The U.S. Air Force Academy is on the brink of failure, here's how to save it (Opinion)

In an April Denver Post column , together with 91 cosigners, including various distinguished military thought leaders, I warned that leadership at the U.S. Air Force Academy was de-emphasizing academic excellence. I reported the majority sentiment surrounding me at the time, as a visiting professor from the University of California, San Diego, because those in uniform and those who depended on Air Force Academy for their livelihood could not.

What I failed to emphasize sufficiently in that column is the transient nature of excellence in cutting-edge educational programs, like those at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), in the absence of leaders who provide thoughtful academic stewardship to maintain and continuously renew them.

For decades, USAFA attracted and retained the “best and b