Dean of Education

The Dean of Education at the ACSC Resident Program (ACSC-R) is assisted by the Associate Dean of Education (Policy-Strategy) and the Associate Dean of Education (Operations). Together, they help run the day-to-day educational operations of ACSR-R, as well as planning for curriculum integration, accreditation, faculty management and development, and coordination with Air University and other external DoD and civilian agencies.

Colonel Christian Watt, Colonel, USAF 

Col Christian Watt is the ACSC Resident Dean of Education (DE).  As the ACSC-R Program Manager, Col Watt is the is the principal advisor to the ACSC Commandant on all aspects of JPME. He provides leadership and strategic guidance to the ACSC-R faculty and ensures accomplishment of the JPME mission. This mission includes execution of all joint professional military education (JPME-I) curriculum requirements to include development of course materials, academic presentations, and standards for implementation, operation, and administration of ACSC-R. Further, Col Watt ensures ACSC-R complies with external inputs from the SECAF, the CSAF, the Air Staff, Air Force Major Commands, CJCS.

Dr. John G. Terino, Lt Col, USAF (Retired)  

Dr. John Terino is the Associate Dean for Policy and Strategy.  At ACSC, he teaches courses on Leadership and Warfare, Airpower, the Practice of Command, Joint Warfare Planning, Joint Air Planning, and an elective on the Air Force in Fact, Fiction, and Film. Prior to teaching at ACSC, he was a professor at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS).  While at SAASS, he directed the school’s course on Technology and Military Innovation, courses on Airpower History, and the institution’s wargaming activities.  Before coming to Air University, he taught for four years at the Air Force Academy in the Department of History. He retired from the Air Force in the grade of Lieutenant Colonel in 2008 after serving for almost 23 years.  He received his Ph.D. in the History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. In his spare time, John enjoys officiating cross country and track and field, reading, and attending the cinema.

Research Interest/Expertise: Airpower, USAF History, History of Technology, Military History.

Lt Col Bradley J. Pogue  

Lt Col Bradley J. Pogue is Associate Dean of Education Operations at the Air Command and Staff College. Within ACSC he previously served as an Instructor and as the Department of Joint Warfighting’s Director of Staff. Lt Col Pogue is an Air Force Space Operations Officer with previous experience in the Air Force Personnel career field. His space operations experience is in Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance and satellite command and control. Prior to his arrival at ACSC, he was the Director of Operations for National Reconnaissance Office’s Space Operations Squadron located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He was commissioned in 2004 after receiving his B.A. in History from Berry College, and he subsequently earned a M.A. in Government/International Politics from Regent University in 2009. Lt Col Pogue is an ACSC in-residence graduate, where he earned a Master of Military Operational Art and Science in 2016.  

Department of Airpower

The Department of Airpower is made up of both experienced civilian and military faculty from across the joint force and includes officers from our nation’s allies and academic specialties. The department develops and delivers two of ACSC’s core courses: Airpower I and Airpower II in support of the USAF’s new mission: To fly, fight, and win… Airpower anytime, anywhere. The first course, AP1: Smart Strategy, Smart Airpower, examines the emergence and development of airpower from World War I through the period immediately following the Vietnam War. The second course, AP2: Airpower Thought and Applications since Vietnam, examines the development of airpower from the end of the Vietnam War through the present and into the future, including air, space, and cyber power. Airpower…Get Some!

Dr. S. Mike Pavelec

Dr. S. Mike Pavelec is Chair of the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College. He has extensive teaching experience within JPME, including the Naval War College, the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS), and the Joint Advanced Warfighting School (NDU). He earned his PhD at The Ohio State University in 2004. He offers electives on “World War I in the Air” and “The Evolution of Airpower Technology and Theory.” A prolific researcher and writer, he has five books in print and two under contract. His most recent book is Airpower Over Gallipoli, 1915-1916, (Naval Institute Press, 2020), in addition to journal articles and book chapters on airpower, history, space, and cyber. He can be seen on National Geographic’s hit TV show Nazi Megastructures.

Research Interest/Expertise: Airpower, Space, Cyber, Technology, Theory, Strategy, and the Philosophy of War.

Dr. Allen G. Peck, Lt Gen, USAF (Retired)

Dr. Allen G. Peck, Lt Gen, USAF (Retired) is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies at the Air Command and Staff College’s Department of Airpower. Prior to joining the ACSC faculty, Dr. Peck served as director of the Air Force Research Institute. During his 36 years on active duty, Dr. Peck commanded an air operations group in Germany, an air expeditionary wing in Saudi Arabia, the Air and Space Expeditionary Force Center at Langley AFB, the LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, and the Air University at Maxwell AFB. He was a key planner for NATO’s Kosovo operation and later served as Deputy Combined Force Air Component Commander at Al Udeid Airbase, Qatar. As an aviator, Dr. Peck was qualified as aircraft commander and instructor in the air-to-air and air-to-ground variants of the F-15. He holds a BS in Mathematics from the US Air Force Academy, an MS in Operations Research from the Air Force Institute of Technology, an MA in International Relations from Salve Regina College, and a PhD in Aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Major Timothy Jay (T.J.) Ablay 

Major Timothy Jay (T.J.) Ablay is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He enlisted in the USAF as an In-Flight Air Refueling Specialist where he flew on the KC-135R Stratotanker as an Evaluator/Instructor Boom Operator from 2002-2008. As an Acquisitions Officer, he has held several assignments at the branch, group, division, and headquarters levels. Prior to his current position, Major Ablay was the Chief of Strategic Engagements, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Headquarters Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington DC. Major Ablay holds a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Master of Arts, Business Administration and Management from American Military University, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University. 

Lt Col Todd L. Arthur

Lt Col Todd L. Arthur is an instructor of Airpower I and II in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He is 2004 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy where he also received his commission. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Management and a minor in Military Doctrine, Operations and Strategy. Upon completing Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin AFB, Texas in 2005, Lt Col Arthur was assigned as a first assignment instructor pilot in the 86th Flying Training Squadron. After Lt Col Arthur attended C-5 training he was assigned to the 9th Airlift Squadron where he was selected to be an instructor at the C-5 Formal Training Unit. In his following assignment, Lt Col Arthur was selected to be the Wing Executive Officer while also serving as a T-6A instructor pilot at the 12th Flying Training Wing, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. Lt Col Arthur’s subsequent assignment was an Air University Fellowship where he was a Professional Military Education Squadron Officer School instructor and Director of Operations of the 29th Student Squadron before completing ACSC in residence. Prior to his current position, Lt Col Arthur was the Wing Director of Staff for the 47th Flying Training Wing and a T-1A Instructor Pilot. Lt Col Arthur’s deployed experiences include support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and operations off the Horn of Africa as an analyst for the Air Mobility Division Commander in the Combined Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC).

Dr. Terry Beckenbaugh

Dr. Terry Beckenbaugh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Air Power at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He came to ACSC from the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he taught for nine years in the Department of Military History. Dr. Beckenbaugh received his PhD in 19th Century US History from the University of Arkansas, and his Masters and Bachelors in US History and History, respectively, from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Beckenbaugh has taught at a variety of undergraduate and graduate civilian institutions. He is currently working on a book on the White River Campaign in Arkansas in the spring-summer of 1862, and has numerous publications and conference presentations.

Major Chris Cagle 

Major Chris Cagle is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Major Cagle is a civil engineer officer and has served in various assignments at the squadron, AF center, and combatant command levels. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The Citadel, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from the Air University. Major Cagle is a Joint Qualified Officer and a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Florida.

Lt Col John “Garick” Chamberlin, PhD

Lt Col John “Garick” Chamberlin, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He holds a PhD in History from Purdue University, an MA in National Security Affairs from Naval Postgraduate School, and a BS in Middle East Studies from Excelsior College (USNY). Lt Col Chamberlin has split his Air Force career roughly equally between intelligence and education assignments, having taught at the Defense Language Institute and the US Air Force Academy, and commanded a Student Squadron at Squadron Officers School prior to his assignment to ACSC. In the Intelligence field, he was attached to the RC-135 both as an enlisted aviator and as an intelligence officer, and also served on the 3rd Air Force and US Air Forces in Europe staffs and as the Chief of Wing Intelligence for the 22 ARW at McConnell AFB. Lt Col Chamberlin has over a dozen deployments to the Middle East, as well as one to Kosovo. His research focuses on the diplomatic and military history of the Early American Republic, primarily related to North African affairs.

Major Matthew Dearborn 

Major Matthew Dearborn is an Air University Fellow and an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He graduated from the ACSC In-Residence program in May 2021. Prior to ACSC, Maj Dearborn was the Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, a C-17A Evaluator Aircraft Commander, and Prime Nuclear Airlift Force (PNAF) courier in the 4th Airlift Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. He received his commission as a distinguished graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at Sacramento State University and earned his wings through Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (JSUPT) at Vance AFB, OK. Maj Dearborn is a Senior Pilot with more than 3,500 hours in the C-17 and trainer aircraft. Maj Dearborn graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis and earned a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University.

Major Carissa Deeney 

Major Carissa Deeney is an Air University Fellow and an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). She completed the ACSC In-Residence program in May 2021 as a Distinguished Graduate. Prior to ACSC, Maj Deeney was the Operations Officer at the 731st Air Mobility Squadron, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea and, most recently, served as an instructor at Officer Training School (OTS), Maxwell Air Force Base, AL. She has held positions at various echelons from squadron to headquarters and deployed three times in support of counter-narco terrorism, humanitarian assistance, and Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. She graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and received her commission in 2007 from OTS as a Logistics Readiness Officer. Maj Deeney also earned a Master of Business Administration from Webster University as well as a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University.

Major Laura Evans 

Major Laura Evans is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Maj Evans graduated from the ACSC In-Residence program in May 2021. She received her commission from the US Air Force Academy in 2009 and is a Force Support Officer (38F) with experience at 16AF, AFPC, AFMC, and AETC. Prior to coming to ACSC, Maj Evans was the Chief of AFPC’s Force Development Operations responsible for the $110M Developmental Education Cycle, executing HAF A1’s Force Developmental policies. Maj Evans spent four years at Hanscom Air Force Base as the Operations Officer of the 66 FSS and deployed to Thumrait Air Base, Oman in support of Operation Enduring Freedom supporting the multi-model retrograde mission. Maj Evans spent four years at Fort George G. Meade as the Squadron Section Commander in the 22nd Intelligence Squadron as well as the MPF Commander in the 70th FSS. She holds a Master Degree in Education from Ashford University as well as a Masters of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University.

Lt Col Dustin Hart 

Lt Col Dustin Hart is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He teaches the Airpower 1 and Airpower II courses. Colonel Hart is a career Public Affairs Officer, previously serving in PA assignments at the wing, air component, major command, and combatant command levels. Prior to this assignment, Colonel Hart served as the Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) Director of Public Affairs at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, from 2020-2021. He also previously served as US Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa Public Affairs Deputy Director from 2017-2020 and commanded the 341st Recruiting Squadron from 2015-2017. He also deployed as part of a Provincial Reconstruction Team to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, from 2008-2009 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He commissioned in 2002 through the University of Florida’s ROTC program and holds a Master’s of Business Administration and Management from Webster University and a Master’s in National Security Studies from the College of Naval Command and Staff at the Naval War College.

Major Thomas J. Heisel 

Major Thomas J. Heisel is an Air University Fellow and instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He teaches the Airpower I and Airpower II courses. Prior to this assignment he was the Director of Operations for the 1st Special Operations Communications Squadron, Hurlburt Field. He directed the Air Force’s most deployed Communications Squadron and $72M worth of secure and unsecure networks supporting base-wide infrastructure, deployable systems and airborne mission networks for Special Operations Forces and Air Force warfighters. He is a Senior Expeditionary Warfare Communications Officer and has held multiple positions at the squadron, group, battalion, and headquarters levels. He has deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Inherent Resolve, and Spartan Shield. He was commissioned through the US Air Force Academy in 2007. He later earned a Master’s degree in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas in 2012 and graduated from ACSC in May of 2021.

Dr. Sebastian H. Lukasik 

Dr. Sebastian H. Lukasik is an Associate Professor of Comparative Military Studies in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command Staff College (ACSC). He received a PhD in American History from Duke University. He has served as Course Director for the Leadership and Warfare course and the Airpower I course. Prior to arriving at ACSC, he taught as a visiting instructor at Duke University and North Carolina State University. In addition to teaching courses in the ACSC core curriculum, he offers elective classes on Combat Motivation and Morale in Historical Perspective, Cultural History of Flight, and war and society in the era of the World Wars.

Research Interest/Expertise: Military Culture; Combat Motivation and Morale in modern Warfare; the First World War; Cultural History of Flight; Grand Strategy and Strategic Culture

Lt Col R. A. Orozco

Lt Col R. A. Orozco is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He teaches the Airpower I, Airpower II, and Leader Development courses. Prior to this assignment, he served as Political-Military Affairs Strategist and Director of Operations, 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron at Travis AFB, CA. He is a prior-enlisted KC-135 Boom Operator, an F-15E Weapon Systems Officer, an Air Ground Operations School instructor, an Undergraduate Combat Systems Officer Training instructor, and a senior Air Advisor. During his operational assignments, he deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom, a theater security package detachment to the Korean Peninsula, and numerous security cooperation engagements within USSOUTHCOM. Lt Col Orozco received a Bachelor of Science degree from the US Air Force Academy. He also holds a Master of Arts in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.

Major Ben Peacock

Major Ben Peacock is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Prior to instructing at ACSC, Maj Peacock was a member of ACSC’s AY20 class. He received his commission from OTS and after graduating pilot training at Vance AFB, OK, Maj Peacock was assigned to fly the C-17 while stationed in Charleston, SC followed by an assignment as a MC-12W Pilot and Mission Commander while stationed at Beale AFB, CA. Most recently, he trained USAF and international student pilots as a T-1 Instructor Pilot at Columbus AFB, MS. Maj Peacock graduated with a BA in Communications from Elon University and also received a MAS in Aviation Aerospace Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is a senior pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours in the C-17, MC-12, and T-1 aircraft.

Dr. Edwin H. Redman, Colonel, USAF (Retired)

Dr. Edwin H. Redman, Colonel, USAF (Retired), is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC).  Dr. Redman is a Command Pilot with tours in each of the Air Force’s bomber aircraft. He served as an instructor pilot in the T-38, B-1 and B-2, and flew combat missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 in the B-2. He is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, ACSC, and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. Following SAASS, Dr. Redman attended Duke University, where he received his PhD in History. His last operational assignment was Deputy Commander, 509th Operations Group, Whiteman Air Force Base. He completed his active-duty service at Air University, holding several positions, including Director of Warfighting Education at the LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, and Director of the Grand Strategy Seminar, Air War College. He retired from the active-duty Air Force in 2014, and joined Air University as a civilian professor in 2015. 

Research Interest/Expertise: Cold War History, Nuclear Deterrence, Civil-Military Relations, and US National Security

Dr. Paul J. Springer 

Dr. Paul J. Springer is a full professor of comparative military studies. He holds a PhD in military history from Texas A&M University. He is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including America’s Captives: Treatment of POWs from the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror; Military Robots and Drones: A Reference Handbook; Transforming Civil War Prisons: Lincoln, Lieber, and the Laws of War; Cyber Warfare: A Reference Handbook; and Outsourcing War to Machines: The Military Robotics Revolution. In addition, he has published hundreds of shorter pieces, on a variety of subjects including military history, terrorism, strategy, technology, and military robotics. In 2019, he was asked by CSAF General David Goldfein to co-author a book on leadership and command, which will be published by the Air University Press. Dr. Springer is a Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and the series editor for both the History of Military Aviation and Transforming War series, produced by the U.S. Naval Institute Press. Currently, he is completing three books, including a collective biography of the West Point Class of 1829; a military history textbook (co-authored with ACSC Professor S. Michael Pavelec); and an examination of the post-Civil War creation of higher education institutions in the South. Research Interest/Expertise includes: POW operations; military leadership and command; strategy; military technology; artificial intelligence; cyber warfare; and U.S. military history.

Major Jason E. Steinlicht 

Major Jason E. Steinlicht is an Instructor at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He teaches the Airpower I and Airpower II courses for the Department of Airpower. Maj Steinlicht graduated from the ACSC In-Residence program in June 2019.  Prior to ACSC, Maj Steinlicht was a C-130J Instructor Pilot and Assistant Director of Operations at Dyess Air Force Base, in Abilene TX.  Prior to Dyess, Major Steinlicht was an Evaluator Navigator on the KC-135 Stratotanker.  During his time at Dyess and McConnell, he instructed and commanded missions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, Odyssey Dawn, and Freedom Sentinel logging over 650 combat hours.  His most recent deployment in 2018, he served as the Director of Operations for the 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Camp Lemmonier, Djibouti.  Maj Steinlicht received Magnum Cum Laude honors and was a 2nd Team ESPN National Academic Award Winner from the University of Dubuque in Iowa. Maj Steinlicht is a Distinguished Graduate from Joint Undergraduate Pilot Training, C-130J Initial Pilot Qualification and Squadron Officer School.  He graduated with a BS in Flight Operations from the University of Dubuque and he also received a MS in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as well as a MS in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University.​

Lt Col Andrew J. Swartzer

Lt Col Andrew J. Swartzer, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He currently teaches Airpower I, Airpower II, Joint-Warfighting, and co-teaches an elective on the history of Airpower Technology. He graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Auburn University, an M.S.A. in Information Resources Management from Central Michigan University, and an M.S. in Adult Education from Troy University. Dr. Swartzer received his PhD in History (History of Technology) from Auburn University in 2020. A career Space and Missile officer, he has held assignments in the Minuteman III ICBM and in the Global Positioning System (GPS), as well as multiple joint and training assignments. Previously assigned to ACSC, he served as an instructor and deputy department chair in the Department of Airpower before being selected to earn his Advanced Academic Degree (AAD) through the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Civilian Institute Program (AFIT/CIP).

Dr. Heather P. Venable

Dr. Heather P. Venable is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower. She has taught Airpower I, Airpower II, and electives on close air support and the historical experience of combat. She also has served as the Airpower Two course director. As a visiting professor at the US Naval Academy, she taught naval and Marine Corps history. She graduated with a B.A. in History from Texas A&M University and a M.A. in American History from the University of Hawai’i. She received her PhD in military history from Duke University. She also has attended the Space Operations Course as well as the Joint Firepower Course, where she was a distinguished graduate. She has written How the Few Became the Proud: The Making of the Marine Corps’ Mythos, 1874-1918 (Naval Institute Press, 2019). Previous published work includes “‘There’s Nothing that a Marine Can’t Do’: Publicity and the Marine Corps, 1905-1917” in New Interpretations in Naval History: Selected Papers from the Sixteenth Naval History Symposium and “The China Marines and the Crucible of the 54 Warrior Mythos, 1900-1941” in Crucibles: Selected Readings in U.S. Marine Corps History. She is also a non-resident fellow at Marine Corps University’s Krulak Center. Her professional service includes service as a managing editor for Strategy Bridger. She also has contributed many articles about airpower and the current Air Force to other online publications including War on the Rocks and the Modern War Institute. Her current research centers on intersections between theory and pre-war thinking and the application of airpower in combat. 

Research Interest/Expertise:: Her research interests include intersections between strategy and military culture, airpower theory and history, combat motivation, and creativity.

Dr. Mary Elizabeth Walters 

Dr. Mary Elizabeth Walters is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower. Walters received both her MA and PhD in military history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She teaches Airpower I, Airpower II, War Theory, and electives on strategy and Star Wars, the Balkans, and peacekeeping. Her book project, Hospitality is the Law of the Mountains: The 1999 Kosovo War, argues that Albanians – motivated by the Albanian concept of hospitality – took strangers into their homes and communities and changed the course of the refugee crisis. Their actions bought time for the U.S. military to mobilize, rebuild Albania’s shattered infrastructure, and bring in massive amounts of aid. Previous published work includes “‘Tree Hugging Work’: The Shifting Attitudes and Practices of the U.S. Marine Corps Toward Peace Operations in the 1990s” in Marine Corps History and “A Tantalizing Success: The 1999 Kosovo War” in The Strategy Bridge. Before joining ACSC, Walters was an assistant professor in the History Department at Kansas State University where she taught graduate and undergraduate courses on American military history, the history of strategy, and the Vietnam War(s).

Dr. Michael E. Weaver 

Dr. Michael E. Weaver is an associate professor of history in the Department of Air Power. He joined the faculty of ACSC in 2002 after completing his doctorate at Temple University under the tutelage of Russell Weigley. Weaver’s first book was Guard Wars: The 28th Infantry Division in World War II (Indiana University Press, 2010). His second, The Air War in Vietnam (Texas Tech University Press), should be in print in the fall of 2021. In The Journal of Aeronautical History, Intelligence and National Security, Air Power History, and Diplomatic History he has published articles on the Cuban Missile Crisis, air intelligence during World War II, aircraft capabilities, and air combat training during the Cold War. Weaver specializes in aviation history, the Cold War, and World War II. 

Research Interest/Expertise: Cold War, History of the Vietnam War, U.S. Military History, Aviation History, World War II, Force & Diplomacy, History of the United States.

Department of International Security (IS)

The Department of International Security is made up of civilian and military faculty from across the joint force and includes officers from our nation’s allies. Faculty within the department are responsible for teaching, research, and service. The department develops and delivers two of the core courses: International Security 1 and International Security 2. The first course, IS 1, provides a comprehensive overview of the context in which the development of US grand strategy occurs. The second course, IS 2, explores the conduct of national security through the lens of military strategy.

Dr. Matthew Schwonek  

Dr. Matthew R. Schwonek currently is the Chair, Department of International Security, Air Command and Staff College (ACSC).  He is Associate Professor of Comparative Military Studies.  His responsibilities include teaching ACSC core courses in military theory, international relations, and security studies.  He also teaches elective course on politics and security in Central Europe.  He received a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in East Central European and Russian History from the Ohio State University in 1994.  Before coming to ACSC in 1996, he served as assistant director of Ohio State’s Center for Slavic and East European Studies.  His research interests include European military and diplomatic history, the history of Poland, Russia/Soviet Union, and Balkans.  He has published articles and book chapters on the history of Polish arms.  He is currently completing a political and military biography of Gen. Kazimierz Sosnkowski, spanning a career from terrorist to Commander in Chief.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael P. Kreuzer

Lt Col Michael P. Kreuzer is Deputy Chairman of the Department of International Security and Assistant Professor of International Security Studies at Air Command and Staff College.  He holds a PhD in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University, a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage, a Masters of Strategic Intelligence from American Military University, and a BS in History from the US Air Force Academy.   He is a career intelligence officer who has served multiple combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was the Director of Operations for Distributed Ground Station-1.  Prior to his current assignment, he was the Associate Military Provost for the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at the Presidio of Monterey, CA.  His research interests include the adoption of emerging technologies by states and military forces, and the organizational capacity required to adapt to changes in the operating environment.  

Dr. Andrew Akin  

Dr. Andrew Akin is an Assistant Professor of National Security studies at the Air Command and Staff College. He attend Wabash College in Indiana for undergraduate school, studying political science & Russian language. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Alabama in International Relations. Having studied and traveled extensively in Russia as an undergrad and graduate student on a Fulbright-hays fellowship, his research focuses on both armed conflict & the post-Soviet states. He was the 2017 AETC civilian educator of the year.  His published work appears in outlets such as The Washington Post, and the Journal, Russian Politics. He is also a classically trained cellist and performs regularly with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra.  

Lieutenant Colonel Sing Ping Ang

Lt Col Sing Ping Ang is an Air Warfare Officer in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and joined the Department of International Security (DEI) as an exchange faculty member in 2020, following his graduation from the Air Command and Staff College program. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business from Singapore University of Social Sciences and was on the Dean’s list for excellent performance. Prior to joining Air Command and Staff College, he served a variety of operational, staff and leadership appointments at the Squadron and Headquarters level. Lt Col Ang is a qualified air traffic control instructor and a search and rescue administrator with more than 16 years of operational experience. During his career, he has designed airspace policies and procedures at the strategic level and was lead secretary for civil-military planning and operations where he pioneered multiple initiatives for airspace optimization between the civil and military organizations. Lt Col Ang was also a complex commander where he was instrumental in the airspace planning and execution for the 2018 Singapore summit. He was also the ops secretary for the 15th ASEAN Air Chief Conference where his contributions were significant to the eventual success of the multilateral event.

Dr. Kathryn M. G. Boehlefeld  

Dr. Kathryn Boehlefeld is an assistant professor of Military and Security Studies at Air University's Air Command and Staff College, and a faculty member for the School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies (SANDS). She earned her PhD in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame and her B.A. from Northern Illinois University. She is also a graduate of the Joint and Combined Warfighting School. Dr. Boehlefeld teaches courses on nuclear deterrence theory and practice, international security, and comparative civil-military relations. Her research centers on international security, with a particular focus on national security policy, civil-military relations, and nuclear deterrence. Currently, she is working on projects related to conventional-nuclear integration, military professionalism, and a comparative study of the efficacy of the Iranian and North Korea nuclear sanctions.  

Lieutenant Colonel Shannon C. Cummins  

Lt Col Shannon C. Cummins is the Cybersecurity Chairman at Air Command and Staff College.  He holds a MS in Telecommunications Management, a MAS in Military Operational Art and Science, and is a certified instructor of International Security Courses I and II.  Lt Col Cummins is a career expeditionary cyberspace officer with 19 years of experience in cyberspace operations at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels.  He is a twice graduated squadron commander with staff experience at the MAJCOM and COCOM levels.  Prior to his current assignment he led the 22d Communications Squadron at McConnel AFB, KS responsible for Command, Control, Communications, and Computers in direct support of the world’s largest air refueling wing flying worldwide aerial refueling and airlift operations in the KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46 Pegasus.  Lt Col Cummins received his commission in 2001 as a graduate of Kansas State University Reserve Officer Training Corps program.  He has been assigned to numerous operational, deployed, staff, and command positions. Prior to his current assignment he served as C4 Support Operations Branch Chief, C4 Operations Branch, C4/Cyber Directorate, United States European Command, Stuttgart, Germany.

Dr. Melvin G. Deaile

Dr. Melvin G. Deaile is the Director of the School of Advanced Nuclear and Deterrence Studies (SANDS) and an Associate Professor in the Department of International Studies at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College. He teaches classes on nuclear deterrence, nuclear strategy, joint warfighting, and classical military thought. Dr Deaile hails from Fresno, CA native, and is a retired Air Force Colonel, where he served two tours in the B-52 Stratofortress and a tour in the B-2 Spirit. He has flown combat operations as part of Operations DESERT STORM and OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, including a record setting 44.3 hour combat mission, and deployed in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and a distinguished graduate of the USAF Weapon School.       Dr. Deaile recently published his first book, Always at War, which chronicles the development of SAC’s organizational culture under Gen Curtis LeMay. He is the author of multiple articles, editorials, and book reviews on nuclear weapons and their role in national security.

Dr. William Dean   

Dr. William Dean is an Associate Professor of History at the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, AL. He is a graduate of the University of the South (Sewanee) and received his doctorate and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago in European military and diplomatic history. He was a Chateaubriand recipient from the French government and has won the Military Officer of America Association (MOAA) award for civilian educator of the year and the Major General John Alison Award for Air Force Special Operations. He has published on French colonial warfare, intelligence, and air power issues in Revue Historique des Armées, Penser les Ailes Françaises, Defense Intelligence Review, and several chapters in various books.  

Dr. Robert DiPrizio  

Dr. Robert DiPrizio is an Associate Professor of Security and Military Studies at Air Command and Staff College. He is an expert on numerous security issues such as humanitarian interventions and the Arab-Israeli conflict.  He is the author of “Armed Humanitarians: US Interventions from Northern Iraq to Kosovo,” published by Johns Hopkins University Press, and is editor of “Conflict in the Holy Land: From Ancient Times to the Arab-Israeli Conflicts” published by ABC-CLIO. Dr. DiPrizio grew up in the Boston area and earned his PhD in International Relations in 2000 from the University of Delaware.  He now lives in Prattville with his two children and a massive dog named Buddy.

Major Edmund “Eric” Evans

Maj Edmund Evans is an Air University Fellow in ACSC’s Department of International Security (DEI).  He is an acquisition officer who has completed assignments to JBSA Randolph, TX, Hanscom AFB, MA, and Ft George G. Meade, MD.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering Management from the United States Air Force Academy and earned a Master of Liberal Arts in Management from the Harvard University Extension School.  He is married to Maj Laura Evans, an Air University Fellow in the ACSC Department of Airpower, and they have two children. 

Dr. Michael “The Iron Horse” Grumelli

The son of a thirty-year Army non-commissioned officer, Colonel (ret) Michael L. Grumelli earned his Ph.D. in military history from Rutgers University in 1991.  Since earning his doctorate, he has been assigned to the faculty of the United States Air Force Academy, as the Deputy Director of Military History, as an instructor with the Air War College’s Department of Strategy, Doctrine, and Airpower, in addition to teaching with the School of Advance Air and Space Studies.  He currently teaches in the Department of International Security of the Air Command and Staff College.  Dr. Grumelli’s primary interest as an educator is in the intellectual demands of national security and gray zone warfare in an era of great power competition.

Dr. Kelly A. Greico

Dr. Kelly Grieco is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of International Security at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). She was previously the Course Director for War Theory and teaches courses in war theory, international security, and military effectiveness. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was an affiliate of the Security Studies Program (SSP), and A.B. (summa cum laude) in Government from Dartmouth College. She has held fellowships from the MIT Center for International Studies (CIS), the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the Tobin Project. Her research interests include coalition warfare, coalition military effectiveness, military strategy and US force posture. 

Major Branden “Cobra” Gulick 

Maj Branden Gulick is currently assigned as an Associate Professor in the Department of International Security at the Air Command and Staff College. In this role, he is responsible for educating the future leaders of our Air Force in key matters of international military and civil affairs.  Major Gulick was commissioned in 2009 from the University of Dayton and completed Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (JSUPT) in November of 2010. He was immediately selected to be a First Assignment Instructor Pilot in the T-6. Major Gulick was eventually selected to fly the C-17A, where he became an Instructor Pilot. He has served in a variety of roles including Director of Operations, Assistant Operations Officer, Group Executive Officer, and Flight Commander. His staff tours include time at PACAF’s A3OX Contingency Operations section as well as an assignment working with AFCENT and CENTCOM. 
Major Gulick is a senior pilot with more than 2,600 hours flying various aircraft including the C-17, T-6, T-38, and F- 4. Major Gulick has flown combat missions in operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Resolute Support, Inherent Resolve, and Freedom’s Sentinel. Major Gulick is a senior pilot with more than 2,600 hours flying various aircraft including the C-17, T-6, T-38, and F- 4. Major Gulick has flown combat missions in operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, Resolute Support, Inherent Resolve, and Freedom’s Sentinel

Major Stefan “Steve” Hafner 

Maj Steve Hafner is an instructor of International Security at Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama and the deputy course director of International Security II. He is a 2007 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy where he received a BS in Political Science. He also holds an MA in International Relations from Webster University and an MA in Military Operational Art and Science from Air Command and Staff College. As a Logistics Readiness Officer, he has served in various roles and assignments including deployments to Guam, Korea, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Iraq. His staff tours include assignments at the Defense Intelligence Agency and Headquarters Air Force under the directorates of Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection (AF/A4) and Strategic Plans and Programs (AF/A8) as well as deployed coalition staff positions serving in Operations Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve.

Dr. Mary Hampton

Dr. Hampton has been Professor of International Security at ACSC (Air University) since 2003 and was the Associate Dean for Academics from 2010-2014. Before coming to ACSC, Dr. Hampton was a Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah for 14 years. Prior to that, she received her PhD from UCLA in Political Science. Dr. Hampton’s areas of research and teaching expertise include NATO, European security, German domestic and security policy, Russian foreign policy, U.S. foreign and security policy, and identity politics in international relations.  She has taught, written multiple articles and books, and lectured extensively on these topics. She has received NATO, MacArthur, Ford Foundation, and Fulbright fellowships that facilitated research in these areas. Of her 4 books, she has a 2015 co-edited book, The Baltic Security Puzzle: Regional Developments in Integration, Democratization and Authoritarianism, published by Rowman and Littlefield. She is currently working on a book manuscript, Call to Order: The Fate of Vanquished Great Powers After Major War. A chapter entitled “NATO at 75” will appear in the 2021 edited book, The Challenge to NATO (University of Nebraska Press), which includes new research on NATO’s role in world order after the Cold War. 

Dr. Kevin C. Holzimmer  

Dr. Kevin C. Holzimmer is Deputy Chairman of the Department of International Security and Professor of Comparative Military Studies at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC).  Before his current position at ACSC, he was a research professor at the USAF Air Force Research Institute and taught at the School for Advanced Air and Space Studies.  Dr. Holzimmer has published numerous studies on World War II in the Pacific, including General Walter Krueger: Unsung Hero of the Pacific War (University Press of Kansas).  He is currently working on a book-length project that examines how the principal air, land, and sea commanders forged an effective joint team that successfully fought the Japanese in Douglas MacArthur’s Southwest Pacific Area.  In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. Holzimmer has worked on recent policy concerns, first with GEN David H. Petraeus’ USCENTCOM Joint Strategic Assessment Team (9 October 2008- February 2009) and most recently conducting fieldwork in charting a U.S. Air Force strategy based upon President Obama’s famous “pivot to Asia” speech.  He holds a PhD in military history from Temple University. 

Dr. Wes Hutto

Dr. Wes Hutto is Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of International Security. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Alabama. He serves as Course Director of International Security I: The Context of International Security, and offers an elective on comparative regional security. His research interests include international security, military science, multinational military exercises and US foreign policy, and comparative regional security. His work has been published in Defence Studies and RUSI Journal.

Dr. Michael Ryan Kraig  

Dr. Michael Ryan Kraig is Associate Professor of International Security Studies at Air Command and Staff College.  He earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University at Buffalo, New York, with a major in international security studies and a minor in comparative politics.  Dr. Kraig served in several senior capacities with the Stanley Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan foundation devoted to researching and advocating security policy options for the US and its competitors that would moderate the extremes of their geopolitical disagreements. He was a frequent traveler to Europe, the Middle East and Asia to give scholarly presentations on US policy thinking and strategy, alongside management and implementation of broad-based “track-2,” informal diplomatic dialogues among a wide range of senior national and global political leaders, think-tank analysts, and academics from global capitals such as Tehran, Riyadh, Damascus, Cairo, Dubai, Muscat (Oman), Berlin, London, Moscow, and Beijing. Prior to joining the foundation, Dr. Kraig interned with what is now known as the Government Accountability Office on nuclear weapons issues in the post-Cold War era and presented findings on South Asian nuclear arsenals at the UN 2000 NPT Review Conference.

Lieutenant Colonel James “Lambo” Lambertsen 

Lt Col James Lambertsen is a 2019 graduate of Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) and serves as an instructor in ACSC’s Department of International Security.  In addition to teaching International Security I and II, he also instructs the Gaming Statecraft elective. Prior to his assignment at Maxwell Air Force Base (AFB), Lt Col Lambertsen was a C-17 Evaluator Pilot and flew a variety of short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft for Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). In addition to his vast aviation experience, Lt Col Lambertsen also holds a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from Air University, a Master of Science in Aerospace and Aviation Science Technology, and a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Maintenance Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fl.

Major John “Sake” Lamonica

Maj John Lamonica (USAF) is Director of Operations for the 21st Student Squadron, an Air University Fellow at Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) and an AY21 graduate.  Maj LaMonica serves in the School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies as an instructor in ACSC’s Department of International Security.  He received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at Virginia Tech in 2007 along with a BA in Political Science.  He also holds an MA in Political Science from American Military University and two MAs in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University.  Maj LaMonica has served as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) operations senior instructor, evaluator, and flight commander; as Chief of Weapons and Tactics for 20th Air Force; and as both Chief of ICBM Codes and Nuclear Surety and Chief of Contingency Operations for Air Force Global Strike Command. Maj LaMonica is a 2014 graduate of the United States Air Force Weapons School.

Major Jon “River” Mahan 

Maj Jon Mahan is an adjunct instructor in ACSC's Department of International Security (DEI).  He earned a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Central FL, Orlando FL in 2009, an M.A. in Management and Leadership from Liberty University, Lynchburg VA in 2019, and a M.A. of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL in 2021. He is an Air Force pilot with combat time in both the F-15C and the C-17A, in both PACOM and CENTCOM. His research interests include: Physics, International Relations and Psychology. He hopes to pursue a PhD in International Relations, researching the role of emotion in the decision-making process. He is married with 5 daughters. After retirement, he is hoping for a follow on career in the Department of State.

Wing Commander Rich Milburn 

Wg Cdr Rich Milburn is the RAF Exchange Officer at ACSC.  He is a graduate of ACSC and SAASS, and teaches War Theory, IS1 and IS2.  He has had articles published by Parameters, the US Army War College Journal, and Finest Hour, the International Churchill Society Journal.  Milburn is currently writing a biography of Sir Charles Portal, the head of the RAF during World War Two. 

Dr. Gregory D. Miller  

Dr. Gregory D. Miller is Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies at the Air Command and Staff College.  Prior to joining ACSC, he was Chair of the Strategy Department at the Joint Advanced Warfighting School, in Norfolk, VA.  Dr. Miller received Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and History from the University of California, Los Angeles (1996), a Master’s Degree in Security Policy Studies from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University (1998), and a Master’s Degree (2000) and Ph.D. (2004) in Political Science from The Ohio State University.  His research focuses on a broad range of topics in the areas of international relations, terrorism, and military history.  In 2012, Cornell University Press published his book, The Shadow of the Past: Reputation and Military Alliances before the First World War, as part of the Cornell Studies in Security Affairs series.  His articles appear in Security Studies, Terrorism & Political Violence, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Perspectives on Terrorism, Joint Forces Quarterly, Air and Space Power Journal, The Washington Quarterly, PS: Political Science and Politics, Parameters, Small Wars Journal, and The Strategy Bridge, and he contributed a chapter on the methods and ethics of teaching about terrorism to the recently published Oxford Handbook of Terrorism.  He previously held faculty positions at the College of William & Mary, the University of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State University.  He currently serves as Editor for the book series “Political Violence in America” at the University of Oklahoma Press, and is an Associate Editor for the journal, Perspectives on Terrorism.

Major Logan K. Preston 

Maj Logan Preston is an instructor at ACSC's Department of International Security (DEI).  He earned a M.A. in Far East Asian Defense Studies from American Military University in 2010 and graduated ACSC’s Residence program in 2021. He has served two tours in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and one tour in Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. He is an AETC Master Instructor with over 2,000 hours in the classroom.  His research interests include: Chinese foreign relations and defense, Ancient Greek/Roman history and world Religions. 

Dr. Todd C. Robinson  

Dr. Todd C. Robinson is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies with the School for Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies (SANDS) at the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell, AFB.  He was previously an Assistant Professor of Nuclear Enterprise Operations with the Center for Strategic Deterrence Studies at the Air War College.  Prior to this, he was a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the RAND Corporation and the Associate Director of the Program in Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security (ACDIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  His research focuses on nuclear weapons issues, including strategic deterrence and assurance, military roles and responsibilities, and East Asia, and has been published in the Non-Proliferation Review, Swords and Ploughshares, the Yale Journal of International Affairs, and the National Interest.  He is currently working on a book manuscript on comparative nuclear culture.  His teaching responsibilities include being the instructor of Deterrence Theory and Practice I within the SANDS curriculum, as well as sections of War Theory and International Security II for ACSC and a joint AWC/ACSC elective on Comparative Nuclear Strategy.  He has a B.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Alabama, an M.A. in Security Policy Studies from the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

Lt Col Brian Tileston

Lt Col Brian Tileston is an instructor at Air Command and Staff College’s Department of International Security.  In addition to teaching the International Security Course and Joint Warfighting, he is the Deputy Director for the School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies.  Lt Col Tileston has multiple assignments throughout the nuclear enterprise and deployments supporting combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the Middle East.  He has a Master’s Degree in Airpower Theory and Technology Integration from the Blue Horizons Fellowship and a Bachelor of Business Administration in General Business from Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas.  Prior to his assignment at ACSC, Lt Col Tileston was deployed for a year as the Chief of Strategic Plans/Deputy Division Chief, Strategy Division, 609th Air Operations Center.

Lieutenant Colonel Andrew “Andy” Ulat

Lt Col Andrew Ulat is the Director of Staff for the Department of International Security at Air Command and Staff College.  He holds a MS in Engineering Management from Southern Methodist University and is a certified instructor of International Security Courses I and II.       Lt Col Ulat is a career Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Launch Control Officer with 18 years of experience in ICBM operations, ICBM flight testing and evaluations as well as two joint assignments in Nuclear Command, Control and Communications.  He was twice selected to serve as a Presidential Strike Advisor first with the National Airborne Operations Center at USSTRATCOM and then with the National Military Command Center at the Pentagon.
Lt Col Ulat has staff experience at the group and Joint Staff levels.  He has also served as an ICBM instructor/evaluator, group executive officer, two-time flight commander in both an operational and flight test squadron, an airspace surveillance officer, an Emergency Actions Officer and as an Assistant to the Deputy Director of Operations at the Pentagon.  Lt Col Ulat received his commission in December 2002 from the Officer Training School at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.  As an Air Force Nuclear Technical Fellow, he graduated from the Weapons Intern Program at Sandia National Laboratories in 2016.  Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Ulat served as an Assistant Director of Operations and as the Chief of Safety at Malmstrom AFB, Montana.

Dr. James Wood Forsyth, Jr., Colonel, USAF (Retired)

Dr. James Forsyth is the former ACSC Resident Dean of Education (DE).  A retired USAF Colonel, he recieved his Ph.D. in International Studies at the University of Denver.  As the ACSC-R Program Manager, Dr. Forsyth is the is the principal advisor to the ACSC Commandant on all aspects of JPME. He provides leadership and strategic guidance to the ACSC-R faculty and ensures accomplishment of the JPME mission. This mission includes execution of all joint professional military education (JPME-I) curriculum requirements to include development of course materials, academic presentations, and standards for implementation, operation, and administration of ACSC-R. Further, Dr. Forsyth ensures ACSC-R complies with external inputs from the SECAF, the CSAF, the Air Staff, Air Force Major Commands, CJCS.  Vitae

Department of Joint Warfighting

The Department of Joint Warfighting is made up of civilian and military faculty from across the joint force and includes officers from our nation's allies.  Faculty within the department are responsible for teaching, research, and service.  The Warfighting department is responsible for two core courses, War Theory and Joint  Warfighting.  War Theory introduces military theory, addressing both the nature and character of war.  Joint Warfighting is designed to demonstrate, at the operational level, how the U.S. joint force organizes, deploys, employs, sustains, and redeploys military capabilities in support of national interest in order to prevail in war.

Dr. James D. Campbell

Dr. James D. Campbell is the Chair of the Joint Warfighting Department at the Air Command and Staff College. A retired US Army brigadier general, Dr. Campbell served as an Infantryman and Strategic Plans and Policy Officer for 30 years, with assignments at all levels of command and staff, in both the Regular Army and the National Guard. Most recently he served as the Deputy Chief, Operations Plans Division at US Central Command, and prior to his retirement served as the 39th Adjutant General of Maine with the state cabinet-level position of Commissioner of the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management. Dr. Campbell holds a M.A. in European History and a PhD in British History from the University of Maine. He is a graduate of the CAPSTONE course at the National Defense University, the US Army War College, and was an International Security Studies Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. Dr. Campbell has published works on subjects ranging from Homeland Defense, to Irregular Warfare, and 19th and early 20th century British Military History. His current research interests focus on British Imperial military operations and the Army in India.

Lt Col Joseph D. Beal

Lt Col Joseph D. Beal is an instructor and Deputy Department Chair in the Joint Warfighting Department at the Air Command and Staff College. Lt Col Beal is a Command Pilot and Weapons Officer with over 3000 flight hours. His operational and staff tours include assignments to AMC, PACAF, and USAFE. He holds Masters degrees from the University of Alabama, Air Force Institute of Technology, and Air University. Lt Col Beal is a SAASS graduate and completed in residence IDE at the Advanced Studies of Air Mobility (ASAM). Prior to his arrival at ACSC, Lt Col Beal was Deputy Commander, 437th Operations Group, and Commander, 437th Operations Support Squadron.

Lt Col Jerry Davisson

Lt Col Jerry Davisson is a Joint Warfighting instructor at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Prior to this assignment, he Commanded Air Combat Command's Training Support Squadron Detachment 9 located at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Enlisting in 1985, Lt Col Davisson served 14 years as a Munitions Technician, then commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Program as a 2001 graduate of Eastern Kentucky University. He is a Master Air Battle Manager with over 2,270 hours in the E-3A/B/C, the AN/TYQ-23A Control and Reporting Center and Battle Control System-Korea. He has served as an Aircrew Instructor and Evaluator and participated in numerous contingency and combat operations to include operations Desert Storm, Provide Hope, Iraqi Freedom, Active Endeavor, Provide Comfort, Afghan Assist, and Unified Protector. Lt Col Davisson holds a Master's degree in Educational Leadership.

Major Quenella L. Garrett

Maj Quenella L. Garrett is an Instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at the Air Command and Staff College. MAJ Garrett earned a B.S. in Management in 2003 from Park University.  She earned a M.A. in Human Resources Development in 2004 from Webster University.  She was commissioned in 2005 through the Office Candidate School (OCS), Fort Benning, Georgia. She is a Logistics Officer in the U.S. Army. She is a 2016 graduate of Command and General Staff College (CGSC), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. MAJ Garrett has served in a variety of positions from Platoon Leader to Battalion Executive Officer throughout her 27-year career (13 years enlisted).  MAJ Garrett assignments include various duty stations stateside and abroad to include Fort Benning, Georgia, Fort Lee, Virginia, Fort Polk, Louisiana, Multi-National Force Observers, Egypt, and various deployments with the latest being Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAF) 2015 as the Directorate of Logistics-J4.

Lt Col Joseph L. Hall

Lt Col Joseph L. Hall is an instructor of Joint Warfighting and Air University Fellow at Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery Alabama. He is a 2007 graduate of St. Joseph’s University where he received a BS in Computer Science. He also has an MS in Cyberspace Operations from the Air Force Institute of Technology and an MS in Military Operational Art and Science from Air Command and Staff College. A Cyberspace Warfare Operations Officer, he has experience in base and expeditionary communications, nuclear command, control, and communications, cyber intelligence, and cyber operations planning. His staff tours include AF/A10 and USAFCENT. His most recent assignment was the Director of Operations for the 2d Communications Sq at Barksdale AFB.

CDR Keith A. Henderson

CDR Keith A. Henderson is an instructor of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama. Commander Henderson is a 1998 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy where he received a BS in Political Science. He also has an MA in Military Operational Art and Science from Air Command and Staff College and an MS in Joint Campaign Planning from National Defense University. A career Naval Aviator, he has deployed on multiple ships in support of contingency operations around the world. His staff tours include assignments at U.S. Africa Command, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Dr. Jon Hendrickson

Dr. Jon Hendrickson is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Joint Warfighting Department. After being awarded a Tyng Scholarship to Williams College, he earned his PhD in military history from The Ohio State University, where he was awarded a Mershon Center Fellowship to conduct research in Vienna, Rome, Paris, and London. This research lead to the publication of Crisis in the Mediterranean, a book on the shifting alliances and naval races in the Mediterranean before World War I. After graduating from Ohio State, he was awarded the Class of 1957 Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Naval History at the US Naval Academy, and taught at Coastal Carolina University. He has published and presented several papers on naval and military history, ancient history, and diplomatic history.

Lt Col Andrew Jasso

Lt Col Andrew Jasso is an instructor of Joint Warfighting at the Air Command and Staff College. Lieutenant Colonel Jasso is a 1998 graduate of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley where he received a BS in Criminal Justice and a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College in 2009. He has commanded an Infantry Company and Headquarters company, commanded a Basic Training Battalion, and has held staff positions as Chief of Plans at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California and US Army Central Command (USARCENT) as a J35 planner for CJTF Operation Inherent Resolve. His most recent assignment was as the Chief of Movement and Maneuver for Operations Group Charlie at the Mission Command Training Program at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Lt Col Ian W. Kemp  

Lt Col Ian W. Kemp is an instructor of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama. Lieutenant Colonel Kemp is a 1997 graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he received a BS in Aerospace Engineering. He also has a MA in Education (Curriculum Development) from the University of Phoenix and a MS in Military Operational Art and Science from Air Command and Staff College. A combat rescue helicopter pilot and Joint Personnel Recovery Center director, he has served in permanent party and deployed assignments supporting steady-state and contingency operations around the world. His staff tours include assignments at U.S. Forces Korea, Air Combat Command, First Air Force (where he commanded the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center), and U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa.

Dr. Robert M. Kerr

Dr. Robert M. Kerr is an Associate Professor in the Joint Warfighting Department. He also previously served as Course Director for International Security 2: The Use of Armed Force. He holds a PhD in Political Geography from the University of Oregon, and an MA in Geosciences from the University of South Carolina. His BA is in History with an emphasis on the Islamic World from Grand Valley State University. In addition to teaching at ACSC, Dr. Kerr has worked at the Air Force Culture and Language Center, and taught courses at the US Air Force Special Operations School, the Senior NCO Academy, and the Air Advisor Academy. In 2008-2009 he spent 15 months in NE Baghdad with the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division as an embedded political/cultural advisor.

Maj Thomas Kopietz

Maj Thomas Kopietz is an instructor of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama. Major Kopietz is a 2004 graduate of St. Olaf College where he received a BA in Mathematics and Statistics. He has an MA from Norwich University in Military History and an MS in Airpower Strategy and Technology Integration from the Air University Center for Strategy and Technology. He served as a Combat Systems Officer (CSO) on the B-52H at Minot AFB, ND. Additional assignments include operational testing and multi-domain integration at Edwards AFB, CA and Beale AFB, CA. In his most recent assignment he was a CSAF Fellow in the Blue Horizons Fellowship where he developed the concept of utilizing airborne capabilities in support space defense.

Dr. Brent Lawniczak  

Mr. Brent Lawniczak is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC).  A retired Marine aviator (UH-1N/UC-12), he has served in multiple theaters in various capacities. He served as the Senior Marine Corps Advisor to the Commandant of ACSC from 2008-2012. Additionally, Brent was qualified as a Command Pilot, Forward Air Controller (Airborne) (FAC(A)), Forward Air Controller (FAC)/Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), and Weapons and Tactics Instructor. His interests and expertise include Joint planning, operational design, joint fires, maritime and amphibious operations, aviation operations, policy formulation, American politics, and international relations.

Lt Col Morgan D. Mackey

Lt Col Morgan D. Mackey is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at the Air Command and Staff College. He serves as an Instructor for two academic courses. Lt Col Mackey is a Weather Officer with career broadening experiences as a wing Inspector General, a Combat Aviation Advisor, and as a previous Air University faculty and staff member. Most recent to his arrival at ACSC, he was the Air Combat Command Deputy Director, Weather Requirements Division, assigned to an operating location at Offutt AFB, NE. He was commissioned in 1994 after receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from the United States Air Force Academy, and he subsequently earned a Masters Degree in Meteorology from Texas A&M University in 1996. Lt Col Mackey is an ACSC in-residence graduate, where he earned a Master of Military Operational Art and Science in 2007.    

Dr. Robert (Bob) Mahoney

Dr. Robert (Bob) Mahoney is a Professor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at the Air Command and Staff College. He has a PhD in History from the George Washington University, a MS in National Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School, National Defense University (NDU), a MS in Management from Webster University, and a BS in Engineering Sciences from the United States Air Force Academy. Prior to arriving at ACSC, Dr. Mahoney was the Dean of the Marine Corps War College and an Assistant Professor at the Eisenhower School at NDU. His book, The Mayaguez Incident, was published by Texas Tech Press. He is a retired USAF colonel with over 27 years of service, commanded a KC-135 flying squadron, was on the AMC and CJCS staff, and was a command pilot with over 3,500 hours in the T-37, T-38 and KC-135. His research interests include the US Constitution, Joint Warfighting, Joint Planning, Operational Design, Leadership, US Air Force History, Vietnam War era, WW II, Revolutionary War, and Civil War.

Dr. Ann Mezzell

Dr. Ann Mezzell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at the Air Command and Staff College. She earned her PhD in Political Science from the University of Georgia as well as an MA from the same field from the University of Alabama. Her fields of concentration include international relations and comparative politics. In addition to teaching core curriculum, she is an instructor for electives covering the topics of state fragility and peacekeeping operations. Her research interests center on American foreign policy, human security, and military strategy. Her recent publications appear in Strategic Studies Quarterly and Parameters.

Lt Col Andrew Miscisin

Lt Col Andrew Miscisin is a Joint Warfighting instructor at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC).  Prior to this assignment, he served four operational flying tours at Little Rock AFB, Elmendorf AFB, RAF Mildenhall, and Hurlburt Field.  Lt Col Miscisin is a command navigator with 3,900 flying hours in multiple C-130 variants, including 1100 combat/combat support hours while deploying numerous times in support of Operations ENDURING and IRAQI FREEDOM.  A 2014 graduate of residence ACSC, he also completed Air War College by correspondence while serving on staff as the Defense Threat Reduction Agency liaison at US Africa Command’s Plans and Policy Directorate.  Lt Col Miscisin chose to return for ACSC instructor duty, where he taught in the Department of Airpower and was the Associate Dean for Students and Support.  After returning from a deployed staff position to the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, Lt Col Miscisin requested to leverage his recent planning experience as a Joint Warfighting instructor. His Research Interest/Expertise is in the Cold War, History of the Vietnam War, U.S. Military History, and Aviation History.

Dr. John L. Minney

Dr. John L. Minney is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Joint Warfighting Department. A retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Dr. Minney is a Master Navigator, and has flown the F-111, F-15E, KC-135, and C-130 aircraft. Dr. Minney holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Alabama. He is a graduate of both the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College in-residence programs. Prior to his arrival at ACSC he worked as an Assistant Professor of History at Concordia College Alabama, and has taught as an Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Alabama, Auburn University Montgomery, and Troy University. His research interests and expertise are in Military History, Air Power History, the relationship between USAF Doctrine and Technology, and Grand Strategy.

Maj Kristen J. Nitzel

Maj Kristen J. Nitzel is an instructor of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama. Major Nitzel is a 2009 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy where she received a BS in Foreign Area Studies. She also has a MA in International Relations from Oklahoma University and an MS in Military Operational Art and Science with a Joint All Domain Strategist concentration from Air Command and Staff College. As a Logistics Readiness Officer, she has served in EUCOM, INDOPACOM, and ACC, as well as Defense Logistics Agency-Energy Europe & Africa. She deployed in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve as the J4 Deputy Chief of Mobility. Prior to her arrival at Maxwell, she served as the Wing Executive Officer to the Commander, 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base

Lt Col William Phillips

Lt Col William Phillips is an instructor of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama. Lieutenant Colonel Phillips is a 2001 graduate of the Air Force Academy where he received a BS in Computer Science. He also has an MBA from Trident University International and a MS in Strategic Studies from Air War College. He flew KC-135s at Fairchild before volunteering for the RQ-4 in 2008 and has worked in the High-Altitude ISR community since that time, culminating in command of the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron from 2016 to 2017. He completed multiple staff assignments including the Joint Staff J-3, the 613 AOC, and PACAF/A3. His most recent assignment was completing Air War College in residence in AY21.

Dr. Bradley F. Podliska

Dr. Bradley F. Podliska is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science (International Relations major) from Texas A&M University, a M.A. in National Security Studies from Georgetown University, and a B.A. (with honors) in International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to arriving at ACSC, Dr. Podliska worked as an intelligence analyst for the Department of Defense and as an investigator for the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Benghazi. His publications include a book, Acting Alone: A Scientific Study of American Hegemony and Unilateral Use-of-Force Decision Making (Lexington Books) and a book chapter, “Security and the Surveillance State: Bureaucratic Politics, the Intelligence Community, and Congressional Oversight” (Campus Verlag). He is an intelligence officer in the US Air Force Reserves and has served on the J2 staff with US Joint Forces Command and US European Command.  

Dr. Brian R. Price  

Dr. Brian R. Price is an Associate Professor in the Department of Warfighting at the Air Command and Staff College. He is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in political science, and holds a doctorate from the University of North Texas in military history. He has conducted research for the POW-MIA Accounting Agency, served as a Social Science SME serving special operations in Afghanistan, and has served a double tour as Senior Social Scientist in RC East, Afghanistan, 2011-12. He worked for ten years in Silicon Valley, rising to the level of Vice President, and ran his own publishing company before taking his doctorate. His research interests focus on the nexus between culture, technology and war, and his current research focuses on the development of post-Vietnam TACAIR, a project for which he has conducted extensive archival research along with oral histories on a number of senior officers. He is published in a number of journals, and has several books in his second field, medieval and early modern warfare. In his spare time he teaches historical swordsmanship and has been inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

Major William Staley

Major William Staley is an instructor of Joint Warfighting and Air University Fellow at Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery Alabama. He is a 2008 graduate of the University of Central Florida where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations. He also holds a Masters of Business Administration from the American Military Academy and a Masters of Science in Military Operational Art and Science from Air Command and Staff College. A Senior Pilot with over 3,100 flight hours, he has instructed in the T-1A, C-17A, and T-6A aircraft. He has deployed in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, INHERENT RESOLVE, and FREEDOM SENTINEL. Finally, he served as the C-17 representative to the Senate Armed Forces Committee on pilot retention.

Dr. Christopher M. Stamper

Dr. Christopher M. Stamper is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Joint Warfighting at the Air Command and Staff College. A retired U.S. Navy Commander, he has a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Oceanography from the United States Naval Academy, and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. He holds a Doctorate in Public Administration from Capella University, specializing in East African Affairs. He has been a flight instructor and taught at the US Naval Academy and the Air War College.

Lt Col Thomas A. Smicklas

Lt Col Thomas A. Smicklas is an instructor of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama. Lieutenant Colonel Smicklas is a 1998 graduate of the University of Cincinnati where he received a BS in Hospital Administration. He also has a MBA from the University of Maryland and a MS in Military Operational Art and Science from Air Command and Staff College. A space and missile operator and financial manager, he has served in a variety of operational assignments to include squadron command and deployed to Amman, Jordan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  He served two staff tours at Air Force Space Command and most recently served as a Course Director in the Department of Military and Strategic Studies and Deputy Director of the Department of Homeland Security Center of Innovation at the US Air Force Academy

Lt Col Aaron “Camel” Tillman

Lt Col Aaron “Camel” Tillman is an instructor of Joint Warfighting and Leadership Development at Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) at Maxwell AFB. Lt Col Tillman is a 2002 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy where he received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Lt Col Tillman is a 2014 Distinguished Graduate of ACSC with a Master of Military Operational Art and Science. He holds a Master of Aerospace Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, where he graduated with Honors. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Tillman commanded the 37 Flying Training Squadron at Columbus AFB, Mississippi, where he led 80 personnel to create 1,190 Air Force military aviators from Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training for the U.S. and 30 allied countries. He is a Command Pilot with more than 3,300 hours in the B-52, T-6, and T-37, including 300 combat hours. Lt Col Tillman served on staff in Air Force Global Strike Command’s Strategic Plans, Programs, and Requirements Directorate and deployed in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and Operation INHERENT RESOLVE.

Dr. Christopher Weimar

Dr. Christopher Weimar is an Assistant Professor of National Security Studies in the Joint Warfighting Department at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He holds an M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, a M.A. in International Relations from Boston University, and a B.A. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Fordham University. Prior to his arrival at ACSC, Dr. Weimar has taught in various public college and university political science programs. A retired US Air Force Colonel, Dr. Weimar served in both Active and Reserve status in Communications-Information Systems Management, Cyberspace Operations, and Logistics Readiness. He has served at all levels from flight to Combatant Command, and has deployed to the African theater, Kuwait, and Iraq. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Director of Logistics and Engineering at North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command. He is a graduate of both ACSC and AWC by correspondence and completed the Joint and Combined Warfighting School-Hybrid Program.

Department of Leadership

The Department of Leader and Research Development (DEL) organizes and executes both the Leader Development core course and the ACSC electives program. In the Leadership course students have the opportunity to hone their personal leadership philosophies, and prepare for future command and staff responsibilities. The department also conducts the ACSC Faculty Research Focal Program which provides the necessary time for faculty members to complete long-term research projects nearing publication. Finally, the department promotes student and faculty research within the journal and publishing house community to bring the research to publication and to advance fields of study. 

Dr. Lisa L. Beckenbaugh 

Dr. Lisa L. Beckenbaugh is the Chair of the Leader and Research Development Department at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Dr. Beckenbaugh received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St. Cloud State University and her PhD from the University of Arkansas. Dr. Beckenbaugh has taught at a variety of undergraduate and graduate civilian institutions. Her book, The Versailles Treaty: A Documentary and Reference Guide for ABC-CLIO, was published in 2018. Dr. Beckenbaugh also serves as the faculty advisor for the Gathering of Eagles elective and has edited five of their published books, most recently, Why We Stay: Stories of Unity and Perseverance. Dr. Beckenbaugh’s current research is on the 1st MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital), later redesignated 8209th MASH, during the Korean War.

Lt Col John Isacco 

Lt Col John Isacco is an instructor in the Department of Leader and Research Development at Air University's Air Command and Staff College. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the United States Air Force Academy, a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Oklahoma University and a Master's Degree in Operations Analysis from the Air Force Institute of Technology. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Isacco commanded the 82nd Reconnaissance Squadron at Kadena AB, Japan, where he led 95 personnel across 26 AFSCs in supporting deployed RC/WC-135 operations. Lt Col Isacco is a Command Pilot with more than 3,500 hours in E-3, RC-135 and trainer aircraft, including over 900 combat hours during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. 

Dr. Amber B. Batura 

Dr. Amber B. Batura is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Leader and Research Development at Air Command and Staff (ACSC) College in Montgomery, AL. Prior to joining ACSC in March 2021, she was an Instructor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. She also taught online courses for Texas Tech Costa Rica and the University of Texas Permian Basin. Dr. Batura graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas in 2009, a Master of Arts (2012), and a Ph.D. (2018) in History from Texas Tech University. Her specialization looks at the intersection between war and culture and war and society, with a special focus on gender and the military. She has published articles in The New York Times, the Journal of American-East Asian Relations, and has contributed to edited volumes on the Vietnam War. She is currently working on a manuscript on the importance of Playboy magazine to soldiers in the Vietnam War. 

Lt Col Mary (Molly) Braun 

Lt Col Mary (Molly) Braun is an instructor in the Department of Leader and Research Development at Air University's Air Command and Staff College. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Drake University, a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix, and a Master's Degree in Military Operational Art and Science from ACSC. Prior to her current assignment, Lt Col Braun commanded the 42nd Communications Squadron at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, where she led 140 military, civilian, and contracted personnel responsible for operating and maintaining communications and information systems supporting 13,000 users across two installations. 

Major Kristi Buczek 

Maj Kristi Buczek is an instructor in the Department of Leader and Research Development at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College. She instructs Leadership and Airpower and is a faculty advisor for Gathering of Eagles. She is an 18A, Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Pilot, in the USAF with more than 1,300 flying hours and has served in a variety of leadership roles within Wing and MAJCOM organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Science in Military Operational Art and Science, and a Diversity and Inclusion certificate from Cornell University. 

Major Ivonne Charbonneau 

Maj Ivonne Charbonneau is an instructor in the Department of Leader and Research Development at the Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). She teaches Leadership and International Security II. Maj Charbonneau holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from the United States Air Force Academy and Master’s Degree in the same concentration from American Military University. Maj Charbonneau recently graduated ACSC as part of her Air University Fellow A program, where she had the opportunity to instruct at Squadron Officer School. She is an Acquisitions officer with a specialized background in Space Operations. In her first assignment, she served as a satellite systems operator, evaluator, and mission commander. From there, she went on to acquire space weapons systems and manage various programs—from launch vehicle capabilities to ground systems modernization. Most recently, Maj Charbonneau served as the Kill Chain Integration Branch portfolio manager at Hanscom AFB, MA. 

Major Chay M. Derbigny 

Major Chay M. Derbigny is an Air University Fellow B and serves as an Instructor at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He teaches Leadership and Airpower II courses and is an OIC for the Commandant’s Speaker Series. Maj Derbigny graduated from the ACSC In-Residence program in May 2021. Before ACSC, Maj Derbigny was an NSAv Pilot and Chief of Tactics at Duke Field in FL. Prior to NSAv, Major Derbigny was an Evaluator Pilot on the T-53A at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), inspiring and motivating Cadets to pursue a rated career in the AF. Before USAFA, he served as an Instructor Pilot on the U-28A at Hurlburt Field, FL. Overall, Maj Derbigny deployed eight times to Africa, Middle East, and the Pacific, amassing over 1600 combat hours with over 3400 total hours. Maj Derbigny earned a top performer award from U-28A and C-146 Qualification Training and is a distinguished graduate from Squadron Officer School. He graduated with a BS in Systems Engineering from USAFA in 2008 and received an MSA from Ohio University in 2012.

Dr. Daniel A. Connelly 

Dr. Daniel A. Connelly is Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College. He is a retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer whose background includes operational tours at headquarters and flying unit echelons and deployments to Southwest and Far East Asia. He teaches courses in International Security, Leadership Studies, Air Power Theory, the Just War Tradition, Russian Studies and Educational Methodology. He holds a PhD in Educational Psychology from Auburn University, and Master’s Degrees in Strategic Intelligence and Russian Culture. He has published on topics ranging from leadership theory to higher education to Former Soviet Union affairs, and has participated in multiple empirical investigations related to these topics. Previously, Dan served as Dean of Academic Affairs at Squadron Officer College.   

Dr. Jordan R. Hayworth 

Dr. Jordan R. Hayworth is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Leader and Research Development at the Air Command and Staff College. He serves as Deputy Department Chair and Director of Electives. Hayworth received his B.A. in History from High Point University in the Piedmont-Triad region of North Carolina. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in European History from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, where he studied under Dr. Michael V. Leggiere as a Student Fellow of the Military History Center. His doctoral dissertation won the 2016 Edward M. Coffman First Manuscript Prize through the Society for Military History and the 2017 Council of Graduate Schools and ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award at the University of North Texas. His first book, Revolutionary France’s War of Conquest in the Rhineland: Conquering the Natural Frontier, 1792-1797 was published by Cambridge University Press in spring 2019. Currently, he is writing a new history of the 1794 Campaign during the French Revolutionary Wars.

Research Interest/Expertise:  Early Modern and Modern Military History, French History, Modern European History, Political and Diplomatic History. 

Major Tyler Hughes 

Major Tyler Hughes is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Leader and Research Development. Prior to attending Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) Maj Hughes served as Commander of the 569th United States Forces Police Squadron at Vogelweh Air Station, Germany where he led over 300 Airmen, Soldiers and German-national personnel conducting security and law enforcement operations throughout a 1,100 square-mile area of responsibility. Maj Hughes is a 2x graduated Squadron Commander and has served in multiple leadership roles within the Security Forces career field, with expertise in airbase and integrated defense, airfield security, nuclear security, and law enforcement. He has also held staff positions to include Executive Officer to the 21st Space Wing Commander and Weapons Systems Security Action Officer for the Directorate of Security Forces at the Pentagon. Maj Hughes received his commission from The Citadel in May 2007 after earning a degree in Criminal Justice. Maj Hughes was a member of the Air Command and Staff College’s (ACSC) first leadership concentration, the Davis Scholars, in Academic Year 21 and earned Distinguished Graduate honors. 

Major Ben Johnson 

Major Ben Johnson is an Instructor in the Department of Leader and Research Development at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Prior to instructing at ACSC, Maj Johnson was a member of ACSC’s AY21 class. He is a prior enlisted Civil Engineering troop. He received his commission from OTS and after graduating pilot training at Columbus AFB, MS, Maj Johnson was assigned to fly the KC-135 while stationed at MacDill AFB, FL followed by an assignment as a T-1A Instructor Pilot at Vance AFB, OK. Most recently, he was the Chief of Command Post at MacDill AFB, FL. Maj Johnson graduated with a BS in Criminal Justice and MS in Public Affairs from Park University. He is a senior pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours in the KC-135 and T-1 aircraft.

Dr. Paul Johstono

Dr. Paul Johstono is Associate Professor of Leadership Studies at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), in Montgomery, AL. Prior to joining ACSC in January 2019, he was Associate Professor for History of Warfare at The Citadel, in Charleston, SC. Dr. Johstono received his Bachelor’s Degree in History from Furman University in Greenville, SC (2005), and a Master’s Degree (2008) and Ph.D. (2012) in History from Duke University. His articles on popular political organization and violence in antiquity have appeared in Ancient History Bulletin and Archiv fϋr Papyrusforschung, and chapters on ancient insurgency and the impacts of military defeat on warrior classes and military institutions have appeared in volumes of the Brill Companion series on War in the Ancient Mediterranean. He is on the editorial board for the Brill series on War in World History. He is completing his manuscript on the military history of Ptolemaic Egypt, and developing projects on leadership in ancient warfare.

Lt Col Tonya Klempp

Lt Col Tonya Klempp is an Instructor in the Department of Leader and Research Development at the Air University’s Air Command and Staff College. Lt Col Klempp graduated from California State University with a B.S. in Business (Strategic & Ops Management). She holds three Master’s degrees—an MBA from Troy State University, M.A. in National Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School, and an M.S. in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University and is pursuing a Ph.D. (ABD) in International Relations from Claremont Graduate University. Lt Col Klempp is a career intelligence officer and has served in various operational and staff positions. She has deployed four times, most recently in 2019 as the Special Mission Wing – Special Operations Advisory Group’s Director of Intelligence, Kabul, Afghanistan. The working title of her doctoral dissertation is Foreign Policy and the Strategic Value of Satisfaction—Examining Military Arms Transfers as a Measure of Trust. 

Major Aaron “NotSOE” Knight 

Major Aaron “NotSOE” Knight is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Leader and Research Development at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ASCS), Maxwell AFB, AL. Prior to his fellowship, Maj Knight taught at the A-10C Formal Training Unit as an Instructor Pilot in the 357th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ. Prior to that, he flew the A-10C at Osan AB, Republic of Korea and was also a First Assignment Instructor Pilot in the T-6 Texan II at Columbus AFB, MS. Maj Knight is a Senior Pilot with over 2,500 hours in the A-10C, T-38, and T-6, Flight Command, Wing Executive, Assistant DO, and Wing Staff experience. He holds a Masters of Military Operational Arts and Science from Air University as a distinguished graduate, a Master of Arts in Adult Education with an Aviation Specialty from Trident University International, and a Bachelor of Science in Paper Science and Engineering from Miami University in Ohio.

Maj Jonathan “River” Mahan 

Maj Jonathan “River” Mahan is an adjunct instructor in ACSC's Department of International Security (DEI). He earned a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Central FL, Orlando FL in 2009, an M.A. in Management and Leadership from Liberty University, Lynchburg VA in 2019, and a M.A. of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL in 2021. He is an Air Force pilot with combat time in both the F-15C and the C-17A, in both PACOM and CENTCOM. His research interests include: Physics, International Relations and Psychology. He hopes to pursue a PhD in International Relations, researching the role of emotion in the decision making process. He is married with 5 daughters. After retirement, he is hoping for a follow on career in the Department of State. 

Lt Col Joselyn Molinari 

Lt Col Joselyn Molinari is a 2020 graduate of Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) and serves as the Director for ACSC’s Political-Military Affairs Strategist Program. In addition to developing PAS officers, she instructs International Security I and Joint Warfighting. Prior to her assignment at Maxwell Air Force Base, Lt Col Molinari was a Director of Operations and a career intelligence officer with assignments at wing, numbered air force, and major command positions. In addition, she is a graduated Operational Warfare Instructor, qualified cyberspace mission commander and has worked in several interagency positions including with the Department of State and National Security Agency. Lt Col Molinari holds a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from Air University, a Master of Arts in Global Security and Intelligence Studies, and a Bachelor dual degree in Political Science and International Relations. 

Lt Col Thomas Moore 

Lt Col Thomas Moore is an instructor in the Department of Leader and Research Development at Air University's Air Command and Staff College and Course Director for the Leadership and Command Course. He holds an advanced academic degree with Honors from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and Air War College. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Moore was the Commander of the 36th Electronic Warfare Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, FL, where he directed a 172-person squadron responsible for the operational Electronic Warfare capability of $15B in resources installed on Combat Air Force aircraft. Lt Col Moore is a Master Navigator with 2,000+ hours in both fighter and trainer aircraft, including 500+ combat hours during Operations Iraqi Freedom Enduring Freedom. 

Lt Col Steven Quillman 

Lt Col Steven Quillman is an instructor and Deputy Director of Electives for the Department of Leader and Research at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), since 2012. He has instructed Airpower Studies, Airpower I, Airpower II, Joint Airpower, Joint Warfighting, and Leadership in Warfare. Lt Col Quillman also co-teaches a course on irregular warfare from 1830 to the present. Lt Col Quillman graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He holds a Master’s of Business Administration from Touro University International. Lt Col Quillman has published multiple entries in Conflict in the Modern Middle East (ABC-CLIO, 2020), The Encyclopedia of Cyber Warfare (ABC-CLIO, 2017) and Russia at War (ABC-CLIO, 2015). Lt Col Quillman’s previous experiences include propulsion engineer with the C-17, C-130J, and F-22A, weapons integration engineer with the F-16, Education with Industry tour with National Institute of Aerospace, aircraft battle damage assessor for Joint Combat Assessment Team (2007–OIF), and as a program manager with AOC System Program Office.

Lt Col James Slear

Lt Col James Slear is an assistant professor in the Department of Leader and Research Development at Air University's Air Command and Staff College. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech, a Master’s in Computer Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Auburn University. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Slear was the Dean of Squadron Office School where he oversaw curriculum and faculty development for 3900 students and 70 instructors. As a developmental engineer, he had lab tours in Avionics and Space Surveillance and served as a flight commander in a cyber tactics development squadron. Prior to earning his commission through the Airmen’s Education and Commissioning program, he served as an enlisted weather observer and forecaster with tours in Military Airlift Command, Eighth US Army, and Headquarters Air Force Global Weather Center. 

Chaplain, Lt Col Richard “Rick” Steen 

Chaplain, Lt Col Richard “Rick” Steen is an instructor in the Department of Leader and Research Development at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC (1998), a Master of Divinity from The Master’s University and Seminary in Sun Valley, CA (2003), and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University (2019). Prior to ACSC, Lt Col Steen served 14 years as a staff chaplain and Wing Chaplain at the 134th Air Refueling Wing, an Air National Guard Wing in Knoxville, Tennessee. Additionally, Lt Col Steen has served as Deputy Wing Chaplain, and a Clinical Pastoral Resident at the University of Tennessee Medical Center..

Maj Shawn West 

Maj Shawn West is an instructor in the Department of Leader and Research Development at the Air University’s Air Command and Staff College. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering, a Master of Information Technology Management, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science. He is a 17D Cyber/Communications officer in the USAF and has served in a variety of leadership roles in the AF as well as within other government agencies. Prior to ACSC, Maj West was a Detachment Commander for an intelligence unit and has experience in both tactical communications and intelligence operations. 

Dr. Jonathan K. Zartman 

Dr. Jonathan K. Zartman is an associate professor of international security studies in the Department of Leader and Research Development at Air Command and Staff College. He received his Ph. D. in 2004 from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of International Studies. He taught at the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages in Samarkand, Uzbekistan as a Fulbright Fellow (2005-2006). He has also received a David L. Boren Fellowship for language study and research in Dushanbe, Tajikistan at the Technological University of Tajikistan (2000-2001). He has taught at the University of Northern Colorado, and Metropolitan State College of Denver. He teaches the International Security Studies-1 & 2 in the core curriculum, and electives on the Modern Middle East, Resisting Iranian Aggression, and the Politics of Islamic Struggle. He is the editor of Conflict in the Modern Middle East: An Encyclopedia of War, Revolution and Regime Change. He has also written “Using Historical Islamic Sources to Promote Ethical Character.” Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization 8, No. 2 (Fall 2018); “Negotiation, Exclusion and Durable Peace” International Negotiation 13 (2008); and "Transition and Vulnerability Management in Uzbekistan" Journal of Central Asian Studies III, No.2. (1999). He is editing a book of Tajik history titled Two Tajik Heroes by Saddridin Aini. The main focus of his work promotes understanding of indigenous cultural identity in the service of building peace.

Department of Research

The Department of Research and Electives facilitates faculty and student research, electives, and publications. The department organizes and executes the ACSC electives program which in AY20 offered over 140 courses taught by over 80 faculty members. The department also conducts the ACSC Faculty Research Focal Program which provides the necessary time for faculty members to complete long-term research projects nearing publication. Finally, the department promotes student and faculty research within the journal and publishing house community to bring the research to publication and to advance fields of study.

Dr. Paul J. Springer

Dr. Paul J. Springer is a Professor of Comparative Military Studies and the Chair of the Department of Research at ACSC. He holds a PhD in history from Texas A&M University; an MA in history from the University of Northern Iowa; and a BS in Psychology from Texas A&M University. Prior to joining the ACSC faculty, he taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Texas A&M University. He teaches courses on War Theory, Leadership, Airpower, Strategy, Military History, Military Command, and Terrorism. He is the author or editor of 12 books in print, with another 4 in progress and scheduled for publication in 2020. His most prominent works include America’s Captives: Treatment of POWs from the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror and Outsourcing War to Machines: The Military Robotic Revolution. He is a senior fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and the series editor for the History of Military Aviation and Transforming War series, both with the U.S. Naval Institute Press.

Dr. Lisa L. Beckenbaugh  

Dr. Lisa L. Beckenbaugh is the Research Department Deputy Chair and Electives Course Director at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Dr. Beckenbaugh received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St. Cloud State University and her PhD from the University of Arkansas. Dr. Beckenbaugh has taught at a variety of undergraduate and graduate civilian institutions. Last year her book, The Versailles Treaty: A Documentary and Reference Guide for ABC-CLIO, was published. Dr. Beckenbuagh also serves as the faculty advisor for the Gathering of Eagles elective and has edited three of their recently published books, Leading Airpower into the 21st Century: Stories of Courage, Innovation, and Resiliency, Spirit of the Storm: A Collection of Interviews from the Gulf War Era, and Soaring Above: Stories of Leadership, Heroism, and Overcoming Adversity. Dr. Beckenbaugh’s current research is on the 1st MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital), later redesignated 8209th MASH, during the Korean War.

Research Interest/Expertise: Oral History, American POWs, World War II, Women in Combat, Battlefield Medicine, and MASH Units in the Korean War.

Lt Col Steven Quillman  

Lt Col Steven Quillman is an Instructor of Joint Warfare, Director of Staff for the Department of Research and Deputy Director of Electives at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC).  Lt Col Quillman graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.  He holds a Master’s of Business Administration from Touro University International.  Lt Col Quillman has published multiple entries in Conflict in the Middle East: An Encyclopedia of Civil War, Revolutions and Regime Change (ABC-CLIO, 2020), The Encyclopedia of Cyber Warfare (ABC-CLIO, 2017), and Russia at War (ABC-CLIO, 2015).  Lt Col Quillman co-teaches a course on irregular warfare from 1830 to the present.  Lt Col Quillman previous experiences include propulsion engineer with the C-17, C-130J, and F-22A, weapons integration engineer with the F-16, Education with Industry tour with National Institute of Aerospace, aircraft battle damage assessor for Joint Combat Assessment Team, and as a program manager with AOC System Program Office.                      

Research Interest/Expertise: World War Two Airpower; Combined Bomber Offensive; 305th Bomb Group; Irregular Warfare; Office of Special Operations in SE Asia;  Special Operations in Rhodesia; and  Native American campaigns.         

Dr. Brent D. Ziarnick  

Dr. Brent D. Ziarnick is an Assistant Professor of National Security Studies at the Air University’s Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.  Dr. Ziarnick is a command space operations officer in the Air Force Reserve with extensive experience in Global Positioning System (GPS), space-based space domain awareness, offensive space control, and theater space command and control operations.  In civilian life he was a launch operations engineer at Spaceport America, New Mexico where he developed the long-range plan for the world’s first purpose-built inland commercial spaceport’s vertical launch activity.  He holds doctorates in economic development from New Mexico State University and military strategy from Air Univeristy, a master’s degree in space systems engineering from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, a bachelor’s degree in space operations from the United States Air Force Academy, and is a graduate of both the Air Command and Staff College and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies.  Dr. Ziarnick is the author of two books and multiple articles on space power theory and strategy.

Dr Jonathan K. Zartman   Dr. Jonathan K. Zartman is an associate professor of international security studies in the Department of Research at Air Command and Staff College. He received his Ph. D. in 2004 from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of International Studies. He taught at the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages in Samarkand, Uzbekistan as a Fulbright Fellow (2005-2006). He has also received a David L. Boren Fellowship for language study and research in Dushanbe, Tajikistan at the Technological University of Tajikistan (2000-2001). He has taught at the University of Northern Colorado, and Metropolitan State College of Denver. He teaches the International Security Studies-1 & 2 in the core curriculum, and electives on the Modern Middle East, Resisting Iranian Aggression, and the Politics of Islamic Struggle. He is the editor of Conflict in the Modern Middle East: An Encyclopedia of War, Revolution and Regime Change. He has also written “Using Historical Islamic Sources to Promote Ethical Character.” Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization 8, No. 2 (Fall 2018); “Negotiation, Exclusion and Durable Peace” International Negotiation 13 (2008); and "Transition and Vulnerability Management in Uzbekistan" Journal of Central Asian Studies III, No.2. (1999). He is editing a book of Tajik history titled Two Tajik Heroes by Saddridin Aini. The main focus of his work promotes understanding of indigenous cultural identity in the service of building peace.

Department of Joint Education

Joint All Domain Strategist was formerly Multi Domain Operational Strategist (MDOS) is an AETC award winning program for innovation in multi domain operations and joint warfighting.  It is a year-long, advanced level course focusing on developing future leaders who understand how to employ multi domain operational maneuver to counter emerging threats.  This concentration prepares selected students for operational and command assignments requiring cutting-edge knowledge of planning and operations. Students study and apply strategic and operational design, the joint operations planning process, reflexive control, decision making theory, and risk analysis.  Additionally, students participate in exercises and wargames with German and Polish War Colleges, as well as the Doolittle Wargame Series.  Post-graduation approximately 40% of MDOS students attend SAASS, SAMS or SAW, 10% are selected for command, and 50% receive operational-level assignments.

Dr. Jeffery M. Reilly, Col, USA (Retired)

Dr. Jeffery M. Reilly, Col, USA (Retired) is the Chairman of the Department of Joint Education at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) and Director of the Multi Domain Operational Strategist Concentration. Dr. Reilly is a retired Army officer with 26 years of active-duty service. He began his service as a draftee and served 28 consecutive months in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. His theater-level planning and operations experience includes serving as a theater level combined and joint operations officer, plans division chief, and member of the Secretary of Defense’s “two major theater war” plans team. Dr. Reilly received his MA from the University of Houston and his PhD from the University of Alabama. He is an adjunct faculty member for the NATO School’s Operational Planning Course, a speaker at the USAF Weapons Instructor Course, and a member of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Military Education Coordination Council Working Group. Dr. Reilly has also given a number of presentations at international defense colleges including: the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr, in Hamburg, Germany, the Royal Danish Defense College in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Ethiopian Defense Staff College in Addis Ababa and the Polish National Defense University in Warsaw. Additionally, he conducted research on design in Afghanistan during 2010, 2011, and 2012 and on the future of C4ISR in Iraq and Africa during 2016. He is the author of Operational Design: Distilling Clarity from Complexity for Decisive Action. His most recent article What’s After Joint? concerning multi domain operations was published in the March 2016 edition of the Air and Space Power Journal. In 2018, he won the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) award for innovation in multi domain and joint warfighting abilities.

Research Interest/Expertise: Multi Domain Operations, Strategic Design, Operational Design, C4ISR, Operational Planning, International Relations, Irregular Warfare, Future Security Threats.

Mr. Budd A. Jones

Budd A. Jones is an Assistant Professor and Course Director for the Multi Domain Operational Strategist concentration at the Air Command and Staff College. He received his M.A. in history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1986. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in the history of technology at Auburn University. While on active duty in the Air Force he flew fighter aircraft and worked as an operational level air and joint planner. He also served as the Director of Military History at the Air Force Academy. Following his retirement he joined the ACSC faculty in 1996 and has taught courses on military theory, airpower history, international relations and security studies and operational air and joint planning. His research interests include the development of night fighting technology and its impact on training and operations.

Research Interest/Expertise: Multi Domain Operations, Strategic Design, Military Theory, Clausewitz Studies.

Dr. Jared R. Donnelly

Dr. Jared R. Donnelly is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies and the Director of Staff for the Department of Joint Education at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. As part of the Department of Future Security Studies faculty, Dr. Donnelly teaches in the Multi Domain Operational Strategist (MDOS) Concentration. Dr. Donnelly received his PhD from Texas A&M University and was previously on the faculty of the International Affairs Department at the George H.W. Bush School of Government and Public Service. Dr. Donnelly is Editor-in-Chief of the digital journal Over the Horizon, which publishes articles on the future security environment. Donnelly's research focuses on war and social change in Germany and Europe with a specific interest in the period since 1945. Additionally he studies strategic design for future security environments and conducts research on the future of C4ISR. In addition to teaching courses in the MDOS curriculum, he offers elective classes on the rise and fall of Nazi Germany and German military history.

Research Interest/Expertise: Modern Europe, Modern Germany, European War and Society, Nazi Germany, Multi Domain Operations, Strategic Design.

Department of Spacepower

The Department of Spacepower is home of the Schriever Space Scholars program, a rigorous year-long immersion for developing space strategists. The program is the nation’s first space-centric military developmental education opportunity for interagency, international and joint military members as well as future U.S. Space Force leaders. The department’s purpose is threefold: to build a core of skilled space domain strategists who will serve as key leaders, advocates and advisors to warfighting commanders and national leadership; explore the operational implications of space as a warfighting domain; and serve as a mechanism to infuse the best of operational and strategic space thought into the core Air Command and Staff College curriculum and across Air University. As part of their studies, Schriever Space Scholars participate in space war games, meet with senior leaders and experts throughout the U.S. national space enterprise, and produce a personal research capstone project to present to U.S. Space Force leaders at the culmination of their studies.

Dr. Andrea Harrington

Dr. Andrea Harrington currently serves as the Dean of Space Education at Air University. Prior to her current role, she served as Chair of the Department of Spacepower and Director of the Schriever Space Scholars concentration at Air Command and Staff College, where she is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies. Dr. Harrington previously served on the faculty of the University of Mississippi School of Law as the Associate Director of the LLM Program in Air and Space Law. She has also served as Associate Chair for the Policy, Economics, and Law Department of the International Space University’s Space Studies Program.  Dr. Harrington was an Erin J.C. Arsenault Fellow in Space Governance at the McGill University Institute of Air and Space Law (IASL), where her doctoral research focused on insurance and liability issues for the commercial space industry. Dr. Harrington holds a DCL and LLM in Air and Space Law from the McGill IASL, as well as a JD from the University of Connecticut School of Law, an MSc in European Politics and Governance from the London School of Economics, and a BA in International Relations and History from Boston University. She is a licensed attorney in Massachusetts. Dr. Harrington serves as a member of the editorial board for the McGill Annals of Air and Space Law, New Space Journal, the Space Force Journal, and the American Bar Association publication The Air and Space Lawyer.  She is the author of the book “Space Insurance and the Law: Maximizing Private Activities in Outer Space” and numerous articles and book chapters, primarily focused on space law and policy.

Research Interest/Expertise: Space Law and Policy, International Law, International Relations, Treaty Interpretation, Aviation Law, Science Fiction

Dr. Gregory D. Miller  

Dr. Gregory Miller is Chair of the Department of Spacepower and Director of the Schriever Space Scholars program at the Air Command and Staff College. Before joining ACSC, he was Chair of the Strategy Department at the Joint Advanced Warfighting School. Prior to that he held faculty positions at the College of William & Mary, the University of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State University.  Dr. Miller received Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and History from the University of California, Los Angeles (1996), a Master’s Degree in Security Policy Studies from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University (1998), and a Master’s Degree (2000) and Ph.D. (2004) in Political Science from The Ohio State University.  His 2012 book, The Shadow of the Past: Reputation and Military Alliances before the First World War, is part of Cornell University Press’ Security Affairs series. His scholarship also appears in more than a dozen journals, including recent space-related articles in Space Policy, Air and Space Power Journal, The Space Review, and The Strategy Bridge.  He also has an article forthcoming in Astropolitics and a book manuscript under contract with Naval Institute Press titled Sun Tzu in Space: What International Relations, History, and Science Fiction Tell Us about Our Future.

Research Interest/Expertise: International relations theory and international security (especially reputation and military alliances), terrorism and political violence, strategy formulation and evaluation, the application of international relations and political violence concepts to spacepower theory.

Dr. Everett Carl Dolman

Dr. Everett Carl Dolman is Professor of Comparative Military Studies at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. His focus is on international relations and theory, and he has been identified as Air University’s first space theorist. Dr. Dolman began his career as an intelligence analyst for the National Security Agency, and moved to the United States Space Command in 1986. In 1991, he received the Director of Central Intelligence’s Outstanding Intelligence Analyst award. Dr. Dolman received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995. He then taught international relations and international political economy at The College of William & Mary, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, and Berry College before taking his current position at Maxwell AFB in Alabama. Dr. Dolman received the Air Force’s Educator of the Year Award for 2003/04. His published works include Astropolitik: Classical Geopolitics in the Space Age (2002); The Warrior State: How Military Organization Structures Politics (2004), Pure Strategy: Power and Principle in the Information Age (2005), and Can Science End War? (2015). He has written numerous book chapters as well as articles for the Journal of Strategic Studies, Comparative Strategy, Strategic Studies Quarterly, Journal of Small Wars and Insurgencies, Soviet and Post-Soviet Review, Citizenship Studies, Politics and Society, Journal of Political and Military Sociology, and The Air and Space Power Review. Dr. Dolman is also co-founder and editor emeritus of Astropolitics: The International Journal of Space Power and Policy and editor of Routledge’s Space Power and Politics book series.

Research Interest/Expertise: Military Strategy, Space and Cyber Power, Civil-Military Relations, Intelligence, Military Theory and Philosophy.

Major Jiemin Hou

Major Jiemin Hou is an Air University Fellow and Instructor in the Department of Spacepower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He is a graduate of ACSC and the Schriever Space Scholars in AY21. Maj Hou previously served as a Joint Staff J2 targeting officer in the Pentagon. He also served as Flight Commander, 20th Intel Squadron, Offutt, Nebraska. His other assignments include 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home, Idaho, and ROTC Instructor at the University of Maryland. He also deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. Major Houreceived his BS and MS degrees in molecular biology and biochemistry at the University of Connecticut. He also graduated with a BA in government and politics from the University of Maryland, a MA in intelligence studies from the American Military University, and an MBA from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Kenan-Flagler Business School. Major Hou is a Language Enabled Airman (LEAP) in Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese.

Research Interest/Expertise: Military strategy and operation, spacepower, business strategy and management, finance and accounting, data analytics, and modeling.

Dr. Kun-Chin Lin

Dr Kun-Chin Lin is Professor of Military and Security Studies at the Department of Spacepower at the Air Command and Staff College. He was a University Lecturer in Politics and Tun Suffian College Lecturer and Fellow at the Gonville & Caius College, and directed the Centre for Rising Powers and the Centre on Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge. Dr Lin received his PhD in Political Science from UC Berkeley, was a Leverhulme postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford, and taught at King’s College London and the National University of Singapore. His principal interests are the political economy of China as a rising power and its implications for the global order, and has published extensively on maritime powers in Asia, Chinese energy and transport infrastructure policies, and Asian regionalism and global governance, including articles in Energy Policy, Marine Policy, Transport Research Part A and Part D, Transport Policy, Asian Survey, China Journal, Pacific Focus, Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, Political Studies Review, Enterprise & Society, and Business & Politics. His research has been supported by the British Academy, Chiang Ching Kuo Foundation, Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, and Korea Foundation, etc. He is an editorial board member of Business and Politics, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Chinese (Taiwan) Yearbook of International Law and Affairs, and Maritime Policy & Management, and was an associate fellow of the Chatham House in London.

Research Interest/Expertise: Space and maritime power, geoeconomics, international relations, state capitalism, China, Indo-Pacific

Capt Matthew Nedved  

Captain Matthew Nedved is the Director of Operations of the Schriever Space Scholars, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. He is a Space Operations officer who has previous experience at the squadron and group levels operating, training, and evaluating officer and enlisted Military Satellite Communications operators. His prior assignments include Extremely High Frequency Satellite Systems Officer, Chief of Training for Mobile Operations and Crew Commander while in the 4th Space Operations Squadron, as well as Staff Evaluator and Standardizations Branch Chief for the 50th Operations Group. Captain Nedved graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota State University. 

Research Interest/Expertise: Military Satellite Communications, Mobile Space Operations and the United States Space Force.

Dr. Joseph E. Osborne

Dr. Joe Osborne is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Spacepower at the Air Command and Staff College. He is also a retired Army Special Forces Colonel who has served in Command and Staff positions at every level. His culminating assignment was as the J3, Director of Operations, at Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) where he also served as the J5, Director of Plans, Policy and Strategy. He has a PhD in International Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University and a Master’s in National Security Affairs from the Naval Post Graduate School. He also has a Bachelor’s in Criminology from Florida State University where he was a Distinguished Military Graduate. He was also the Distinguished Officer Graduate from the Special Forces Qualification Course. He has published a case study on the Rojava Kurds and is currently finalizing both a journal article and a monograph based on his dissertation; Strategic Consequences: How Executive and Organizational Decision-Making Impacts the Outcome of Unconventional Warfare. His military assignments have included operations and deployments throughout Africa, South and Central America, Asia and the Middle East. He has served as a Company Commander, Battalion S3 and Deputy Group Commander in the 3d Special Forces Group.  

Research Interest/Expertise: Irregular Warfare and Great Power Competition, Strategy, Counterinsurgency, Unconventional Warfare, Strategic Decision Making. 

Major Johann “JP” Pambianchi 

Major Johann “JP” Pambianchi, USSF, is an Air University Fellow and Instructor within the Department of Spacepower and the Deputy Director of the Schriever Space Scholars at the United States Air Force’s Command and Staff College (ASCS), Maxwell AFB, AL.  Maj Pambianchi graduated from the Schriever Space Scholars concentration of ACSC’s In-Residence program in May 2021 as a Distinguished Graduate.  Prior to his fellowship, Maj Pambianchi was the Director of Operations (DO) of the 30th Operations Support Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, CA performing the space launch mission.  Prior to his time as DO he gained joint and inter-agency experience at the National Space Defense Center, Schriever AFB, CO.  Maj Pambianchi is an experienced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) operator and Senior Space Operator of space lift and satellite C2 weapon systems, with Flight Command, Ops Group Executive, Assistant DO, and Wing Staff experience. He holds a Masters of Military Operational Arts and Science from Air University, a Master of Aeronautical Science with a specialization in Space Studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and a Bachelor of Science in Space Operations from the United States Air Force Academy. He also completed the Leadership Coaching Workshop from Vanderbilt University and the Advanced Digital Education and Engaged Learning Seminar at Columbia University. 

Research Interest/Expertise: He is currently working on the publication of his co-authored book on the Space Characterization Ecosystem. 

Dr. James S. Powell

Dr. Jim Powell teaches Schriever Space Scholars as Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Air Command and Staff College’s Department of Spacepower. A retired U.S. Army colonel and strategic planner, he has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and has served in the Pentagon as speechwriter for the U.S. Army chief of staff and as military advisor to the director of net assessment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. His previous teaching experience includes postings at the U.S. Army War College, the School of Advanced Military Studies, as well as the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Dr. Powell holds a Ph.D. in history from Texas A&M University. He has published Learning under Fire: The 112th Cavalry Regiment in World War II and served as a principal author of the U.S. Army’s two-volume study on the Iraq War.

Research Interest/Expertise: World War II’s Pacific theater, strategic appraisal and net assessment, learning and adaptation in military organizations, the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the Iraq War (2003-2011)

Dr. M.V. "Coyote" Smith

Dr. M.V. “Coyote” Smith, Colonel, USAF (Retired) is an associate professor in the Schriever Scholars program at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College.  He retired from active duty in August 2016 as a command space operations officer serving as a professor of strategic space studies at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies.  He has served in various flying, space, and missile assignments and as an instructor at the USAF Weapons School.  During Operation Allied Force (Kosovo) he served as a strategist and targeting officer on Lt General Michael Short's staff at the Air Component headquarters at Dal Molin Air Base in Vicenza, Italy.  During Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), he served at USCENTCOM Headquarters as a strategist on General Tommy Frank’s staff.  He later served as the chief air and space power strategist on the Pentagon’s Strategic Planning Council during Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing advice to the Joint Staff and the Secretary of Defense.  He is the author of Ten Propositions Regarding Spacepower, and the article “America Needs a US Space Corps,” which triggered Congressional and Presidential interest in an independent space service.

Research Interest/Expertise:  All things spacepower; independent space service, space deterrence, space warfare, space control, space commerce, space law enforcement, off-Earth settlement, advanced space technologies, future space concepts, and dinosaurs, because space and dinosaurs are cool!

Dr. Samantha A. Taylor

Dr. Samantha A. Taylor is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Schriever Space Scholars Department of Spacepower at Air Command and Staff College. Dr Taylor joined ACSC in 2021 and teaches War Theory and Joint War Fighting. Before coming to ACSC she started her career in Professional Military Education with a Postdoctoral Fellowship at U.S. Naval War College where she taught Theater National Security Decision Making in 2017. In 2018 she left USNWC and taught as Visiting Professor at US. Army War College in the Department of National Security and Strategy where she taught theories of war, international relations, and national security strategy and policy making. Her Ph.D. is in US diplomatic and military history with an emphasis on the Cold War to 1998 from the University of Southern Mississippi. 

Research Interest/Expertise: Along with US diplomatic and military history, Dr. Taylor studies European military and diplomatic history, World War I, World War II, US national security strategy and policy making, cultural history, international relations, and mass communications.  

Dr. Brent D. Ziarnick  

Dr. Brent D. Ziarnick is an Assistant Professor of  Spacepower and Schriever Space Scholars faculty at the Air University’s Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.  Dr. Ziarnick is a command space operations officer in the Air Force Reserve with extensive experience in Global Positioning System (GPS), space-based space domain awareness, offensive space control, and theater space command and control operations.  In civilian life he was a launch operations engineer at Spaceport America, New Mexico where he developed the long-range plan for the world’s first purpose-built inland commercial spaceport’s vertical launch activity.  He holds doctorates in economic development from New Mexico State University and military strategy from Air Univeristy, a master’s degree in space systems engineering from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, a bachelor’s degree in space operations from the United States Air Force Academy, and is a graduate of both the Air Command and Staff College and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies.  Dr. Ziarnick is the author of two books and multiple articles on space power theory and strategy.

Air Command and Staff College
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