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