MAY 8, 2026 – The President of the United States has nominated Maj. Gen. Paul D. Moga, Third Air Force commander, to serve as the 23rd Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy and promotion to the rank of lieutenant general. If confirmed by the Senate, he will succeed Lt. Gen. Tony D. Bauernfeind, who has led the institution since August 2024.
A 1995 Academy graduate and former Commandant of Cadets, Moga currently directs subordinate commands, facilitates coordination and operations between U.S. Air Force Europe – Air Forces Africa, U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command, Defense agencies and other field activities. If confirmed, he will return to the Academy to direct the 47-month development program that commissions officers into the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, bringing extensive operational and leadership experience to the role.
A command pilot with more than 2,600 flight hours, primarily in the F-15C, F-22, and F-35A, he has commanded at the squadron, wing, and numbered Air Force levels. His career also includes significant joint and staff experience with assignments at U.S. European Command and U.S. Northern Command, and he notably served as the first-ever F-22 Demonstration Team Commander.
“I am profoundly honored by the President’s nomination to serve as Superintendent,” Moga said. “The Academy has a solemn responsibility to develop leaders who possess a warfighter mentality and are motivated to serve. They must be prepared to lead, fight and win in defense of our nation. I look forward to working with Air Force and Space Force leaders, as well as the entire USAFA community, to build upon what Lt. Gen. Bauernfeind accomplished during his tenure.”
Forging the Next Generation of Warrior-Leaders
Appointed with a specific mandate to restore the warrior ethos and return to standards, Bauernfeind, a 1991 graduate of the Academy, spent the last two years reorienting the institution to its foundational warfighting purpose. The entire Academy team embraced this call to harmonize the institution’s military, academic, and athletic mission sets and renew emphasis on standards and accountability.
To ensure graduates are prepared for modern conflict, military training was fundamentally restructured to prioritize warfighter readiness and lethality. This was operationalized through a four-class leadership system that instills progressive leadership and is tested under realistic, high-pressure conditions during training events like the Spring Culminating Exercise.
This purposeful transformation to align the cadet experience with the demands of future conflict sharpens the Academy’s focus on preparing the next generation of Air Force and Space Force leaders, increasing the readiness and lethality of the future force.
An Enduring Mission
“The Secretary of War mandate to forge mission-ready leaders ready on Day One is our absolute priority,” Bauernfeind said. “If confirmed, I am confident that Major General Moga will sustain USAFA’s momentum forward, ensuring our graduates are fully prepared, militarily, academically, and athletically, for the complex combat environments of tomorrow.”
He stressed that, for the time being, his focus remains squarely on the Academy’s mission.
“I remain fully committed to leading the Academy and advancing its core priorities of forging warfighters to win, inspiring leaders of character and quality, and motivating critical thinkers to adapt,” he said. “Having seen firsthand the character and commitment of our next generation of warrior leaders, I will leave here confident that our nation’s future is secure.”
U.S. Air Force Academy Strategic Communications