Air Force Academy Keeps Majors Intact amid Faculty Cuts

The U.S. Air Force Academy said this week it continues to offer all of its majors amid a rash of departures by civilian staff spurred by cuts to the federal workforce.

Twenty-five faculty members—about 5 percent of the school’s total—have left so far this year, including those who opted into the federal Deferred Resignation Program, retired, or were not renewed for another term, the school said in a release.

Nearly 10 percent of the academy’s 1,500 or so civilian jobs were identified for elimination in 2025, the school said. Of those 140 positions set to be defunded, 36 were filled while 104 were vacant.

The cuts hit every part of the four-year university and have slowed some operations as that workload falls on the remaining uniformed and civilian staff—an impact felt across the Defense Department and the federal government at large as the workforce contracts.

Eleven of the 36 civilian staffers whose jobs are on the chopping block have been reassigned to “higher-priority” roles, USAFA said. The remaining 25 are awaiting new jobs. It’s unclear whether those employees are concentrated in a particular area of study or operations.

“The goal is to continually work over the coming months to see how we can move teammates laterally into open billets, either at the Academy or other locations, to keep their expertise within the broader Air Force and Space Force enterprise,” Superintendent Lt. Gen. Tony D. Bauernfeind said in the release.

The Trump administration introduced the Deferred Resignation Program in January to entice federal workers to voluntarily quit rather than face the prospect of layoffs. Those who opted into the program are paid not to work through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30 or through the end of the calendar year, depending on when they accepted the offer.

“We recognize that uncertainty can be challenging for our civilian employees, and by communicating early and often about the options available to them, we hope to help them navigate this change and find new opportunities, whether within our institution or beyond,” Kathryn Russel, the school’s director of manpower, personnel, and officer accessions, said in the release.

The Department of the Air Force said in April it sought to offload as much as 8 percent of its civilian workers across the Air Force and Space Force. Its fiscal 2026 budget request projects the civilian staff will shrink by 7.7 percent, from 124,600 workers in 2025 to about 115,000 next year.

The department “supports a large portion of the workforce participating in these programs while ensuring the Air Force and Space Force maintain operational readiness and the ability to perform mission-essential functions,” it said in an April 4 memo.

The academy has downplayed the impact of civilian cuts to its academic program, noting it routinely revises its course catalog as faculty rotate through over the years. To offset the loss of civilian staff, USAFA said it has added 19 military personnel to its faculty who “bring valuable operational experience to the classroom.”

Most of the academy’s nearly 550 faculty members are Air Force officers, according to the service. 

About 4,000 cadets attend USAFA each year on their way to becoming officers in the Air Force, Space Force, and other branches of the U.S. and foreign militaries. Most major in science and engineering; other popular tracks include management and foreign area studies. The academy downsized from 27 to 26 majors as it consolidated electrical and computer engineering into one program at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.

Bauernfeind said the school will continue to offer the majors it promised through the end of the current academic year.

“We are maintaining the academic rigor, accreditation, and high standards expected at the U.S. Air Force Academy,” Bauernfeind said. “Our faculty and staff are providing a world-class education to our cadets, and our institution will continue to produce officers ready to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving security environment.”