Air Force Academy certifies Class of 2030

The U.S. Air Force Academy said on August 5 that 1,121 fourth-class cadets in the Class of 2030 completed Basic Cadet Training and formally joined the Cadet Wing during the Acceptance Day Parade on Stillman Field. The ceremony marked the end of the academy’s six-week Basic Cadet Training program and the start of the academic year, according to the academy. Cadets also took the academy’s Honor Code Oath at the parade. The academy said the class had just finished the Jacks Valley phase of training before returning to the main cadet area. ### Why does the parade matter inside the academy calendar? August 5 was the point at which new cadets stopped being “basics” and entered the Cadet Wing as fourth-class cadets, the academy said. The Acceptance Day Parade is the formal milestone that closes Basic Cadet Training and opens the academic year. June 24 was In-processing Day for the Class of 2030, when families dropped off appointees to begin what the academy described as a 47-month path to an Air Force or Space Force commission. (usafa.edu) The period between those dates is designed to move students from civilian life into the academy’s military system before classes begin. (usafa.edu) ### What did Basic Cadet Training require them to do? The academy describes Basic Cadet Training as a six-week education program built to transform new cadets from civilians into military academy cadets prepared for a four-year officer commissioning program. Training includes military customs and courtesies, the Honor Code, Air Force and Space Force heritage, and physical-fitness standards, according to the academy’s August 5 release and its training pages. (usafa.edu) The academy’s admissions materials say the program tests mental and physical abilities and is meant to build alertness, physical endurance, emotional stability, self-reliance and initiative. A separate academy release published during this year’s training cycle said the goal was to create a “challenging, disciplined, safe and purposeful” environment for future officers. (usafa.edu) ### What is Jacks Valley, and why is it singled out? Jacks Valley is the second phase of Basic Cadet Training and takes place at a 3,300-acre training complex near the academy, according to the school. The march out to the site is a long-standing academy tradition that includes senior leaders, faculty and graduates. The academy says cadets spend about two weeks there in a tent encampment and complete physically intensive military training. (academyadmissions.com) Academy materials for the 2026 cycle said that phase included field exercises, land navigation and weapons training. ### What did academy leaders say about this class? Lt. Gen. Tony D. Bauernfeind, the academy superintendent, said he was proud of the Class of 2030 and said its members “earned the highest Physical Fitness Test scores of any incoming class in the past decade.” He said those scores reflected “commitment, discipline and determination” shown throughout Basic Cadet Training. (usafa.edu) More than 1,100 cadets took part in the transition, according to the academy’s public release, with the precise figure listed as 1,121. The academy had separately said in July that admissions for the Class of 2030 rose, with more applications and appointment acceptances for the incoming class. ### What comes immediately after Acceptance Day? (usafa.edu) The academic year begins next for the newly accepted fourth-class cadets, the academy said in its August 5 announcement. From there, the class moves into the standard cadet program that leads to graduation and commissioning as Air Force or Space Force officers. The academy’s public site lists the Acceptance Day Parade on August 5, 2026, as the completed milestone for the Class of 2030. (usafa.edu) Its admissions and academy materials say cadets then continue through the four-year program toward a commission, with service commitments beginning after graduation. (usafa.edu 1) (usafa.edu 2)