The core curriculum of the Air Force Academy, Colo., is currently being revised by a panel of Academy faculty in order to reduce the overall number of courses and provide greater flexibility to cadets, said Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, Academy superintendent, at ASC16 Wednesday. The new curriculum, which has yet to be finalized, will be “more interdisciplinary” in accordance with the Air Force Strategic Plan’s call for “more agile and inclusive leaders,” Johnson said. The Academy has already removed three courses from its core requirements and further changes will, in some cases, offer a range of options among related courses in the place of hard requirements. These changes are also intended to provide a new generation of cadets with a “sense of choice and ownership” of their education, Johnson said.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.