USAFA Cadets Test Warfighter Readiness
by U.S. Air Force Academy Mackenzie Mendez
March 22, 2025

U.S. Air Force Academy cadets took on the rigorous Spring 2025 Culminating Exercise (CULEX), an essential training event designed to enhance their warfighter readiness and leadership skills, March 5-8.

This year’s exercise marks a significant shift from previous iterations, serving as a test of concept for future training exercises. The spring CULEX represents a crucial step in the Academy’s ongoing evolution, moving towards what will eventually be known as “The Crucible.”

This multi-day field training event evaluated all cadets’ proficiency in newly developed Ready Airman Training (RAT) skills, reinforcing their preparedness for Agile Combat Employment.

Training For The Future Fight

The Academy has spent the past academic year refining its RAT curriculum, ensuring cadets gain hands-on experience with the tactical and strategic skills required for modern combat environments. The Spring 2025 CULEX tested cadets’ adaptability, leadership, and mission execution capabilities in physically and mentally demanding scenarios. These challenges included day and night operations spread across four rotations, simulating the complexity of real-world military engagements.

“This CULEX represents a significant evolution in how we train our cadets, ensuring they are ready for the demands of dynamic operating environments,” said Brig. Gen. Gavin Marks, Academy commandant of cadets. “By focusing on individual proficiency and team execution under stress, we are developing leaders who can think critically, adapt quickly, and execute missions effectively in adverse conditions.”

Exercise In Action

During CULEX, cadets were immersed in a simulated operational environment that required them to apply mission planning and execution, combat tactics, leadership under pressure, and joint operations teamwork.

“We’ve designed this CULEX to assess cadets on Ready Airmen Training skills, while challenging them as future warfighters,” said Maj. James Moore, Cadet Wing military training deputy branch chief and CULEX lead planner. “The Culminating Exercise was a first step towards a dynamic and realistic experience, where they will be required to lead, use critical thinking in unpredictable scenarios, and demonstrate the core skills essential for Agile Combat Employment. Our goal is to prepare cadets for the realities they will face as future officers.”

This exercise was designed to cultivate a warfighter mindset among cadets, ensuring they developed confidence in decision-making, physical and mental resilience, and realistic combat preparation.

Building On Past Success

Last fall, cadets from all 40 squadrons participated in the 2024 Fall CULEX, a two-day event replacing the Commandant’s Challenge and Commandant Training Day. This shift was part of Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind’s broader initiative to forge warfighters ready to win.

Building on the success of the 2024 exercise, the Spring 2025 CULEX further refined the Academy’s training methodology. By embedding realistic expeditionary warfare training into the cadet experience, the Academy ensures its graduates are prepared to lead in complex, high-threat environments.

Preparing Cadets For The Future Battlefield

In addition to mastering airpower operations, the Academy recognizes the critical importance of ground combat skills in modern warfare. Cadets trained in troop movement techniques, land navigation, convoy operations, and reacting to enemy contact ... key skills essential for effective leadership in contested environments.

“This CULEX challenged every cadet to think and act under pressure, making training more realistic and preparing us for real-world operations,” said Cadet 3rd Class Camden Hamilton, a physics major. “We were pushed to shoot, move, communicate, and perform in high-stress environments as both individuals and as teams.”

Through these challenging training events, cadets gained exposure to the complexities of leading troops in combat scenarios, reinforcing their ability to execute the mission. The Spring 2025 CULEX is a vital step in shaping the next generation of U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force officers, ensuring they graduate with the resilience, adaptability, and combat readiness required to lead in the ever-evolving landscape of modern warfare.

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