Could the U.S. have deterred the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022?

That was the question students from the Air Force Academy and five other Colorado colleges and universities were challenged with in the second annual writing contest for the Academy’s Institute for Future Conflict.

Cadet 3rd Class Alan He won first place in the competition with his examination of Russia’s flawed intelligence, timing of sanctions and other issues related to the invasion.

“A major reason I chose to attend USAFA was for access to unique opportunities like this, and I saw the competition as a way to challenge myself while making the most of the opportunities available to cadets,” says He. “I realized that for me, transforming research into a persuasive argument is far more challenging than conducting and analyzing the research itself. It also gave me a better sense of how history, intelligence and diplomacy all connect when nations make decisions.”

The writing contest also includes a fiction category. Cadet 1st Class Sampson McClung won first place for his story titled Are You There. It is written as a letter from a soldier to a loved one after a nuclear attack.

The writing exercises, non-fiction and fiction, provide cadets an opportunity to analyze a problem and hone their critical thinking skills. In the process, they learn about future conflict and gain additional preparation for being ready to lead on Day 1.

One of the prizes for first place in both categories is a trip to Washington, D.C., to give the winners a chance to brief a senior leader in the Pentagon about their submissions.

“The goal is for the winners to brief a joint staff general or deputy assistant secretary of defense, someone in the Air Force or Space Force. They get to understand and share about their view of the future warfighter and the joint warfighter concept,” says Maj. Gen. (Ret.) David Scott ’78, Air Force Academy Foundation liaison to the IFC. “They also receive feedback from that senior leader, who is aware of the program and its goals.”

The top three entries in each category also received a cash prize. The contest and its awards are funded by three individual donors. 

(Photo: Dr. David Arceneaux, former Rossetti Senior Research Fellow for Future Conflict, moderated a panel discussion of Ukrainian officers and senior enlisted members to provide cadets with firsthand knowledge about Ukraine’s war with Russia. (Courtesy photo))