Air Force Academy spending off $177M in fiscal ’12

Air Force Academy spending has plunged as the military scales back across all branches.

The academy’s annual report on its economic impact says spending on payroll and other categories, such as construction and services, totaled $662 million in fiscal 2012, down $177 million or 21 percent from the previous year.

The 2012 report, released July 3, didn’t address the reasons, but the military has been cutting spending as it refocuses and slims down.

Academy officials were preparing responses Tuesday to questions from The Associated Press.

Total payroll in 2012 was $346 million, down $71 million or 17 percent.

Military personnel at the academy totaled about 5,700 in 2012, down 700 or 11 percent from 2011. The total included about 4,100 cadets in 2012, 315 fewer than in 2011.