New Superintendent Takes the Reins at Air Force Academy

Lt. Gen. Paul D. Moga took command of the U.S. Air Force Academy on Aug. 7 as the academy’s 23rd superintendent. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach presided over the change of command ceremony, which saw Moga succeed Lt. Gen. Tony D. Bauernfeind.

As superintendent, Moga will oversee more than 4,000 cadets, 475 faculty members, and other support personnel responsible for producing a large chunk of the Air Force’s commissioned officers. An F-15C and F-22 pilot, Moga graduated from the academy in 1995.

“The history and legacy of this Academy is written by the leaders and warfighters it forges,” Moga said during the ceremony. “We will honor our history and our heritage while ruthlessly preparing our graduates for the future fight. I am incredibly proud to be back here as your superintendent.”

Moga pinned on a third star as part of his move to USAFA. Previously, he was the two-star commander of the 3rd Air Force, a senior position within U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa. Prior to that, he was Commandant of Cadets, leading the Cadet Wing and the military training side of the academy.

While Commandant of Cadets, Moga reinstituted combat survival training for cadets—an approach that has grown to encompass even more combat skills courses. He also started a “culminating exercise,” testing senior cadets on all the skills they had learned in a multi-domain environment. That “CULEX” has also since grown to include the entire Cadet Wing and increasingly sophisticated and realistic scenarios.

Moga’s predecessor Bauernfeind made increased military training and a focus on standards hallmarks of his tenure. The former head of Air Force Special Operations Command, Bauernfeind stressed the need for the academy to produce officers ready to lead in combat.

“You looked at our young leaders and said: ‘We’re going to train you to fight, and we’re going to train you to win,’” Wilsbach said at Bauernfeind’s retirement ceremony. “You fought to modernize the curriculum, instill character, and build fitness to ensure that every cadet who walks across this stage is ready to lead a combat-effective unit on day one.”

Bauernfeind, for his part, said those changes have taken root.

“We are going in the right direction,” he said. “We’ve got amazing permanent party and faculty, these cadets are absolutely incredible, and they want to take on more. At the end of the day, it’s just going to take necessary sets and reps to be successful.”

Along with Moga, Chief Master Sgt. Tessa Fontaine assumed responsibility as the academy’s new senior enlisted leader. Moga and Fontaine’s arrival completes a near-total changeover in academy leadership—Brig. Gen. James M. Valpiani became the new Dean of Faculty in March, and Col. Brandon J. Tellez became the new Commandant of Cadets in May.

Moga is also the latest in a line of new commanders to take charge of Air Force organizations in just the past week: Lt. Gen. Daniel Tulley took charge of Air Mobility Command on Aug. 3; Lt. Gen. Daniel T. Lasica moved up a rank and took command of Air Forces Central on Aug. 4; Lt. Gen. David G. Shoemaker pinned on a third star and took command of the 7th Air Force in South Korea on Aug. 7.