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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – The US Air Force Academy (USAFA) held its largest annual “CULEX,” or culminating training exercise, on Thursday, giving cadets a realistic look at a combat environment.
The 24-hour-a-day exercise puts nearly 4,000 cadets in a mock war zone, where seniors lead complex missions and junior cadets follow orders. This year, it starts on April 15-16.
The Air Force Academy is 18,500 hectares, located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, but on Thursday, the high-level exercise situation turned USAFA into Hokkaido, a Japanese island under attack by enemy forces.
“We have taken all of USAFA seriously, to allow all of our 4,000 cadets to have a place to work during the exercise,” said CULEX director Col. Jennifer Hall.
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US Air Force Academy cadets walk through the woods during an exercise. (Amy Gallo)
In the event of war, Japan asked the US to step in as a defensive force.
“In this case, we have four airports,” Hall said. “And that’s what’s been established, the four joint workplaces that we have.”
Each joint operation area, or JOA, has about 800 cadets, who protect an airfield, two high-value assets and a dismounted airman. Cadets also face real-world problems such as wounded officers and attacks by enemies known as the “Red Force.”
A map showing the four joint operational areas during CULEX. (Amy Gallo)
“We have released one squad to play against Red Force,” said Hall. “So our cadets are actually playing Red Force, and they’re on the field right now harassing our cadets. They’re doing an amazing job. They’re having a lot of fun.”
Hall explained, “What we’re trying to do is put the cadets first in decision-making. And you’ll see everywhere that the Red Force is trying to make that difficult with all its might.”
While the situation may not be real, it sure looks and sounds like it.
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“You’ll see about 15 tents set up on the ground like a rough, tough area, two of which are surgical centers and a medical tent and a warming tent,” Hall explained. “And we have tents for the cadets to sleep in, because we will be sleeping for the first time.”
US Air Force cadets look for enemy targets during a final training exercise. (Amy Gallo)
Some cadets fly airplanes while others deploy parachutes in the sky. On the ground, hundreds of cadets armed with airsoft guns defended their camps, taking radio transmissions from the attacking troops. Meanwhile, students in mission control use drones and mapping technology to solve real-world problems.
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Air Force cadets participate in CULEX training. (Amy Gallo)
“The only way to prepare for the war we are in, or the war to come, is to develop the necessary training where they will be able to experience it in real time, in the forest, in the field,” said Hall.
Now in its second year, CULEX focuses on building confidence, teamwork and leadership skills rather than evaluating cadets on a pass or fail basis. It is a multi-domain tactical mission designed to replicate future environments Space Force and Air Force officers may encounter.
USAFA students study a map during their final exercise. (Amy Gallo)
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“For our seniors, in 44 days, they’re going to graduate, and they’re going to go, and they’re going to be officers in our Space Force and Air Force — how well they’re going to be equipped to lead, to deal with complex problems, to know that they can do that hard work,” Hall said.
