Educating Future Leaders about Space at West Point

The United States Military Academy, commonly known as West Point, has produced junior Army leaders since its inception in the early 1800s. While the purpose of West Point has evolved over the last two centuries, its fundamental mission has remained relatively stable To educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the nation as an officer in the United States Army. Space Operations Officers in Functional Area 40 primarily support this mission by bringing their operational and technical experience to the courses that they teach at West Point. By doing so we ensure that an ever increasing number of lieutenants enter the Army with the fundamental knowledge of how Space-based capabilities are intertwined into day-to-day Army operations -- a role that is even more critical now that Army officers are making career field designation decisions at both four and seven years of service. The most established venue for FA40s to pass knowledge of Space-related topics to cadets is in the classroom. Every teaching day USMA professors teach multiple classes or sections consisting of 15 to 20 cadets. Currently, FA40s have the unique opportunity to teach eight classes offered within four academic departments. Brief descriptions of the courses and their relevance to Space are discussed in this paper. Our ultimate goal as instructors and as Space Operations Officers is to inspire cadets interested in Space, and educate them so that they can make informed decisions not only about the employment of Space technologies but also about their choices in the CFD process.