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Department of Warfighting

  • Published
  • Air Command and Staff College, Air University, Maxwell AFB, AL

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, Joint Air Operations Planning and Joint Warfighting. 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. Christopher Stamper is the Chair of the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. A retired U.S. Navy Commander and Naval Aviator, he earned a B.S. in Oceanography from the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. He also holds a Doctorate in Public Administration from Capella University, specializing in East African affairs. Dr. Stamper served as operational flight instructor and taught as a faculty member at the U.S. Naval Academy and Air War College.
CDR Dan “BBG” Boutros is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. A 2001 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, he earned his Naval Aviator wings as a helicopter pilot in 2003. CDR Boutros flew the SH-60F, HH-60H, and later the MH-60S with HS-3 in Jacksonville, Florida and HS/HSC-14 in Atsugi, Japan and San Diego, California, deploying aboard USS ROOSEVELT (CVN-71) and USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73). He has accumulated over 3,100 flight hours and has flown missions in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and Operation TELIC with the Joint Helicopter Force in Basra, Iraq. His shore assignments include serving as an instructor pilot and earning a Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval Command and Staff College. He also served in the J5 Directorate of U.S. Special Operations Command as Basing and Posture Branch Chief. A Joint Qualified Officer, CDR Boutros commanded Navy Recruiting District Dallas, and served as Air Boss onboard USS BOXER (LHD 4).
MAJ Lisa DeGroot is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. A Board-Certified Emergency Nurse in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, MAJ DeGroot has extensive experience in medical, surgical, pediatric, emergency, trauma, and flight nursing. Throughout her career as an Army Officer, she has served in various leadership positions, including team leader, officer in charge of an advanced trauma life support unit, executive officer, and commander. She has deployed in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE and contributed to humanitarian COVID missions. MAJ DeGroot holds a B.A. in Political Science from Colorado State University, a B.S.N. from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Master’s in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University.
LTC Camden Donnelly is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. Her recent assignments include Branch Chief for Plans and Exercises, J4 Logistics Directorate, and Secretary, Joint Staff at United States Forces Japan. She has deployed in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. LTC Donnelly holds a Master’s degree in Transportation and Logistics Management from American Military University and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin from the University of Washington.
Maj Darius Estavillo is an Air University Fellow and instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He received his commission in 2009 from Virginia Tech and holds advanced degrees from American Military University and Air University. Maj Estavillo has served and led in a variety of disciplines and functional areas including as a Director of Operations at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska and five deployments in support of multiple Combatant Commands. Prior to this assignment, he served as a Deputy Branch Chief on Headquarters Air Force staff at the Pentagon, responsible for policy, guidance, and strategy in coordination with Department of the Air Force staff and field units.
LTC Howard Falls is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He is a Field Artillery Officer and has served in a variety of operational and strategic assignments to include deployments to Afghanistan, Africa and Turkey. He earned a B.S. in Public Health from Prairie View A&M University and an M.A. in Leadership Management from Webster University. He also holds an Executive Certification in Strategic Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a graduate of the Joint Combined Warfighting School. Prior to his current role, LTC Falls served as Aide de Camp to the U.S. Army Europe/Africa, NATO Allied LANDCOM Commander, and as a Military Advisor at the Department of State in Washington, D.C.
Maj Laura Godoy is an Air University Fellow and instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. A Weather and Environmental Science officer, she brings extensive operational experience, including base weather support, space launch and recovery operations, operational test of weather systems, and deployments in support of combined forces. Additionally, she served in Air Force Special Operations Command where she prepared Special Warfare Airmen for combat deployments and contingency operations. She holds a B.S. in Research Meteorology from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Master's in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University. Prior to her current role, Maj Godoy was the Operations Officer for the 2d Combat Weather Systems Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
CDR Keith A. Henderson is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He holds a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Master’s of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, and an M.S. in Joint Campaign Planning from National Defense University. A career Naval Aviator, CDR Henderson has deployed on multiple ships in support of contingency operations worldwide. 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 is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Joint Warfighting Department and Course Director for the Air Command and Staff College capstone wargame. After being awarded a Tyng Scholarship to Williams College, he earned his Ph.D. 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. His research led 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 U.S. 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. Dr. Henderson is a graduate of the Joint Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College.
CDR Jason Highley is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He graduated from the University of Missouri - Columbia in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. As a Surface Warfare Officer, CDR Highley has conducted operational deployments onboard USS IWO JIMA (LHD-7), USS SAN JACINTO (CG-56), USS BARRY (DDG-52), and USS CHANCELLORSVILLE (CG-62). He has extensive tactical and operational experience in maritime Integrated Air & Missile Defense (IAMD) mission execution and defense design in SEVENTH Fleet (INDOPACOM) and SIXTH Fleet (EUCOM) areas of responsibility. His staff roles have included serving as the Maritime Operations Center (MOC) Executive Officer for SEVENTH Fleet and Chief Staff Officer of Maritime Prepositioning Squadron THREE. CDR Highley earned his Master’s in Strategic Studies (Grand Strategy Concentration) from Air War College in 2024.
LTC Walter L. Ivory Jr. is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He graduated from Southern University at New Orleans in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and later earned an M.B.A. from Trident University International. He completed U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 2016. As an Army Logistics Officer, LTC Ivory has served in multiple command and staff assignments from the Tactical to Strategic echelons. He has deployed three times in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, and Operation NEW DAWN. His most recent assignment was as the Executive Officer for the Headquarters Department of the Army, Deputy G-4 at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
Lt Col Steve “NAStY” Keefer is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He earned a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy and holds advanced degrees from Pennsylvania State University and Air University. A career Weapons Systems Officer, Lt Col Keefer has over 2,600 flight hours as an instructor and evaluator in the F-15E and F/A-18F. His operational experience includes multiple combat deployments in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, as well as an exchange assignment with the Royal Australian Air Force. Before his current assignment, he commanded the 4th Operations Support Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina.
Maj Tanya Koch is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. As a career Communications and Cyber Operations Officer, Maj Koch has served in various positions across the Squadron, Wing, Numbered Air Force, and Agency levels. Her operational experience includes multiple deployments in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, and Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. Maj Koch earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Charleston Southern University. She also holds a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University. Prior to her current role, she served as the Chief of Operations at Joint Force Headquarters - Department of Defense Information Network, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Dr. Brent Lawniczak is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. A retired Marine aviator (UH-1N/UC-12), he has served in multiple theaters in various capacities. He is a graduate of Michigan State University, and the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and earned his Ph.D. from Auburn University. He served as the Senior Marine Corps Advisor to the Commandant of Air Command and Staff College 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, international relations, the U.S. Constitution, and U.S. military history. He is the author of the book Confronting the Myth of Soft Power in U.S. Foreign Policy and a number of articles in various military journals.
Lt Col Philip Lere is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 2007 with a degree in International Affairs and Spanish. A career Logistics Readiness Officer, Lt Col Lere's previous assignments include five years in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands program and two squadron commands. He holds a Master's degree in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma and a Master's in Strategy and Security Studies from the National Defense University's College of International Security Affairs. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Commander of the 721st Aerial Port Squadron in Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Lt Col Frank Livingston is an Instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting and Deputy Course Director for Wargaming at Air Command and Staff College. An Air Force Logistics Readiness Officer, Lt Col Livingston has held numerous key roles, including Squadron Director of Operations, two Squadron Commander tours, and three tours as a Combat/Air Advisor. His leadership experience extends to serving as Commandant of Cadet Candidates at the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School and in various senior positions, such as Branch Chief and Deputy Division Chief at Air Combat Command, Division Chief at U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and Division Chief at U.S. Special Operations Command. He has also held several theater-level staff positions in Iraq and Afghanistan. A former U.S. Army Paratrooper, he participated in Operation DESERT SHIELD/SWORD/STORM and Operation JOINT ENDEAVOR. Lt Col Livingston is a graduate of Southern Illinois University and holds a Master’s degree in Aeronautical Sciences with Honors from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His most recent assignment was as the Logistics Liaison to International Special Operations at U.S. Special Operations Command Headquarters, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
Maj Jason Matos is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. As an Airfield Operations officer, he has extensive experience leading airfield management and air traffic control functions across Air Mobility Command, Pacific Air Forces, and Air Force Materiel Command, and has deployed in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and INHERENT RESOLVE. Maj Matos holds a B.S. in Air Traffic Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, an M.B.A. from Louisiana State University-Shreveport, and a Master’s in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University. Before his current role, he served as the Director of Operations for the 96th Operations Support Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
LTC Joshua Matthews is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. Throughout his career, he has served as an operator and leader in various units within U.S. Special Operations Command, participating in multiple combat deployments and contingency operations, primarily within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, including his most recent assignment with Special Operations Command – Central. He holds a Master’s Degree from the George H.W. Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Matthew McDonough is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He brings over a decade of experience teaching graduate and undergraduate students. Previously, he was a Senior Lecturer of History at Coastal Carolina University and a Visiting Professor of History at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Dr. McDonough has taught a wide range of military history courses, including the History of the Military Art from Antiquity to 1900, History of the Military Art from 1900 to Present, the Civil War and Reconstruction, World War II in Europe, Causes and Consequences of 20th Century Warfare, and the Army ROTC required course, American Military History. His research interests include teaching pedagogy, 19th and 20th-century warfare, and military leadership and ethics. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Kansas State University and is a graduate of the Military History Instructor Course at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.
Dr. Ann Mezzell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Georgia as well as an M.A. in the same field from the University of Alabama. Her fields of concentration include international relations and comparative politics. In addition to teaching courses in ACSC’s core curriculum, she teaches an elective on strategic competition and military humanitarian assistance. Her research interests center on American foreign policy, human security, and military strategy. Her publications appear in Strategic Studies Quarterly and Parameters. Dr. Mezzell is a graduate of the Joint Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College.
Maj Reiss Oltman is an Air University Fellow and instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. As a maintenance officer, he has extensive experience across a wide range of aircraft platforms, including bombers (B-2), fighters (F-16), attack aircraft (A-10), rescue (HH-60s/HC-130s), and ISR platforms (MQ-1/9). Maj Oltman has held key leadership positions such as squadron commander, director of operations, and flight commander within multiple combat-coded squadrons. He has completed numerous deployments across U.S. European Command, Central Command, and Pacific Command.
Lt Col Jon "Oz” Oswald is an Instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He received his commission from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2008. A senior pilot, Lt Col Oswald has accumulated over 3,000 flying hours in the T-6, T-1, KC-135, and C-17. Before joining the faculty at ACSC, he served as Chief, Aircraft Strike for United States Strategic Command, Joint Plans and Policy Directorate, Nuclear Mission Planning Division (J53), at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. He holds a Master of Arts in Administrative Leadership from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Science in Military Operational Art and Science from The Air University. Lt Col Oswald is married to the most amazing woman in the world, Elizabeth, and is a #girldadx3. In his limited spare time (see #girldadx3) he enjoys playing golf, smoking meat, trying new restaurants, and volunteering in his church and community.
Lt Col James “Jamie” Popphan is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He holds a BBA in Management from the University of Georgia, advanced degrees from Indiana State University, the University of Oklahoma, and Air University, as well as graduate certificates from the Air Force Institute of Technology and the University of Virginia. A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Lt Col Popphan is also a Ph.D. candidate at King's College London. As a career Security Forces officer, he has commanded five squadrons, served two tours as a Deputy Group Commander, and held leadership positions at AF/A4P and U.S. Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa/A4S. His previous assignments include Deputy Division Chief, CJ36, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, and instructor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies supporting U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Lt Col Popphan has deployed in support of various operations across the U.S. Central Command, Southern Command, Africa Command AORs and has extensive experience in the nuclear enterprise, supporting bomber, ICBM, and NATO's DCA missions. Before his current role, he was the Deputy Commander of the Department of the Air Force's largest Mission Support Group, the 86th MSG, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany..
Dr. Brian R. Price is an Associate Professor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and earned his Ph.D. in Military History from the University of North Texas. He is a graduate of the Joint Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College. Dr. Price has conducted research for the POW-MIA Accounting Agency, deployed as a Social Science subject matter expert with SOF in Afghanistan, serving back-to-back tours as a Senior Social Scientist in Regional Command East, Afghanistan. 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 of 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 several senior officers. He is published in numerous journals and has authored several books in his second field of interest - medieval and early modern warfare. In his spare time, he teaches historical swordsmanship and is an inductee to the Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Lt Col Blair Schaefer is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. A Senior Air Battle Manager with over 2,200 flight hours, he has extensive operational experience in the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System and the E-3A NATO Airborne Warning and Control System. Lt Col Schaefer holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University. He is also a graduate of the Joint Combined Warfighting School at the Joint Forces Staff College.
Mr. Ronald Shaw is an Assistant Professor of National Security Studies in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He holds a B.S. in Oceanography from the U.S. Naval Academy, an M.S. in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School, an M.S. in Hydrographic Science from the University of Southern Mississippi, an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College, and has completed all but a dissertation in the History Ph.D. program at Liberty University focusing on the early Cold War period. A retired U.S. Navy Captain, Mr. Shaw is a Joint Qualified Officer having spent over three years on the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command J3 staff. During his time in the Navy, he qualified as an Information Warfare Officer (Oceanography specialty), serving at sea, in major staff, in two command tours, and lastly as the Chief of Staff of the Naval Oceanography Program.
Lt Col Thomas A. Smicklas is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. A space and missile operations officer and financial manager, Lt Col Smicklas has held various operational assignments, including deployments to Amman, Jordan, and is a graduated squadron commander. He earned a B.S. in Hospital Administration from the University of Cincinnati, an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland, and a Master’s in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University. He is also a graduate of the Joint Combined Warfighting School at the Joint Forces Staff College. Lt Col Smicklas has completed two staff tours at Air Force Space Command and most recently served at the U.S. Air Force Academy as Course Director in the Department of Military and Strategic Studies and Deputy Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Center of Innovation.
Maj Brian Smith is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2000 and was commissioned through the Air Force Officer Training School in 2010. Maj Smith holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from Mississippi State University, as well as a Master's in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University. With twenty-four years of experience as a Weather Forecaster and Weather and Environmental Sciences Officer, he has completed two deployments to Afghanistan and one to Jordan. Before his current role, Maj Smith was the Operations Officer for the 17th Operational Weather Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
Maj Tyler “Havoc” Stiles is an Air University Fellow and instructor in the Department of Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He is an offensive cyber operations officer with experience serving as a mission commander and team lead at Joint Force Headquarters Cyber – Air Force. His operational background includes deployments to the Combined Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC) on the U.S. Air Forces Central A6 staff and in support of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS). Maj Stiles earned a B.S. in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University and an M.S. in Logistics, Trade, and Transportation from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also holds an M.A. in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University. Prior to his current role, Maj Stiles was the Director of Operations for the 305th Cyberspace Operations Squadron at Fort Eisenhower, Georgia, in support of Joint Force Headquarters Cyber – Army.
Maj Darren “Psych” Ward is an Air University Fellow and instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. A Senior Pilot with 400 combat hours in the KC-135 Stratotanker, he has flown missions over Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, as well as Mali and Niger in support of French military operations against Al-Qaeda affiliates in Africa. His operational assignments include RAF Mildenhall in the UK and Kadena Air Base in Japan. Maj Ward also served on the staff at the Pacific Air Forces Air Operations Center, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and was most recently assigned to Pacific Fleet Headquarters as the Pacific Air Forces Liaison. He holds a B.S. degree in Economics from the U.S. Air Force Academy (2010) and an M.A. degree in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School (2017) and of the Joint All Domain Strategist concentration at Air Command and Staff College (2024).
Maj Michael Watkins is an Air University Fellow and instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He is a Senior Pilot with over 3,300 flight hours in the MC-12 Liberty and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, including 900 combat hours flown in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, and Operation FREEDOM’S SENTINEL. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of West Florida, a Master of Science in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and a Master’s degree in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Chief of Special Activities Standardization and Evaluation, Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Dr. Christopher Weimar is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He holds an M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, an M.A. in International Relations from Boston University, and a B.A. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Fordham University. A retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, Dr. Weimar’s military career spanned thirty years in Communications-Information Systems Management, Cyberspace Operations, and Logistics Readiness. He has served from Flight to Combatant Command levels and has deployed to Djibouti, Kuwait, and Iraq in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and INHERENT RESOLVE. He was the Deputy Director of Logistics and Engineering at North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command before coming to Air University. He is a graduate of Air Command and Staff College and Air War College by correspondence and completed the Joint and Combined Warfighting School-Hybrid Program.
Lt Col Ryan Whitaker is an instructor in the Department of Joint Warfighting at Air Command and Staff College. He received his commission through AFROTC at West Virginia University in 2006, earning a B.A. in Communications. He has held a variety of leadership positions as a Force Support officer, including Flight Commander, Director of Operations and Commander at the Squadron level, as well as Executive Officer at the Group, Sub-unified Combatant Command and Headquarters Air Force levels. Lt Col Whitaker has extensive joint experience, having served at U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Central Command, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, International Security Assistance Force Headquarters, Combined Joint Task Force-101, and Special Operations Command Central. He is a joint-qualified officer with five deployments in support of joint operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Lt Col Whitaker holds an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University as well as a M.S. in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University.