USMA IN THE NEWS

Before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Army frequently was accused, and found guilty, of training to fight the last war.

The global war on terrorism has changed that. Nowhere is that more evident than at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Because the interval between classroom and combat zone for young officers has been reduced from years to months, special efforts are being made to give cadets more practical information about the ongoing war, the academy's superintendent said Friday.

"These cadets are focused. They know they're going to Iraq, Afghanistan or somewhere and they want to hear what they are going to face in combat," said Lt. Gen. William Lennox, who was in Atlanta promoting the academy and meeting with business leaders.

Veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are regular visitors to West Point classrooms, where cadets find their stories much more meaningful than a dozen lectures from professors who have not been there, said Col. Tom Kolditz, head of West Point's Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership.

"You have to inspire cadets; it's not enough to train and educate them," Kolditz said.

In addition to the real-life war stories, Kolditz said, video teleconferences frequently are used to contact Army officials in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo to talk about issues as they are occurring. And, he said, about 20 percent of the faculty has deployed to Iraq for various purposes related to cadet development.

Learning to fight isn't the only thing being taught these days. An Arabic-language course has been established, with about 160 cadets enrolled. Experts in Middle Eastern politics and social customs are brought in to lecture.

Nuclear and chemical engineering majors are looking at their specialties in terms of weapons of mass destruction, "because of what we see in the future," Lennox said.

Instruction in military science is being beefed up to better prepare cadets for the modern battlefield.

The changes have proved popular among cadets already at the academy and those seeking entrance, said Lennox.

The numbers of those applying "are skyrocketing," he said. "From a West Point standpoint, it's a bumper crop of kids coming in. These kids want to be a part of what's going on in this country."