An axial injection system has been designed for injection of high intensity beams of H/sup -/, D/sup -/, and He/sup ++/ into the Oak Ridge Isochronous Cyclotron (ORIC). The device consists of two high-voltage platforms, two external ion sources, a double-drift-tube beam bunching system, a spiral inflector and integrated beam analysis diagnostics and focusing elements. With the axial injection system, it is expected that more than 100 /spl mu/A of high quality, primary light ion beams will be extracted from the ORIC using either the existing septum extraction system for He/sup ++/ beams or a foil stripping extraction system for extracting either H/sup +/ or D/sup +/ beams. In addition, beam scattering and the consequent internal activation problems, endemic with the present short lifetime internal Penning discharge source along with the down times attributable to its maintenance will be dramatically reduced.