A recent Military.com article renews the prior discussion about the US Air Force Academy’s plan to reduce its cadet wing by about 10%, down to about 4,000 from its current strength of about 4,400.

Since USAFA was first authorized 40 cadet squadrons and a size of about 4400 cadets in the late 1960s, it has occasionally dipped and re-grown.  For example, four squadrons (37-40) were deactivated in 1999 when the wing downsized; they were reactivated in 2006 when the wing was reauthorized the higher number.