Applications for the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs for the incoming class of 2013 are up nearly 10%. Almost 10,000 people have applied for the 1,350 available spots.

Actually, applications for all three major military academies are up, with Naval Academy numbers up 40%, the highest they’ve been since 1988. The Annapolis school has received 15,300 applications to fill only 1,230 open slots. West Point applications are up nearly 10% as well, with 11,106 applications sent in.

Applications are the highest they’ve been in five years at the Air Force Academy, and reported reasons why vary. Some cite an interest in simply being of service to America as their reason.

"I've always seen that as the best place to get a pilot's slot when I graduated," says Stephen Gast, 18, of Hollywood, MD. Gast has wanted to be in the Air Force since he was a teen, believing it to be the best place to learn to fly and serve his country simultaneously.

Does this represent a rise in military interest in general? Or a rise in fear based on the bleak outlook of the current job market? There has been a decrease in availability for scholarships and financial aid due to the economic downturn as well; perhaps the increase is due to people seeking an affordable education.

Col. Deborah McDonald, director of admissions at West Point, claims that the recession can be a factor, but it’s not the main reason for the increase in interest. “It does pop up on the radar screen, but it's very minimal,” she says.

Heavy marketing is also thought to be a factor. All three academies have begun marketing toward younger audiences, speaking to children in the eighth and ninth grades, with an intense focus on inner-city kids. Do you think it’s ethical to be marketing military careers to kids who aren’t even old enough to drive a car, let alone make important decisions like this? Junior high children are also especially vulnerable to peer pressure and marketing in general.

Military officials at the academies say that there are other factors involved, including the fact that graduates of U.S. military academies typically graduate with higher ranks when they enter the service.

Applications for next fall are already on the rise as well.

What do you think? Would you or are you joining the Air Force or another military branch this year? Why or why not?