy heralded a new superintendent taking command and promising to make the school more demanding.

Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind took over from interim leader Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Sherman. The former superintendent, Gen. Richard Clark, retired on June 1.

Tony Bauernfeind said he plans to lead AFA through a change in its leadership program that will replace an emphasis on the freshmen’s transition into the cadet wing.

Bauernfeind said he plans to lead the school through a fundamental change in its leadership program that will replace an emphasis on the freshmen’s transition into the cadet wing. The new four-class system will teach cadets first how to be front-line supervisors, then team leaders, and finally unit leaders. Cadets will be promoted to the next level of leadership when they are ready.

“With these changes, the academy experience will become more demanding. But we will never be demeaning,” he said.

Air Force Academy makes changes to honor code. At least 1 graduate is skeptical about it.

The Air Force Academy has revamped its honor code implementation for freshmen and sophomores to focus on education when they do not report others for violations.

The changes follow a critical review by the Department of Defense that found cadets were not sufficiently equipped for their roles, causing unhealthy power dynamics. It specifically recommended changing the fourth-class system at the academy, where freshmen were not acknowledged as full members of the cadet wing at first. The change is meant to stop instances of mistreatment and hazing, the report said.

Bauernfeind also expected to prioritize developing leaders of character and critical thinkers.

“Our officers must be prepared on day one to lead in a dynamic and changing world against adversaries wishing to do harm to our nation, our allies and our partners,” said Bauernfeind, who previously led Air Force Special Operations Command. He worked on modernization efforts and led it during the investigation into an Osprey crash that killed eight off the coast of Japan. The command released the results of the investigation Thursday.

The Air Force’s Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin also spoke at the ceremony and highlighted the challenges Clark faced after taking over in September 2020 while the COVID-19 pandemic was raging. Clark is now the executive director of the College Football Playoff.

In addition to outbreaks of sickness, the academy also saw a large cheating scandal while thousands of students studied online at home. At least 250 cadets were suspected of cheating and many faced consequences.

The academy has also worked to address a rise in sexual assaults and unwanted sexual contact.

The Gazette reported previously more than 1 in 5 women and an estimated 4.3% of men in the Air Force Academy experienced unwanted sexual contact, according to the 2021-2022 report on sexual harassment and violence at the military service academies.

Allvin acknowledged many leaders in the audience handled those challenges alongside Clark and they doubled down on developing leaders of character.

“This institution has been undergoing a transformation,” Allvin said.

At the same time, the academy needs to be preparing young officers who can handle an opaque environment where it can be difficult to track the nation’s enemies.

“Lieutenants that graduate from this institution are going to need to be better leaders than I was, than my classmates were. The nation is going to demand it,” he said.

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