Humvee Mishap at Malmstrom Leaves One Airman Dead, Five Injured

July 1, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Airman killed in a vehicle mishap at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., on June 29, has been identified as Staff Sgt. Jorge Delgado, a 38-year-old Airman assigned to the 341st Security Forces Squadron at Malmstrom, according to a July 1 release.

The accident resulted in three other Airmen being injured, as the four Airmen were traveling on-base to their duty location in an up-armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, better known as Humvee.

Two additional first responder Airmen sustained injuries while responding to the incident. After all five Airmen were taken to nearby medical facilities, two are now in stable condition, while three have been discharged, the release added.

“Team Malmstrom and our surrounding community grieve not only the loss of an outstanding Airman, but a family member and a friend,” said Col. Dan Voorhies, 341st Missile Wing commander, in the release. “As we help our impacted Airmen and families, I urge us all to spend a little extra time checking in on one another, wrap our arms around those in need, and provide love and support, so we can keep enduring. Wing One is committed to the safety and security of our members, and we will continue to stand strong during this time.”

The spokesperson stated that the accident is under investigation, and no additional details are currently available.

“The safety and well being of all of our Airmen is our priority and we are providing support and assistance to those impacted by this tragic event,” the base’s initial release following the accident on June 29 stated.

Malmstrom, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., and Minot Air Force Base, N.D., are the hubs for the Air Force’s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles.

With hundreds of nuclear silos, the three bases span vast areas, requiring extensive driving and often use of specialized military vehicles like Humvee, and the new JLTV, or Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, to maintain readiness and security. While it is currently unclear which vehicle was involved in the June 29 crash, last year saw two separate accidents involving Humvees, resulting in the loss of two Airmen’s lives across the nuclear missile fields.

Air Force 1st Lt. Lee Feldhausen, 341st Operations Support Squadron ICBM instructor combat crew commander, spots a driver as he parallel parks a Humvee during the 10th Missile Squadron Humvee Olympics on the Malmstrom Air Force Base flightline Nov. 8. More than 30 Airmen from the 10th MS participated in the event. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Katrina Heikkinen)

On Sept 16, a Humvee crash killed an Airman from the 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron of F.E. Warren, while another Airman sustained minor injuries. The accident occurred near a nuclear missile field near Grover, Colo.

About a month later, another Humvee crash killed an Airman from the 341st Missile Security Forces Squadron at Malmstrom. The Airman was initially hospitalized and succumbed to his injuries six days after the accident. Another individual involved in the incident sustained injuries but was in stable condition afterward. According to a report from the Montana Highway Patrol provided to local media, the Humvee driver attempted a downhill right-hand curve “at an excessive rate of speed for the vehicle,” crossing into the opposite lane and veered off the road.

Unlike the outdated Humvee, the JLTVs are billed as more reliable, more mobile in rough terrain, and better protected, making them better for snow- or mud-covered conditions throughout Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming. While the JLTV requires extensive training due to its complexity, the vehicle is also smarter, equipped with computers in the dashboard that help Airmen keep track of their fellow defenders and build situational awareness.

Boeing to Buy Spirit AeroSystems, Contractor on B-21 and KC-46

July 1, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Boeing has announced it will buy Spirit AeroSystems, one of its chief suppliers, for $4.7 billion, a move aimed at giving Boeing more cradle-to-grave control of quality, a huge issue for the commercial and military plane-maker in the past year.

The deal is expected to get quick approval from the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice.

The move comes amid industry speculation that former Boeing executive, Spirit CEO and former acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan could succeed David Calhoun as Boeing’s new CEO. Calhoun has already announced he will step down later this year, and Shanahan was known as “Mr. Fix-It” at Boeing during his tenure there, for getting troubled programs back on track. However, Shanahan headed Spirit when its current quality control problems erupted.

Spirit was Boeing’s Wichita Division until it was sold off to a holding company in 2005 and was structured as an independent entity. Spirit makes commercial airliner fuselages, fuselage sections, flight decks, wings, and wing components for both Boeing and its archrival Airbus, among other aerospace-related products for various users.

Part of the deal will also be a stock swap between Boeing and Spirit. The total value of the sale, including Spirit’s debt, is $8.3 billion. Spirit’s defense and space revenue came to about $800 million out of a total of $6.1 billion in revenue in 2023.

“Bringing Spirit and Boeing together will enable greater integration of both companies’ manufacturing and engineering capabilities, including safety and quality systems,” Shanahan said in a press release.

Spirit is also a major supplier on some key Air Force programs; notably the Boeing KC-46 tanker and the Northrop Grumman B-21 bomber. For the KC-46, Spirit makes the forward fuselage, strut, and nacelle components, and the fixed leading edge. The Air Force has never disclosed what Spirit contributes to the largely classified B-21, although it is likely its work involves internal structures and some external skin sections. Spirit is one of only seven companies the Air Force has disclosed as B-21 subcontractors.

On its website, Spirit said it contributed to the design of the KC-46. The company also makes large portions of the P-8 patrol aircraft, on which the E-7 Wedgetail airborne battle management aircraft is based. The E-7 and P-8 have large assemblies in common and will be built on the same production line, so Spirit is also likely to be a major supplier on the E-7 when production of that aircraft gears up for the Air Force.

In March, when quality issues at Boeing and Spirit were making headlines, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Air & Space Forces Magazine he was “not aware” of any quality issues at Spirit affecting any Air Force programs. A service spokesperson reiterated that comment two weeks later.

One element of the deal is an agreement with Airbus that the European airliner company will take over Spirit facilities that support Airbus programs after Boeing completes the acquisition of Spirit. Among those facilities are one in Kinston, N.C., where Spirit makes Airbus A350 fuselages; a plant in Northern Ireland that makes A220 wings; a plant in Casablanca, Morocco, that does A320 engine nacelles and A220 fuselage work and a French facility that assembles fuselage sections built in N.C.

Airbus is seeking to compete for the KC-135 Recapitalization Program under which the Air Force will buy 50-75 tankers. The buy will “bridge” between the end of the KC-46 contract and the start of the Next-Generation Air refueling System (NGAS) program, which seeks a new, smaller, and stealthier aerial tanker than USAF has previously operated.

Boeing said its decision to re-acquire Spirit was based on an effort to increase quality and safety at the Wichita-based company, which whistleblowers have charged covered up quality “escapes” that were then only partially caught at Boeing. The quality issues highlighted included mis-drilled holes, mis-aligned fuselage panels, and sloppy administration that either failed to catch and correct mistakes or deliberately under-reported or covered up such errors.

In the press statement accompanying the announcement, Calhoun said Boeing executives believe the deal is “in the best interest of the flying public, our airline customers, the employees of Spirit and Boeing, our stakeholders, and the country more broadly.”

Boeing’s current difficulties came to national attention in early January when an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 suffered a door-sized panel blowout at 16,000 feet altitude. It was later determined that bolts that were supposed to hold the panel in place were removed for a check and then not re-installed. The incident did not result in any lives lost, but did prompt the Federal Aviation Administration to deploy inspectors and watchers to monitor quality at both Boeing and Spirit.

Since then, Boeing has been hit by a series of whistleblower accusations; a Federal Aviation Administration audit; the firing of the 737 program manager; complaints by the National Transportation Safety Board that Boeing is not cooperating with its investigations; loss of paperwork related to the door plug incident, and the death of a Spirit whistleblower.

Previous quality issues moved Spirit’s board to bring Shanahan in last October. Other names floated as a possible successor to Shanahan include Greg Smith, CEO of American Airlines, and a former Boeing Chief Financial Officer; and Larry Culp, CEO of GE Aerospace.

Why Deorbiting SpaceX Satellites Is a ‘Tremendous Opportunity’ for the Space Force

July 1, 2024 | By Greg Hadley

As SpaceX begins to decommission and “deorbit” 100 of its oldest Starlink satellites, the Space Force is gathering crucial data and real-world experience for Guardians.

Since May, Space Forces-Space, the Space Force unit that presents forces to U.S. Space Command, has publicised on social media the many satellites, rockets, bits of debris it’s tracking as they reenter the atmosphere. But while that work has gone on for years, the difference now is that SpaceX isn’t passively waiting for its spacecraft to decay or drop from space, but is actively pursuing their demise.

SpaceX announced in February it would initiate controlled descents for 100 of its older Starlink satellites over the span of several months, dropping them into lower orbits so the Earth’s gravity can finish the job, pulling them down into the atmosphere, where they burn up upon reentry.

The Space Force’s 18th Space Defense Squadron tracks spacecraft orbits and debris and issues warnings when there’s risk of collisions so satellite operators can maneuver to avoid them. But tracking de-orbiting satellites also gives space operators a chance to practice Space Domain Awareness with real-world events, said retired Air Force Col. Jennifer Reeves, a senior resident fellow for space studies at AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“This is an amazing opportunity for the Space Force to work with SpaceX to understand when they think everything is going to be burning back in, based on the actions that SpaceX is going to be taking to deliberately deorbit these … and then we get the immediate feedback of what the sensors on the military side are actually seeing,” Reeves said. “That validates in a very specific way what our sensors are actually seeing, that they’re actually seeing these de-orbits, and what might be different from one event to another.”

The Space Surveillance Network—a collection of ground- and space-based sensors—will track the de-orbits, offering Guardians “reps and sets” to hone their skills. “We really are at the beginning of a lot of de-orbiting and understanding what that looks like in the sensor and the reporting network of the Space Force,” Reeves said.

The expansion of so-called “mega-constellations” in space, featuring thousands of small satellites in low-Earth orbit, will necessitate de-orbiting as the satellites age. There are more than 5,000 Starlink satellites alone, and other companies are fielding or developing similar-sized constellations, as is the Space Force’s Space Development Agenc, which is planning the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, which will consist of hundreds of satellites in LEO.

The Federal Communications Commission has adopted a rule requiring commercial operators to de-orbit their satellites within five years after a satellite completes its assigned purpose—so ultimately, as many satellites as are launched into space will have to be de-orbited.

“The lessons learned out of what happens with a [proliferated] LEO constellation are going to be applicable to everybody, including the Space Force,” Reeves said.

Guardians will also be able to use deorbiting to hone missile-warning skills. That’s because, like the infrared signatures of missile launches, satellites reentering the atmosphere will also have their own haveinfrared signatures.

“As a person who’s done this for years and years as a youngster, how you actually see that on console tends to look different,” Reeves said. “However, there are instances where sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. So more examples of things coming back” is just an ideal opportunity to practice with real-world data, rather than simulations.

“Man, talk about getting to test out not just our equipment, but to test out the eyes of our young operators,” Reeves said, and “to make sure they know what to look for and what to see. And of course, they do, but more reps is always better.”

Air Force Stands Up New School For Future Warrant Officers

July 1, 2024 | By David Roza

The Air Force took a step closer to bringing new warrant officers into its ranks for the first time since 1958 by opening a school where Airmen will train for the role.

The Air Force Warrant Officer Training School was activated in a ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., on June 28. The school curriculum will focus on five warrant officer foundational principles: communicate, advise, influence, innovate, and integrate, according to a press release.

The Air Force and Space Force are the only military services currently without warrant officers, who fill technical rather than leadership functions in the other military branches. But today the Air Force sees the reintroduction of warrant officers as a way to maintain an edge in two fast-moving technical fields: information technology and cybersecurity.

“We are in the business of producing Airmen,” Maj. Nathaniel Roesler, the new WOTS commandant, said in the release. “These specialists come to us with technical expertise, and our mission is to develop them to be better warfighters, advisors, and integrators, ready to fly, fight, and win during Great Power Competition.”

In the enlisted and commissioned officer ranks, Airmen often have to take career breaks for leadership and development roles as they rise through the ranks. The warrant officer track offers a different path.

“With perishable skills, like cyber, like IT, where the technology is moving so rapidly, folks who are experts in that can’t afford to be sent off to a leadership course for eight or nine months,” Alex Wagner, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, said April 9.

Time spent in mandatory leadership roles can also hurt retention; Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in February that about 100 Airmen joined other branches in recent years so that they could become warrant officers in IT and cyber.

The first eight-week WOTS class of about 30 candidates is scheduled to start this October and graduate in December, with a second class of about the same size scheduled to start in early 2025.

Competition for a warrant officer slot is proving to be fierce: when the Air Force opened applications for the program from April 25 to May 31, more than 350 Active-duty Airmen sent in packages, of whom about 50 were turned away due to incomplete applications, Air Force officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Active-Duty Air Force Warrant Officer Applicants by Age

20-25	26-29	30-34	35-59	40+
12	63	110	99	17

Active-Duty Air Force Warrant Officer Applicants by Gender

Male	Female
277	24

Active-Duty Air Force Warrant Officer Applicants by Rank

E5	E6	E7	E8
73	132	93	3

The 301 Active-duty applicants that met the board to become warrant officers came from a range of career fields including cyber defense and cyber warfare, intelligence analysis, cryptologic language analysis, aerospace ground equipment specialists, health services management, mental health services, special investigations, and military training instructors. Members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve could also apply, though data on those applicants was not immediately available.

Applicants had to be at the rank of staff sergeant and above, at the age of 42 or younger, and with a minimum five years’ time in service by July 24. Though applicants could come from any career field, they had to meet a range of qualifications in cybersecurity and information technology.

The selection board met from June 24-28, and selectees will be notified in late July. Upon graduating, the new warrant officers will be assigned to units supporting both the Air Force and joint force operational requirements, according to the press release. Future classes will be announced each year.

It is unclear at this point how many warrant officers the Air Force hopes to train, but planning documents obtained by Air & Space Forces Magazine in February show that the pipeline could scale up to 200 junior warrant officers and 50 senior warrant officers per year. Kendall said in March that he expects the program will eventually expand to other career fields, pending how successful it is in cyber and IT.

“The reintroduction of warrant officers to the Air Force is another example of the force adapting personnel policies to best compete in emerging security landscapes.” Brig. Gen. Houston R. Cantwell, commander of the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Oﬃcer Accessions and Citizen Development, said in the press release.

“The warrant officer will serve on the virtual frontlines, allowing us to stay ahead of rapidly advancing threats while safeguarding national security interests in both the information technology and cyber career fields.”

US-Based Danish F-35s Going Home Because of Delivery Delays

July 1, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

Due to the prolonged delay in deliveries of the Tech Refresh 3 version of the F-35 fighter, Denmark is pulling six of its TR-2-configured F-35 jets stationed in the U.S. back to home base in order to consolidate aircraft and get better training for its pilots and maintainers, the Danish defense ministry announced.

Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the move “makes it possible to increase the training level” of F-35 ground and flight crews. The aircraft will join four already in Denmark, at Skydstrup air base, for a total of 10. Poulsen also said Denmark has NATO obligations which must be met.

The Royal Danish Air Force aircraft have been based at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., which is the centralized training location for all international users of the F-35A. The ministry said it is making the change because it needs to keep on track with training for its F-35 fleet, especially since it has promised some of its retiring F-16s to Ukraine.

Poulsen said the jets will be replaced at Luke by new TR-3 models as soon as they become available.

“We have now found a solution so that the delays from the manufacturer affect us as little as possible,” Poulsen said. He did not specify a timeline for the move.

He added that it is “absolutely crucial that we follow the phase-in” of the F-35 closely because the system is “a major investment for Denmark which will affect our defense and security for many years to come.”

The action comes as the Joint Program Office gets ready to approve deliveries of F-35s—on hold since last summer—with a “truncated” version of the TR-3 hardware and software package. The JPO is expected to inform Congress in the coming weeks that the truncated package is deemed safe for training. Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt has been waiting for the test enterprise to certify that the package is stable and doesn’t require an excessive number of in-flight reboots.

Certifying the package will allow Lockheed Martin to resume deliveries of some 85 aircraft that have been parked in storage since last summer.

Once deliveries are underway, it could take as much as a year to get through the handover process for the jets, which amount to more than six months’ production. Lockheed has said it expects to deliver at least one per day once transfers resume, but the Government Accountability Office recently said it has never previously hit that pace.

Denmark has agreed to sell 24 of its 43 F-16A/B aircraft to Argentina, with the remainder going to Ukraine. The first aircraft have already been delivered to Argentina, and NATO officials have said Ukraine will get its first F-16s in the next few months, pending the completion of pilot and maintainer training, some of which is taking place in the U.S.

Denmark plans a force of 27 F-35s. The remaining 17 aircraft are to be delivered by 2027.

The hold on deliveries has affected all users of the F-35, and its duration—now in its 10th month—has disrupted the change-out of old equipment for new and the assignment of personnel in most user countries.

The TR-3 upgrade is the processor and software foundation for the Block 4 upgrade, a series of more than 80 improvements to electronic warfare, processor power, displays and weapons, to name just a few. Schmidt told Congress during budget hearings in the spring that the Block 4 will have to be “reimagined,” with some updates now not coming until the early 2030s.

The F-35 training enterprise at Luke generates aircraft from an international pool. Student pilots are given the next jet available, so F-35s are routinely flown by pilots whose countries don’t own the jets they’re flying. It isn’t yet clear how the absence of six Danish jets from the pool will affect the training enterprise.

Lockheed received a $1.56 billion F-35 contract from the Pentagon on June 27, but program officials said this had to do exclusively with sustainment efforts of fielded aircraft and did not include any progress payments having to do with development or aircraft deliveries.

The contract covered ground maintenance activities, depot support, the automatic logistic information system (ALIS) operations, reliability and maintainability activities, supply chain management and pilot training, among other items. Some $405 million of the award covers Air Force operations and $124 million covers Foreign Military Sales support to non-U.S. user nations.

Air Force General Sentenced In Historic Court-Martial

June 30, 2024 | By David Roza

A military judged sentenced an Air Force general on June 29 to a reprimand, restriction to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, for two months, and $10,000 forfeiture of pay per month for 6 months, Air Education and Training Command said in a statement.

Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart, the first general in Air Force history to face a court-martial by jury, was found guilty earlier in the day on one count of Article 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, conduct unbecoming an officer for inviting a subordinate to spend the night with him; and a count of Article 92, dereliction of duty, for controlling an aircraft within 12 hours after consuming alcohol.

The eight-general panel—the military term for a jury—found Stewart not guilty of two counts of Article 120, which forbids sexual assault. Six of the eight members of the panel had to vote that Stewart was guilty of a crime in order for him to be convicted.

Earlier this week, on June 24, Stewart pleaded guilty to one count of dereliction of duty under Article 92 for pursuing an unprofessional relationship, and to one count of violating UCMJ Article 134, for having an extramarital affair.

The maximum punishment for willful dereliction of duty not resulting in death or grievous bodily harm is a bad-conduct discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 6 months, according to the 2024 Manual for Courts-Martial. The maximum punishment for extramarital conduct is dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 1 year.

Had he been convicted of all charges, Stewart would have faced a maximum punishment of dismissal, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 63 years, Air Education and Training Command explained. For the charges that he was found guilty, he faced the possibility of two and a half years confinement. Stewart has the right to appeal, if an automatic appeal is not triggered, AETC said.

One legal expert called the actual punishment very light, but expected Stewart will “almost certainly” be demoted to brigadier general when he retires.

The sentence was a “missed opportunity to send a message that general officers are held to a higher standard,” said retired Col. Don Christensen, a former chief prosecutor of the Air Force.

In a statement, Stewart’s senior defense counsel, Sherilyn A. Bunn, said the verdict of not guilty for sexual assault “serves as a testament to the value of the panel system.

“From the beginning, Maj Gen Stewart maintained his innocence, confident that the truth would emerge,” Bunn added. “This case has highlighted the need for a careful and respectful approach to allegations of sexual assault.”

Presentation of evidence and witness testimony started June 24, including testimony from the woman who accused Stewart of sexual assault. Stewart declined to testify, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Overall, 12 witnesses testified, including Airmen, family members, friends, and digital forensics experts, according to Air Education and Training Command.

The only other Air Force general to have been court-martialed, Maj. Gen. William Cooley, was convicted of abusive sexual contact in 2022 by military judge alone. Stewart was relieved as the head of the 19th Air Force, which oversees Air Force pilot training, by Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, the head of Air Education and Training Command (AETC), on May 9, 2023.

Air Force General Cleared of Sexual Assault, Guilty of Other Charges

June 29, 2024 | By David Roza

Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart, the first general in Air Force history to face a court-martial by jury, was found not guilty of sexual assault but convicted of other charges on June 29.

The eight-general panel—the military term for a jury—found Stewart not guilty of two counts of Article 120, which forbids sexual assault. The panel did convict him on one count of Article 133, conduct unbecoming an officer for allegedly inviting a subordinate to spend the night with him; and a count of Article 92, for allegedly controlling an aircraft within 12 hours after consuming alcohol.

Earlier this week, on June 24, Stewart pleaded guilty to one count of dereliction of duty under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for pursuing an unprofessional relationship, and to one count of violating UCMJ Article 134, for having an extramarital affair.

The court-martial now moves into the sentencing phase, which is expected to start June 29 and will be overseen by the judge, a spokesperson for Air Education and Training Command said in a statement.

“Presentation of evidence, and matters in aggravation and mitigation will be offered by counsel,” explained Capt. Scarlett Trujillo. “Frequently victim impact statements are made as well.”

A spokesperson for Stewart’s defense team said the team would have a statement after sentencing.

Back in December, the presiding officer at Stewart’s preliminary hearing recommended the case not proceed to court-martial. Retired Col. Don Christensen, a former chief prosecutor of the Air Force, described the officer, Col. Brian Thompson, as a highly-experienced former prosecutor, so he was unsurprised that Stewart was found not guilty of sexual assault. Still, he said the finding does not diminish the gravity of the other charges.

“The remaining crimes he was found guilty of committing are serious and his sentence should reflect that,” Christensen said. “As general officer, he let down the troops he led as well as the Air Force.”

The trial began June 17 with administrative proceedings followed by nearly a week of jury selection where more than 13 general officers—all of whom had to outrank Stewart or have pinned on a second star before him—traveled to the courtroom at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Selection ended with eight members on June 22, followed by presentation of evidence and witness testimony starting June 24, including testimony from the alleged sexual assault victim. Stewart declined to testify, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

The only other Air Force general to have been court-martialed, Maj. Gen. William Cooley, was convicted of abusive sexual contact in 2022 by military judge alone. Stewart was relieved as the head of the 19th Air Force, by Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, the head of Air Education and Training Command (AETC), on May 9, 2023.

PHOTOS: On ‘I-Day’ at Air Force Academy, Class of 2028 Becomes Basic Cadets

June 28, 2024 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Class of 2028 at the U.S. Air Force Academy arrived at the school for in-processing day, known as ‘I-Day’ on June 26. The appointees checked in to commence administrative records processing, receive uniforms and equipment, and take the oath of office.

Selected from more than of 10,099 applicants, the Class of 2028 includes 1,132 attendees, with approximately 29.7 percent being women. The class included some 215 appointees arriving with a private pilot’s license, including 50 women, Academy spokesperson Dean Milller told Air & Space Forces Magazine. Another 4.3 percent of the class are prior enlisted Airmen.

Also among the new cadets on I-Day were 437 appointees of color, 38 percent of the class. The list included 16 international students, each hailing from a different country: Angola, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Moldova, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Senegal, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Tunisia.

“It’s a key to how we build partnerships with our allies overseas,” Miller said about the Academy’s international student program. “You can imagine the impact of going into a theater and having our officers work with someone they went to school with.”

By law, the Academy can have a maximum of 60 international students at any given time, allowing for about 15 new admissions per year. Prospective international students must secure a nomination through their government, typically facilitated by their defense ministry. Miller added that the Academy works with the embassies and the host nations throughout the application process.

All attendees on I-Day were issued “Contrails,” a little blue handbook that contains all the information a new cadet needs to know, according to Miller. The new cadets will have some pop quizzes throughout their Basic Cadet Training period based on the material in the booklet.

I-Day also includes the Oath of Office, marking the appointees’ transition to the title of Basic Cadet. They commence training with an introduction to Air Force customs, courtesies, dress, and appearance standards, including haircuts for men and hairstyle instruction and haircuts for women. This is also when the new cadets receive uniforms and necessary equipment before progressing to Basic Cadet Training.

This intensive six-week regimen serves as the Academy’s inaugural trial, initiating transformation from civilian to future officer. Basic Cadet Training concludes in early August as the Class of 2028 is formally welcomed into the Cadet Wing during the Acceptance Day Parade.

Last month, at the Academy’s Class of 2024 graduation ceremony, 974 cadets joined the Air Force’s ranks, with 93 entering the Space Force as second lieutenants. The event also saw 15 international cadets graduate alongside their U.S. classmates. The graduating class was 69 percent men and 31 percent women.

Since the first class commissioned in 1959, 54,883 Academy graduates have commissioned into the Air Force, and 485 have commissioned into the Space Force.

Generals Start Deliberating as Arguments End in Stewart Court-Martial

June 28, 2024 | By David Roza

The first panel in history to sit for the court-martial of an Air Force general entered deliberations June 28. Eight general officers will now consider the fate of the defendant, Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart. The former head of the 19th Air Force, which is responsible for pilot training, faces charges of sexual assault, conduct unbecoming an officer, and controlling an aircraft within 12 hours of consuming alcohol.

A spokesperson for Air Education and Training Command said the jury began deliberations at about 1:05 p.m. Central Time at the courtroom at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, following closing arguments from government prosecutors and the defense counsel. Six of the eight members of the jury, called a panel in a military court-martial, must vote that Stewart is guilty in order for him to be convicted.

The maximum punishment for sexual assault, a charge for which Stewart faces two specifications, is forfeiture of all pay and allowances and confinement for 30 years, with a mandatory minimum of dismissal or dishonorable discharge.

“We won’t speculate on how much time deliberations will take,” Marilyn Holliday, chief of operations for AETC public affairs, said in a statement. “The next step following the announcement of the verdicts is the determination of punishment, if any guilty verdicts are determined.”

Earlier this week, on June 24, Stewart pleaded guilty to one count of dereliction of duty under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for pursuing an unprofessional relationship. He also pleaded guilty to one count of violating UCMJ Article 134, for having an extramarital affair.

Stewart has pleaded not guilty to three other charges: two counts of violating Article 120, which forbids sexual assault; one count of Article 133, conduct unbecoming an officer for allegedly inviting a subordinate to spend the night with him; and a second count of Article 92, for allegedly controlling an aircraft within 12 hours after consuming alcohol.

The trial began June 17 with administrative proceedings followed by nearly a week of jury selection where more than 13 general officers—all of whom had to outrank Stewart or have pinned on a second star before him—traveled to the courtroom at San Antonio. Selection ended with eight members on June 22, followed by presentation of evidence and witness testimony starting June 24, including testimony from the alleged sexual assault victim. Stewart declined to testify, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

The only other Air Force general to have been court-martialed, Maj. Gen. William Cooley, was convicted of abusive sexual contact in 2022 by military judge alone. Stewart was relieved as the head of the 19th Air Force, by Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, the head of Air Education and Training Command (AETC), on May 9, 2023.

Stewart’s charges include six specifications:

Two specifications of violating Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, failing to obey a lawful order or regulation, first for allegedly failing “to refrain from pursuing an unprofessional relationship” and second for allegedly controlling an aircraft within 12 hours after consuming alcohol. The first specification allegedly dates to March 6 and May 9, while the second allegedly dates to on or about April 14 at or near Altus Air Force Base, Okla.

Two specifications of violating Article 120 of the UCMJ, which covers rape and sexual assault, for alleged nonconsensual sexual contact, dated on or about April 13 and 14 at Altus.

One specification of violating Article 133 of the UCMJ, conduct unbecoming an officer, at or near Denver, Colo., on or about March 6 and March 8, where it alleges that Stewart, “while on official travel, wrongfully invite [redacted] to spend the night alone with him in his private hotel room[.]”

And one specification of violating UCMJ Article 134, which refers to “all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces,” for allegedly engaging “in extramarital conduct” on or about April 13 and 14 at or near Altus.