: In its newly issued 2010 America’s Best Colleges list, Forbes magazine last week ranked the Air Force Academy the 11th best college in the nation. “I’m proud to see a respected publication such as Forbes recognize the integrity, service, and excellence that we have the privilege of seeing every day,” said Brig. Gen. Dana Born, USAFA’s faculty dean, in a release. More than 600 undergraduate programs were evaluated by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, based in Washington, D.C. The rankings are based on a multitude of factors, including graduate surveys, graduates’ average salaries, student evaluations of classes, and student debt at graduation. Forbes ranked the academy No. 7 in 2009 and No. 16 in 2008. West Point came in tops among the service academies, ranking fourth on the list. Annapolis came in 29th. (Forbes rankings)
While U.S. defense officials have spent much of the past decade warning that China is the nation’s pacing threat and its People’s Liberation Army represents an urgent threat in the Indo-Pacific, several defense researchers are skeptical that the PLA has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite…