Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink urged Air Force Academy leaders Thursday to focus on updating technical training to be ready for advanced artificial intelligence systems and collaborative combat aircraft. He also announced a change in leadership.  “Everyone who comes out of the academy s hould have a solid technical background,” Meink said during a meeting of the Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors in Washington, D.C.  Amid his call to improve training, Meink announced the senior leadership at the academy will be changing. A new superintendent will be installed in the coming months, Meink said. Replacing Superintendent Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind this year would be a year ahead of the usual three- to four-year term. Bauernfiend was sworn in in June 2024.  “Over the next three to six months, the leadership at the Academy, the (superintendent), … are all being changed up,” he said. Bauernfeind has requested to retire from his position, according to a statement from the Secretary of the Air Force press desk. Commandant Brig. Gen. Gavin Marks will also be retiring. Replacements have not been selected for either position, the statement said. “I want to thank Gen. Bauernfeind for his dedicated service and leadership throughout his career,” Meink said in a statement. “Over several decades, through numerous combat deployments and as commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, he has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to the mission.” During the meeting, Meink highlighted some of the areas where he would like to see improvements at the school as the country prepares for more complex air conflict, where pilots will be coordinating aircraft, some unmanned, across hundreds of miles.  He is looking to the Air Force to train officers to build and operate “the most complicated systems that humans have ever built.” The secretary went on to say that training must improve to prepare for those challenges.  “How we’re training is critical, and I am not sure we’re there,” he said.  The academy also needs to improve its culture. “It’s critically important that we get that culture right and we get that leadership right. And I would argue that’s not always been the case,” he said. There is also a need for more investment in technology to provide the best simulated training environments for cadets, saying in some cases, it’s possible cadets have better simulation environments on their home computers.  Meink called for improvements to training at the academy following the departures of senior academic faculty and possible cuts to the distinguished visiting professors.  Following the Trump administration’s deferred resignation and retirement programs, 104 positions were vacated and then eliminated. Another 36 positions that were filled were slated to be phased out earlier this year.  Among the jobs slated for elimination, 52 were faculty or administration staff, and among those, 19 are filled, The Gazette reported previously. An Air Force Academy climate survey released recently showed that the number of people serving under the dean of faculty in all roles fell from 895 to 759, or about 136 positions. The numbers include contractors, research technicians and various support roles and are not a perfect estimate of the number of departures.  But they have happened in key areas. Four of the six engineering department heads and seven of the most senior instructors in astronautical engineering are among those leaving this year, said former Air Force Academy Distinguished Professor Tom Bewley, who worked at the school last year.  “We are losing the best of the best,” he said.  Board of Visitors Chairman Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, said the board is asking questions about the faculty issue. He noted during the meeting that the board recommended to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that he look at increasing the number of cadets accepted into the academy and to analyze the number of staff at the Academy. He would like to see the number of cadets boosted from about 4,000 to 4,400. “I am concerned by the information that we learned at our last meeting about a reduction in manpower across the academy,” he said.  The board is recommending the Air Force Manpower Analysis Agency conduct an audit of the faculty, including active duty members, civilians, reservists, visiting professors, privately funded professors, international officers and fellows, Pfluger said. A back-of-the-napkin estimate showed the academy could need 100 to 120 additional staff under the Dean of Faculty and in the Athletic Department to bolster the number of cadets, Bauernfeind said.  The board has also formed working groups to take a closer look at issues such as merit-based admissions, accreditation, teaching artificial intelligence, athletics and the campus’ infrastructure needs. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, said it’s possible that the admissions process has over-corrected to focus too heavily on test scores. The changes to the admissions process were driven in part by a move away from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. He said he would like activities such as participation in athletics or scouting to be considered in admissions. ...read more read less