Bennet, Hickenlooper, Neguse, DeGette, Crow, Pettersen Celebrate Air Force ROTC Detachment at UCCS

Nov 7, 2025| Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and Colorado U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse, Diana DeGette, Jason Crow, and Brittany Pettersen released the following statement welcoming the Department of the Air Force's decision to establish an Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFROTC) detachment at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS). Bennet, Hickenlooper, and the representatives have long called for the establishment of this unit to train and commission Air Force and Space Force officers.

"Colorado Springs hosts four military installations, the Air Force Academy, and one of the country's most robust aerospace industries. Yet the city had no standalone AFROTC detachment. Today's announcement removes an unnecessary burden imposed on AFROTC students studying at southern Colorado schools, who for years traveled 100 miles and two-plus hours to attend their ROTC classes at University of Colorado Boulder. This new detachment in the Springs will better serve students already committed to serving their country as Air or Space Force officers, and will help with future recruitment."

In June 2024, Bennet led a letter with the lawmakers and former members of the delegation to then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall urging the Department of Defense to create this detachment.