The Air Force Institute of Technology's School of Strategic Force Studies International Cyberspace Education (ICE) course (Cyberspace 220) recently completed the first in-resident offering since 2019 with 12 students from eight countries.
Cyberspace 220 is a professional development course for international cyberspace professionals transitioning from tactical to operational level responsibilities and is designed for students with similar cyber backgrounds as USAF cyberspace professionals. The ICE course provides an appreciation of the design, development and acquisition of cyberspace systems. Students are provided a broad background in cyber asset capabilities, limitations, vulnerabilities and how they are relevant to application and employment in joint and coalition military operations.
"The opportunity to instruct cyberspace professionals from partner nations is a huge privilege for our cadre,” said Lt. Col. Jason Fields, director of the Cyberspace Professional Continuing Education (PCE) department within AFIT's School of Strategic Force Studies. “The commitment of the United States to strengthen international partnerships is critical in every domain, including cyberspace, and this course is one unique way we can contribute to that strategic intent."
Cyberspace 220 is a 10-day in-resident course. Students apply mission analysis to support cyberspace planning and operations and after graduation have to ability to analyze full spectrum cyberspace operations and articulate the strategic effects of cyberspace capabilities in a multinational campaign or operations. The course also includes a challenging cyber-attack capstone exercise scenario hosted on AFIT’s virtual network range.
“The students demonstrated a real understanding of the materials and applied them to exercises in planning and executing cyberspace missions,” said Maj. Dane Jansson, Cyberspace 220 course chief. “They didn't just pass the class this year, they did it with smiles and style.”
The Cyberspace PCE department also conducts Cyberspace 220 international mobile training teams to reach students who cannot attend at AFIT. The next mobile training team is scheduled for Denmark in September and will include up to 30 students.
"We love interacting with international students in this environment and getting to compare and contrast their cyberspace experiences with ours,” said Fields. “We instruct the ICE students but we also learn from them.”
“The students will carry the technical concepts and strategies they learned back with them and hopefully apply them to their own domestic policy environment and military operational models,” said Jansson.
More information about Cyberspace 220 is available at https://www.afit.edu/EX/page.cfm?page=1532
AFIT's School of Strategic Force Studies is responsible for delivering professional continuing education in nuclear deterrence policy and theory, nuclear command, control, communications and cyberspace operations. The School's mission is to develop Airmen, joint service members, and international partners to deter and if necessary, prevail in current and future conflicts by providing relevant and responsive nuclear and cyberspace PCE and cyberspace upgrade training. On average, the school educates 3,000 Department of the Air Force and DoD students annually. Visit www.afit.edu/EX for more information.