Latest news with #TroyMeink
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs celebrates graduating class of 2025
On Thursday morning, the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs celebrated the over 900 cadets in the graduating class of 2025. Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink served as the special guest speaker at the commencement, which began at 9 a.m. this morning at Falcon Stadium. A flyover was scheduled for the afternoon, but was canceled due to low cloud cover. Brig. Gen. Linell A. Letendre, Dean of the Faculty, presents the graduation class during the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2025 graduation ceremony at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 29, 2025. Nine hundred nine cadets received their commissions as second lieutenants in the Air Force and Space Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Dylan Smith) Dylan Smith U.S. Air Force Academy Dean of Faculty Brig. Gen. Linell Letendre honored the 94 distinguished graduates who placed in the top 10% of their class. This year's graduating class included 909 cadets, including 14 international students. Sec. Meink shook hands with each graduate as they crossed the stage. Cadets march into Falcon Stadium to start the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2025 graduation ceremony at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 29, 2025. Nine hundred nine cadets received their commissions as second lieutenants in the Air Force and Space Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) Trevor Cokley Graham Green, a cadet from Brevard, North Carolina, said graduating from the academy is the hardest thing he's ever done. He encouraged other cadets to "just stick with it. I've been through so many hills and valleys where I was like, 'I'm loving it' or 'I'm not liking it.' I just say stick with it, because it will all work out in the end." Reginaldo Capati (left) and Graham Green (right) graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy. KKTV Cadet Reginaldo Capati from Dallas, Texas, said everything has led up to this point. "It's the culmination of four years here, but I would say more importantly, my whole life has led up to this moment. And it's a dedication, a promise to serve." He plans to go on to medical school at Texas A&M and come back to serve in the Medical Corps. Capati said graduating means everything to him. The U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 2025 graduates toss their hats skyward at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. May 29, 2025. Nine hundred nine cadets received their commissions as second lieutenants in the Air Force and Space Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley) Trevor Cokley CBS Colorado would like to congratulate all of this year's graduates! We look forward to seeing what you will achieve in the future.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Air show and road closures: What to know about the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado Springs
The U.S. Air Force Academy's class of 2025 is graduating on Thursday and the ceremony in Colorado Springs will include an air show from the famed Air Force Thunderbird demonstration jets, as well as several road closures in and around Falcon Stadium. Here's everything you need to know if you plan to attend the ceremony, will be driving around the stadium, or just want to watch the air show. Since the first class of cadets commissioned as military officers in 1959, 54,883 academy graduates have commissioned into the U.S. Air Force, and 485 have commissioned into the Space Force. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink will be the commencement speaker this year. Last year, former Vice President Kamala Harris was the commencement speaker and in 2023, it was former President Joe Biden. Air Force Academy cadets throw their caps into the air upon graduating as the Thunderbirds fly over Falcon Stadium on June 1, 2023 on the grounds of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The event featured the graduation of 921 Air Force cadets and a commencement address by former President Joe Biden. Marc Piscotty / Getty Images When and where is the ceremony? The graduation ceremony will start at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 29 and gates will open at 6 a.m. Due to increased security, academy officials are urging attendees to arrive early. You must have a ticket to attend. The ceremony is typically held at Falcon Stadium, 4900 Stadium Blvd. If weather forces the ceremony indoors, it will be held inside Clune Arena, 2169 Field House Dr. You can read more about the security protocols on the base here and sign up for base access here. The academy also has a clear bag policy and information about approved handbags here. In addition to the graduation ceremony itself, there will be a number of other events and ceremonies in the days leading up to the graduation. On Tuesday, there's a ceremony for individual awards, a graduation breakfast and lunch, and a graduation concert featuring the cadet orchestra and chorale. Then on Wednesday, there will be a parents' graduation luncheon and then commissioning ceremonies for those cadets who are commissioning as officers into the Air Force or Space Force. The Thunderbirds will fly over the stadium at the end of the ceremony. More details on that below. Local traffic impacts Academy officials tell motorists to expect heavy traffic and delays, and not to stop along I-25 or any other nearby roads during the ceremony or while watching the Thunderbirds flying in the area. Falcon Stadium and the surrounding parking lots will be considered restricted areas on Wednesday. The following roads will be closed on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Stadium Boulevard from Pine Drive to North Gate Boulevard Community Center Drive from East Douglass Drive to Stadium Boulevard Academy Drive from Lot 6 to Stadium Boulevard Parade Loop from USAFA Cemetery to Stadium Boulevard Santa Fe Trail from Tri-intersection Bridge to Parade Loop More road closures could be put in place as guest arrival and other needs are assessed on Thursday. People who commute near the academy should expect delays on I-25 near the academy as a result of the closures. Bicycle commuting between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. is prohibited on Wednesday and Thursday. What are the Thunderbirds and how can you watch them? The Thunderbirds refer to the pilots of the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Wing. The squadron, based out of Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, was established in 1953, and the pilots perform aerial acrobatics at air shows and other events around the country. The planes and their pilots arrive in Colorado Springs on Tuesday and will fly a survey mission over the academy from about noon to 2:30 p.m. Anyone between the academy and Peterson Space Force Base might be able to see them during that time. On Wednesday, the pilots will practice their graduation hat toss flight from 11 a.m. to noon, practicing the timing for the ceremony flight where they fly over the stadium at the same time as cadets toss their hats in the air. Then they'll practice the air show from 2 to 4 p.m. The exact timing of the ceremony flyover isn't clear, but the entire ceremony is expected to wrap up around 1:30 p.m. with the air show to follow.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Battle over Space Command HQ location heats up as lawmakers press new Air Force secretary
Years after the first Trump administration moved to designate Alabama as the home of a permanent Space Command headquarters (HQ), the political tug-of-war for the base continues. Colorado Republicans are urging the president to rethink the decision while Alabama lawmakers insist it will and should move forward. After his May 13 confirmation, new Air Force Secretary Troy Meink can now expect a lot of calls from Capitol Hill pulling him in different directions over the HQ. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said he had already discussed the matter with him. "I look forward to his recommendation that he concur with the last two secretaries of the Air Force and recommend to Huntsville," he said. "And I fully expect, based on our conversation, that's going to be what happens." The Space Force's home for the time being — Colorado Springs, Colorado — makes sense from the money that has already been invested in setting up shop there, according to Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., whose district encompasses the current HQ. "It would mean $2 billion in savings to leave it where it is," Crank told Fox News Digital, pointing to savings from not having to build a new HQ building. President Donald Trump announced plans to move headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama, in his first term — but former President Joe Biden undid those plans when he came into office. Space Command has operated out of Peterson Space Force base in Colorado Springs since its 2019 inception. The command is responsible for military operations in space and will play a major role in the Golden Dome project. Crank argues that geographically, Colorado makes more sense — it is also home to Northern Command, and the two will need to coordinate over Trump's new Golden Dome missile defense project. "They've got to be seamless in their efforts to communicate," said Crank. "We don't want any delay in getting Golden Dome up and running." He argued that Space Command HQ, nestled into Cheyenne Mountain, is already "one of the most secure facilities" in the country. Being in the middle of the U.S., he added, makes it harder for enemies to attack. "From the standpoint of survivability, having that as an asset right there as well is, is really important." Rogers brushed off the complaints from his Colorado counterparts and argued Alabama had won fair and square. "They're just doing their job, you know, they don't want to see it leave," said Rogers. But, "they lost two nationwide competitions. It's not me saying it should be in Huntsville." He argued that right now, the command is spread out across four to five different buildings, some of which are outside the base perimeter. "None of them were built for classified operations," he said. "They just kind of make it work." Rogers pointed to a recent Defense Department inspector general (IG) report examining Biden's 2023 decision not to move the headquarters. That report found that then-Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall recommended that SPACECOM go to Redstone Arsenal, near Huntsville, Alabama, because the move would save $462 million. However, then SPACECOM Commander, Gen. James Dickinson, wanted to keep the permanent HQ in Colorado due to Air Force findings that the Alabama option would not be operational for three to four years. Dickinson and SPACECOM officers also worried that more than half of the highly trained civilian staff in Colorado would quit rather than move to Alabama for the job. "USSPACECOM leadership anticipated that the loss of civilian personnel might occur much sooner than (the Air Force) predicated and that USSPACECOM would be unable to secure the manpower investments needed to mitigate the impact of that loss on the command's readiness," the report states. However, Rogers argued, Colorado has had manpower issues as well. "The reason why Secretary Kendall didn't concur with them and recommended that it still be moved was that over 300 of the current jobs in Colorado Springs couldn't be filled," he said. "They had to contract them out." Crank argued that the cost findings in the IG report were flawed because it assumed Colorado would have to build a new HQ building, which he says it would not. "We don't need to build a new headquarters building," he said. "There is one there. If you say you need to build a new headquarters building, then I think it tips it in the favor of Alabama from a cost perspective by about $400 million." "But if you don't do that, and we don't need it, already have a headquarters building there, it saves the taxpayers $2 billion," he said. The IG report said it "could not determine" why Kendall never made a formal announcement decision for the SPACECOM transition after the September 2022 completion of an environmental impact assessment of the planned headquarters site in Alabama. Without a formal announcement, SPACECOM was able to declare full operational capability in Colorado, the report said. Rogers said the IG report proved the Biden administration's move was political, and predicted in April that Trump would formally name Alabama as the home of the Space Force within the month. However, Crank, along with GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert, Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd, wrote to Trump and warned him that the move would affect readiness. "Moving the command would disrupt these established capabilities and partnerships, further diminishing our preparedness to face evolving threats," they wrote in a letter dated April 8. However, Rogers seems confident the move will go forward. "There's absolutely no national security implications for moving it," he said. "It needs to be in a permanent headquarters, and it needs to be inside the fence. All that's going to happen in Huntsville."
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pentagon accepts luxury jet from Qatar to use as Air Force One
The United States officially accepted a luxury jet to use as Air Force One from Qatar, the Department of Defense confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday. "The secretary of defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations," Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement. "The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the president of the United States," he added. Troy Meink, the secretary of the Air Force, said in a Tuesday Senate hearing that the Air Force would be taking the lead on making sure the aircraft is up to security standards so it can transport President Donald Trump. "The secretary of defense has directed the Air Force to basically start planning to modify the aircraft," Meink responded when asked about the Air Force's role in a transfer of the Qatari-owned jet to the U.S. "We are postured to do that." An Air Force spokesperson told ABC News that it will award a contract to modify the Qatari jet to do so, noting that "details related to the contract are classified." Meanwhile, Boeing will continue to build two new versions of the presidential plane, which have endured delays for years. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Pentagon accepts luxury jet from Qatar to use as Air Force One originally appeared on
Boston Globe
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
US formally accepts luxury jet from Qatar for Trump
Advertisement 'Any civilian aircraft will take significant modifications to do so,' Troy Meink, the Air Force secretary, said Tuesday during Senate testimony. 'We're off looking at that right now, what it's going to take for that particular aircraft.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The plan has drawn concern from members of Congress, who worry that Trump will pressure the Air Force to do the work so fast that sufficient security measures are not built into the plane, such as missile defense systems or even systems to protect the plane from the electromagnetic effects of a nuclear blast. 'If President Trump insists on converting this plane to a hardened Air Force One before 2029, I worry about the pressures you may be under to cut corners on operational security,' Senator Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said as Meink was testifying. Advertisement The gift also has drawn questions from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, who worry that Qatar may be trying to improperly influence Trump or that the plane itself might have listening devices. Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, on Monday publicly said for the first time that his government had approved turning over the plane as a gift, rejecting the idea of it being an attempt to influence the president. 'We are a country that would like to have strong partnership and strong friendship, and anything that we provide to any country, it's provided out of respect for this partnership, and it's a two-way relationship,' he said. 'It's mutually beneficial for Qatar and for the United States.'
