Sep 27, 2025; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Air Force Falcons fullback Kemper Hodges (4) celebrates his touchdown with Air Force Falcons tight end Bruin Fleischmann (88) in the fourth quarter against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Falcon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Since Oct. 1, the federal government has been shut down.

While that has massive effects on federal employees around the country, the service academies are feeling it as well. Navy and Air Force are set to play the first leg of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy on Saturday in Annapolis, and while the game is set to go on as planned, per the Associated Press, both athletics departments have certainly been affected.

Some coaches at both schools are civilians who are paid by the federal government, but that doesn't apply to the football staff at either school, who are paid by the school's respective athletics associations. The Naval Academy Athletic Association and the Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation are nonprofit organizations that are not affiliated with the federal government.

Still, the effects are being felt by other areas of both athletics departments. Scott Strasemeier, Navy's senior athletic director, told the AP that several Olympic sports teams have a "coach or two" who also teach at the academy and are paid by the government, though he stressed that all sports remain operational.

Air Force's associate athletic director for communication, Troy Garnhart, didn't respond to requests for comment from the AP as he is out of office due to the shutdown. The Falcons will not be streaming athletics events during the shutdown, though they will not cease athletic competition as they did during a shutdown in 2018.

Service academy football fans can breathe a sigh of relief that Saturday's game will be played unabated, but that doesn't mean the shutdown isn't having effects on the service academy athletic departments.

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Will Navy vs. Air Force still be played amid government shutdown?

Reporting by Tyler Nettuno, College Sports Wire / College Sports Wire

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