“This Is a Man’s Job”: Challenging the Masculine “Warrior Culture” at the U.S. Air Force Academy

Abstract

This article explores models of identity at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Drawing on qualitative data gathered through a number of focus groups with cadets, it finds that despite technological changes that have revolutionized the battle space and policy efforts to shift the cultural identity of the forces, ideal identities remain infused with concepts that value the classical model of the heroic masculine. It suggests that functionally, this highly prized “warrior” ethos is becoming less relevant but could have the effect of undermining efforts to “diversify” the Academy. In the absence of a fundamental reconsideration of what constitutes the “ideal” air force officer, efforts to alter the demography and exclusionary culture at the Academy will be stymied.