Air Force Releases USAFA Report

Air Force Releases USAFA Report

http://www.af.mil/library/posture/la...eport.pdfPRESS RELEASE --
Secretary of the Air Force, Directorate of Public Affairs

Release No. 0902047 Sep 2, 2004

Air Force Releases USAFA Report

Washington -- The Air Force released a review of the faculty system at
the U.S. Air Force Academy today. The 68-page document titled Study
and Report Related to Permanent Professors at the U.S. Air Force
Academy, was released Sept. 2, 2004. The 2004 National Defense
Authorization Act directed the Secretary of the Air Force to complete
a study and report related to the permanent professors at the U.S. Air
Force Academy. Permanent professors, along with senior military
professors, civilian faculty and rotating military professors comprise
the faculty system at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Conducted by Retired U.S. Navy Admiral Charles Larson, former
superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy and current vice chairman of
the multi-campus Maryland Board of Regents, the study provided the
Secretary with 12 findings and 13 recommendations.

"We found all of the findings and recommendations to be
thought-provoking and to have merit," said Michael L. Dominguez,
Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

"In the instance where we disagree, we have an alternative approach
that we believe is more appropriate," Mr. Dominguez said. "We
recognize that our ability to make the right change at the right time
is what will allow us to improve the Academy." Although it was not in
the study's charter, one of the findings was the atmosphere for women
at the U.S. Air Force Academy has improved.

The study found, in discussions with midshipmen and cadets who had
served exchange tours at sister service academies during the first
semester of the academic year, unanimous agreement that the climate
for women at the Air Force Academy has improved dramatically and
attributed some of this positive momentum to the Agenda for Change and
the promulgation of the new Officer Development System.

The study also found permanent professors would like the current
prohibition on assuming command while on sabbatical leave lifted. The
Department of Defense supported this initiative, noting the law should
not exclude the option of command in operational units on those
infrequent occasions when it makes sense for the Academy, the affected
unit and the officer.

The report can be found at

http://www.af.mil/library/posture/larson_report.pdf.

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Otis Willie
Associate Librarian
The American War Library
http://www.americanwarlibrary.com
(310) 532-0634