Lt. Gen. Paul Moga Takes Command at USAF Academy to Accelerate Combat Readiness
Lt. Gen. Paul D. Moga has assumed command as the 23rd Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, marking a leadership reset focused on expanding multi-domain combat training and preparing commissioning officers for high-intensity peer conflict.
Lt. Gen. Paul D. Moga officially assumed command as the 23rd Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy on August 7, succeeding Lt. Gen. Tony D. Bauernfeind. Presided over by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, the transition completes a near-total leadership changeover in Colorado Springs following recent appointments of a new Dean of Faculty, Commandant of Cadets, and Senior Enlisted Leader. Moga, an F-15C and F-22 command pilot and 1995 academy graduate, now oversees more than 4,000 cadets and 475 faculty members responsible for commissioning a major share of the service’s active-duty officer corps.
Moga’s return to the academy signals an acceleration of tactical rigor and multi-domain warfare preparation across the officer training pipeline. During a previous assignment as Commandant of Cadets, Moga reinstated combat survival training and instituted the Cadet Wing’s multi-domain culminating exercise (CULEX). That exercise has since expanded into a comprehensive operational simulation designed to stress-test cadets under realistic, contested scenarios. Moga’s operational background—most recently serving as commander of 3rd Air Force within U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa—brings direct experience from frontline theaters into foundational officer education.
Signal Pro feature
This signal is in the subscriber archive.
Signals older than seven days are reserved for members. Subscribe to read the full analysis and unlock the complete Defense Signals archive.
Executive takeaway
Subscribe to receive signals like this — plus the executive analysis behind them.
Get the Signals