Air Force reverses decision to cut hundreds of ROTC cadets after backlash

The Air Force has reversed its decision to cut hundreds of reserve officer training cadets and restored around 130 scholarships after it received widespread backlash for what some called a punishment for many qualified cadets.

In September 2020, the Air Force announced it would be making a cut to its military tuition funding in order to conserve limited funds.

The Washington Post reports officials decided to reverse the decision after receiving backlash from students, parents, lobbying groups and congressional lawmakers.

Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek told the Post, “We cut too deep.”

“We recognized that the planned reductions to meet end strength requirements were going to cause unanticipated hardships for many well-qualified cadets,” Stefanek said.

The Post notes that the Air Force typically dismisses around 25 percent of second-year cadets who fail to meet fitness, academic and leadership standards. But this year, it dismissed nearly half of all cadets.

According to Stefanek, this reversal will bring levels back to what they usually are.

The announcement last year affected many cadets who had excellent grades and fitness marks, the Post notes, and sent many families into a panic after scholarships disappeared.

An Air Force official told the Post officials decided to reverse the policy after seeing the emotional and financial turmoil parents and students were going through.

One reinstated cadet told the Post, “This should have never happened.”

“The only thing that got them to reverse their decision was attention from outside,” they added.