Air Force officials told the Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors May 4 that the school’s new class will not reach minority recruiting goals and that future classes could face an even more daunting challenge if DOD eliminates academic waivers. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told the board, which met at the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based campus, that minority lawmakers have hampered the efforts by the military academies to recruit black and Hispanic students by their inaction. According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, Wynne said, “They are not influencing qualified candidates they know of to attend military academies.”
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…

