Back أكاديمية سلاح الجو الأمريكي Arabic Акадэмія ваенна-паветраных сіл ЗША Byelorussian United States Air Force Academy German Usona Aerarmea Akademio Esperanto Academia de la Fuerza Aérea de los Estados Unidos Spanish Ameerika Ühendriikide Õhuväe Akadeemia Estonian آکادمی نیروی هوایی ایالات متحده آمریکا Persian Yhdysvaltain ilmavoimien akatemia Finnish United States Air Force Academy French אקדמיית חיל האוויר של ארצות הברית HE
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| Motto | Integrity First, Service before self, Excellence in all we do |
|---|---|
| Type | U.S. Service Academy[1] |
| Established | 1 April 1954 |
| Endowment | $98.937 million (2019)[2] |
| Superintendent | Lieutenant General Tony D. Bauernfeind, USAF |
| Dean | Brigadier General Linell Letendre, USAF |
| Commandant of Cadets | Brigadier General Gavin Marks, USAF[3] |
Academic staff | 570 (71% military; 29% civilian in 2013)[4] |
| Students | 4,304 cadets (2021)[5] |
| Location | , , U.S. 38°59′55″N 104°51′15″W / 38.9985°N 104.8541°W |
| Campus | Suburban, 18,500 acres (7,500 ha) |
| Colors | Blue Gray[6] |
| Nickname | Falcons |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division I FBS – MW MPSF, Big 12, ASUN, PRC, WCC, AHA |
| Mascot | Air Force Falcons[7] |
| Decorations |  Air Force Outstanding Unit Award  Air Force Organizational Excellence Award[1] |
| Athletics | 27 varsity teams 17 men's and 10 women's |
| Website | usafa.af.mil (Military) usafa.edu (Educational) |
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The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force.[8] It is the youngest of the five service academies, having graduated its first class 66 years ago in 1959, but is the third in seniority.[9][10] Graduates of the academy's four-year program receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force.[11] The academy is also one of the largest tourist attractions in Colorado, attracting approximately a million visitors each year.[12]
Admission is competitive, with nominations divided equally among Congressional districts. Recent incoming classes have had about 1,200 cadets; since 2012, around 20% of each incoming class does not graduate.[13][14] During their tenure at the academy, cadets receive tuition, room and board, and a monthly stipend all paid for by the Air Force. On the first day of a cadet's second class year, cadets commit to serving a number of years as a commissioned officer in the Air Force or Space Force. Non-graduates after that point are expected to fulfill their obligations in enlisted service or pay back full tuition. The commitment is normally five years of active duty and three years in the reserves, although it has varied depending on the graduate's Air Force Specialty Code or Space Force Specialty Code.
- ^ a b "United States Air Force Academy (USAF)". Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- ^ "Air Force Academy Foundation (Formerly Known as USAFA Endowment, Inc.) Financial Statements For the Year Ended December 31, 2019 And Independent Auditors' Report" (PDF). Afacademyfoundation.org. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ "Brigadier General Marks Takes Command of Cadet Wing". United States Air Force Academy. 21 June 2023.
- ^ "The Rand Foundation" (PDF). Rand.org. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ "United States Air Force Academy". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ "Color Palette" (PDF). Air Force Athletics Style Cheat Sheet. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ "Why a Falcon?". Usafawebguy.com. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Comprehensive Plan for the Organizational Structure of the U.S. Space Force" (PDF). Report to Congressional Committees. Department of the Air Force. February 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ 10 U.S.C. § 118 (prior section 133b renumbered in 1986); DoD Directive 1005.8 dated 31 October 77 Archived 3 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine and AR 600-25Archived 6 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Air academy holds first graduation". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. 4 June 1959. p. 3.
- ^ Cadets have also been able to "cross-commission" into the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, and each year a small number of graduates do so, usually in a one-for-one "trade" with similarly inclined cadets or midshipmen at the other service academies. Graduates who have lost their medical qualification for commissioning while at their final semester at academy (a small number each year) may receive a degree but are not commissioned. Foreign cadets will commission into their home country's armed forces.
- ^ "A Quick Look at the U.S. Air Force Academy". USAFA Fact Sheet. United States Air Force Academy. May 2008. Archived from the original on 23 July 2010.
- ^ Zubeck, Pam (22 May 2018). "Air Force Academy shows improvement in wash-out rate". Colorado Springs Independent. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ Zubeck, Pam (28 December 2016). "Air Force Academy loses men, women cadets at different rates". Colorado Springs Independent. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.