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Senior Leadership Team

              Col Benjamin Hatch

       Col Benjamin Hatch
       Commandant 

               Col Bryan Foley

       Col Bryan Foley  
       Vice Commandant

              Col Sarah Bakhtiari

       Col Sarah Bakhtiari
       Dean of Education

               Guy Meyer

        Mr. Guy G. Meyer
        Director of Staff

Student Leadership Team

Lt Col Sean Atkins

Lt Col Sean Atkins
21st Commander 

Lt Col Kelsi Baker

Lt Col Kelsi Baker
38th Commander

Departments

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.

 
Col Sarah Bakhtiari is the ACSC Resident Dean of Education (DE).  As the ACSC-R Program Manager, Col Bakhtiari is the is the principal advisor to the ACSC Commandant on all aspects of JPME. She 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 Bakhtiari ensures ACSC-R complies with external inputs from the SECAF, the CSAF, the Air Staff, Air Force Major Commands, CJCS.
Dr. Jordan R. Hayworth is the Associate Dean for Policy and Strategy at the Air Command and Staff College. He previously served as an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Leader and Research Development, where he was the 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.
Lt Col Charles “Creed” Napier is an assistant professor at Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He holds an MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Masters in Military Operational Art and Science from ACSC, and a PhD in International Relations from Stanford University. Lt Col Napier received his commission from the US Air Force Academy in 2006 and is a combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter pilot with 1,500 hours in the HH-60G and HM-225. He helped save more than 120 lives in combat during deployments to Afghanistan, Chad, and Niger. Part of this operational experience included service as an exchange pilot to the French Air Force. Lt Col Napier’s research focuses on why states choose to fight one another with proxy groups or denied forces and the mechanisms through which this strategy reduces interstate conflict. 
Lt Col Jeremy “HULK” Sherman is the Associate Dean for Plans and Requirements at Air Command and Staff College. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Commander, 10th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany where he led the USAF’s sole deployed E-8C Squadron in support of both USAFE and Allied Air Command. He has flown over 2,500 hours in both the E-8C JSTARS and E-3A NATO AWACS and served as an Instructor and Evaluator Combat Systems Officer in both Major Weapon Systems’ Formal Training Units. His staff experience includes Chief of Direct Operations for Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization/Defense Threat Reduction Agency (JIDO/DTRA), Speechwriter to the AFCENT Commander, and Chief of Personnel Recovery for AFCENT. Lt Col Sherman’s professional and military education include a graduate from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management, Master of Science Degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Master of Military Operational Art and Science Degree from Air Command and Staff College, and Air War College.  
Maj Sean Ritter is an Air University fellow, and Joint All Domain Strategist graduate assigned as the ACSC Chief Data Officer.  He teaches the Data Science and AI leadership specialization and is responsible for bringing new data science and computer aided techniques to Air Command and Staff College broadly.  Prior to this assignment, he was the Operational Assessments Team Leader at United States Strategic Command.  He has a Master’s of Science from the Air Force Institute of Technology in Operations Research and has served in a diverse range of assignments to include Combatant Command Staff, Air Operations Center Staff, and Headquarters U.S. Air Force. 

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 Strategy and Operations and Contemporary and Emerging Warfare, in support of the USAF’s new mission: To fly, fight, and win… Airpower anytime, anywhere. The first course, Airpower Strategy and Operations, examines the emergence and development of airpower from World War I through the early years of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to better understand airpower employment today. The Contemporary and Emerging Warfare course examines capabilities, limitations, threats, and technology in modern conflicts, incorporating joint doctrine and studying great power and peer adversaries. The courses work together to merge lessons learned from historical and contemporary conflicts with emerging technologies and threats to prepare for future conflict. Airpower…Get Some!

 

Dr. Edwin H. Redman, Colonel, USAF (Retired), is Chair of the Department of Airpower and an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies at the US 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 (SAASS). 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 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

Lt Col Todd “King” Arthur is the Deputy Department Chair of the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Lt Col Arthur is a command pilot with over 5500 hours in the C-5 A/B/M, T-1A, T-6A and E-11 aircraft. He served as an instructor pilot in all four airframes, and flew combat missions in Operations IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM, and FREEDOM SENTENEL. He is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, ACSC, and commanded the 430 EECS. Lt Col Arthur received his Bachelor of Science from the United States Air Force Academy with a minor in Military Doctrine, Operations and Strategy. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Touro University with an emphasis in corporate finance. Lt Col Arthur also has a Master of Military Sciences from Air University. His last assignment was Commander, 430 EECS Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arab.
Dr. Jared R. Donnelly is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies and the Course Director of the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare course at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. 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. 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 decision making in multi-domain operations.

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

Dr. Heather P. Venable is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower and the Airpower Strategy and Operations Course Director. 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 II course director. As a visiting professor at the US Naval Academy, she taught naval and Marine Corps history. She graduated with a BA in History from Texas A&M University and an MA 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. 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 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 The Strategy Bridge. Her current research centers on intersections between theory and pre-war thinking and the application of airpower in combat.
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. 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.
Dr. Joshua A. Sipper is an Assistant Professor at the Air Command and Staff College. He completed his Doctoral work at Trident University in September of 2012, earning a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership (emphasis, E-Learning Leadership). Dr. Sipper’s previous degrees were obtained from Troy University (M.Ed. Education) and Faulkner University (B.S. English). Dr. Sipper is a veteran who served honorably in the U.S. Air Force in the intelligence career field and worked for Lockheed Martin in a similar capacity on the U-2 program. More recently, Dr. Sipper shifted his focus into the cyber realm for seven years as a Systems Engineer, Chief of Cyber Standardization and Evaluation, and Cyber Exercise Manager for General Dynamics at the Air Force’s 26th Network Operations Squadron, followed by a nine-year stint as a civil servant in the Air Force cyber career field at the Curtis E. LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education. Just prior to his appointment at ACSC, Dr. Sipper was a Professor of Cyberwarfare Studies at the Air Force Cyber College where he designed several cyber courses including Cyber ISR, Cyber EW, and Cyber and Information Warfare Capabilities and Trends. He has numerous publications including his paper titled “The Cyber Microbiome and the Cyber Meta-reality” published at the IARIA Cyber 2020 conference for which he won a “Best Paper Award” and also has a book titled “The Cyber Meta-reality: Beyond the Metaverse, published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2022. Dr. Sipper’s research interests include cyber operations, ISR, electromagnetic warfare, and cyber warfare.
Dr. M.V. "Coyote" Smith is an associate professor in the Department of Airpower 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.
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.
Dr. John Terino is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies at the Air Command and Staff College. At ACSC, he teaches courses on Military Theory, Airpower, Contemporary Warfare, Joint 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 after serving for almost 23 years. He received his BA, MA, and PhD in the History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently researching a couple of book chapters and editing an airpower anthology book.
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, 2022), came out in print in the Fall of 2022. 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.

Dr. Hurley 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).  Dr. Hurley is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy Class of 1990 and a 2005 graduate of ACSC, having also earned an MA in History from the University of Washington (1991) and a PhD in History from The Ohio State University (2009).  He spent most of his military career as an intelligence officer, completing threat and theater analysis assignments in Air Mobility Command, Pacific Air Forces, US Air Forces in Europe, NATO, and US Forces Korea.  Dr. Hurley retired from the Air Force in 2014 as the Chief of USAF ISR Doctrine and Policy Integration, HQ AF/A2, The Pentagon.  Since leaving active service he has worked as a Senior Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and an airpower history author for Helion & Co., Publishers, and he continues to serve as a volunteer guide at the National Museum of the US Air Force.  He joined Air University as a civilian professor in May 2024.
Lt Col Boss is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He entered the Air Force in 2004 and initially served as an Air Battle Manager before transitioning to the intelligence career field in 2013. Lt Col Boss has deployed in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and ODYSSEY DAWN / UNIFIED PROTECTOR and served a tour in the 603d Air Operations Center. He holds an EdD in Aviation and Space Education from Oklahoma State University, holds MS degrees from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and is a graduate of ACSC (AY17). Lt Col Boss joined the ACSC faculty in July 2023 upon completion of tours as a Squadron Commander and Deputy Group Commander.
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.
Lt Col Drew Roberts is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and Contemporary and Emerging Warfare Courses. He is an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) on the RC-135 Rivet Joint with deployments in support of USCENTCOM, USEUCOM, and USINDOPACOM. He also served as an exchange officer with the Royal Air Force conducting test and evaluation and flying operations on the British RC-135. Lt Col Roberts received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Florida State University, a Master of Arts in Intelligence Studies from American Military University, a Master of Military Operational Arts and Sciences from ACSC, and recently completed and defended his doctoral dissertation from the University of North Texas in military history. His research is focused on the integration of airpower into combined arms operations during the First World War.
Major Steven "Noforn" Barfoot is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Prior to instructing at ACSC, he was a member of ACSC’s AY22 class. In his previous assignment, he was the assistant director of operations at the 527th Space Aggressor Squadron at Schriever AFB, CO. As an air traffic controller in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Maj Barfoot cross-trained into space operations in 2009 when he was assigned to the 12th Space Warning Squadron, Thule Air Base, Greenland. Since then, he’s had numerous space assignments in both Canada and the US. Additionally, he has worked in space acquisitions as the project director for the Surveillance of Space 2 capability; the follow-on to Sapphire. Maj Barfoot holds a Master of Business Administration as well as a Master of Military Operational Art and Science and a Master of Philosophy in Military Strategy. 
Maj Daniele Lins is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force's Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). She teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Maj Daniele Lins belongs to the Brazilian Air Force's first female pilot class, which graduated in 2006. After graduation, her operational career was based on fighter and strike aviation until 2016. After that, she was assigned to work for the Brazilian Airspace Control Department where she worked as the Brazilian representative on the ICAO RPAS Pannel (Headquarters in Montreal, Canada) and manager of the Working Group to develop UTM CONOPS for the South American region (under the ICAO SAM - Lima, Peru). Prior to her current assignment in the United States, she worked for the Brazilian CSAF and flew in the 2nd Squadron of the Special Transportation Group, performing DV airlift (for the Vice President and Ministers). Maj Daniele Lins attended the Brazilian Air Force Academy, receiving his bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Science with qualification in Military Aviation. She also holds a Lato Sensu postgraduate course in Public Administration and Air Force Employment, an MBA in Planning and Strategic Management, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science. 
Lt Col Joe Baldwin is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations course as well as the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare course. Prior to this assignment, he served on the commander’s action group at Third Air Force, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Maj Baldwin is a senior pilot, previously qualified in the M-28 Skytruck, PC-12, T-6A, and most recently C-130J. Maj Baldwin holds a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy, Master of Science in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC
Lt Col Michael "Deano" Dean is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Within AU, Lt Col Dean has served as the Air University (AU) Fellow Program Manager, AY23 Airpower and Contemporary Warfare Instructor, and was an AU Fellow with instructor experience at Squadron Officer School. His recent assignments include strategy and current plans development on the United States Air Forces-Europe Staff and 603d Air Operations Center. He is an Air Battle Manager with over 2,000 hours on the E-3 AWACS. Lt Col Dean has deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Unified Protector, Enduring Freedom, and Inherent Resolve. Other notable missions supported are Operation Noble Eagle, SOUTHCOM Counter-Drug Operations, Presidential Overwatch, and representing Air Forces-Africa on numerous security cooperation delegations. Lt Col Dean received a Master of Arts in Education from George Fox University and a Master of Operational Art and Science from ACSC in AY22
Lt Col Jeremiah Gilmore is an instructor in the Department of Airpower and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare Deputy Course Director at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Prior to this assignment, Lt Col Gilmore was a Staff Officer at Air Combat Command (ACC) where he worked acquisition and capability development for several emerging Air force Programs. He holds a Master’s in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University as well as a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Georgia and received his commission from ROTC. He has previously served at Offutt AFB where he deployed with the RC-135 to the CENTCOM and INDOPACOM AORs. He has also completed an instructor assignment at the Combat Systems Officer Formal Training Unit in Pensacola Florida. He is a Senior Combat Systems Officer with over 2000 hours in the RC-135 and T-1A aircraft.
Lt Col Robert Lacy is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Lt Col Lacy is a Senior CSO having flown the EC-130H, MC-130H, and MC-130J. He holds a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University as well as a Master of Natural Resource Development from Texas A&M University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2006 and commissioned through ROTC. Prior to this assignment he was assigned to the 58th Special Operations Wing, AETC’s schoolhouse for Special Operations and Personnel Recovery aviation.
Lt Col Mike Mulligan is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations, Leadership and the Profession of Arms and Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Prior to this assignment, he was an Ops Support Squadron commander. Lt Col Mulligan is a USSF space operations officer.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Auburn University of Montgomery, Master of Science in Political Science from American Military University, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.
Lt Col James "Motel" Six is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Deputy Commander Detachment 3, Training Support Squadron, Air Combat Command (ACC) at Davis- Monthan Air Force Base, AZ. Lt Col Six is a Senior Combat Systems Officer with over 1,000 flight hours in the EC-130H “Compass Call”, including over 550 combat hours flown in various operations as an Evaluator Mission Crew Commander. Lt Col Six received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Clemson University (Go Tigers!), holds a Master of Arts in History from American Military University, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.
Lt Col Dominic “DOG” Gaskin is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Commander, 343d Reconnaissance Squadron, Air Combat Command (ACC) at Offutt AFB, NE. Lt Col Gaskin is a Master Electronic Warfare Officer with over 2000 flight hours in the RC-135V/W RIVET JOINT and T-1A, including 884 combat hours. Lt Col Gaskin received a Bachelor of Science in English from Troy University, a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.
Maj Jacob “Jake” Bradosky is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Prior to this assignment, he was the Program Element Monitor for B-1, B-2, B61-12, and Nuclear Weapons Support, Directorate of Global Power Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Pentagon. Maj Bradosky began his career in ICBM operations at Malmstrom AFB, Montana. He went on to serve in a variety of Acquisition assignments to include program management positions for Sentinel, ICBM reentry systems, and several satellite programs including partner programs with Taiwan and Norway. Maj Bradosky has deployed in support of Operations FREEDOM'S SENTINEL, RESOLUTE SUPPORT, and ALLIES REFUGE. Maj Bradosky holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Wright State University, Master of Business Administration from Liberty University, and Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.
 
Maj Chris “KRUSTY” Carver 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). Serving in this capacity, he teaches the Joint Air Operations Planning Course, Airpower Strategy and Operations Course, and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare Course. Maj Carver is a Senior Remotely Piloted Aircraft Pilot with more than 3,100 hours in the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator, including 2,500 in combat supporting Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, NOMAD SHADOW, FREEDOM SENTINEL, RESOLUTE SUPPORT, and INHERENT RESOLVE. His past assignments include operational flying units, test, formal training unit, and one deployment to Afghanistan as a MQ-1 Launch and Recovery Pilot. Maj Carver received a Master of Arts in Military History from the American Military University and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.
Major Korey "Bounce" Lantes is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations course, the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare course, and the 2024 PACAF Specialization. His recent assignments include serving as Chief of Standardization and Evaluation at the Air Battle Manager (ABM) schoolhouse, as an Evaluator and Senior Director on the JSTARS, and as initial cadre for the TOC-F at Robins Air Force Base. Major Lantes is an Air Battle Manager with over 750 combat hours on the JSTARS, supporting Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Inherent Resolve (OIR), and SOUTHCOM counter-drug missions and operational missions in the Pacific. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Florida, a Master of Arts in American Military History from American Military University, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from ACSC.
Major Jessica Harris is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), where she teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations course and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare course. Prior to this assignment, she was the director of operations at the 24th Analysis Squadron at the Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) at Patrick SFB, Florida. Major Harris is a career intelligence officer, with previous assignments at the 603d Air and Space Operations Center, Air University’s International Officer School, and Headquarters NATO Allied Air Command. She holds a bachelor’s in international relations from Florida State University and a master’s in military operational air and science from ACSC.
Maj Ian “Dutch” VanBergen is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Chief of Staff, 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB, AR. Maj VanBergen is a senior pilot with over 2.500 hours in the C-130J, T-44A, and T-6A aircraft. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.


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.


Department of Leadership

The Department of Leadership and Research Development (DEL) organizes and executes the “Leadership and the Profession of Arms” and “Leadership in Command” core courses as well as the ACSC electives program.  In the Leadership courses students have the opportunity to hone their personal leadership philosophy, better understand the complexities of leading people and organizations, 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 is the Chair of the Leadership and Research Development Department at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Dr. Beckenbaugh received her bachelors and masters 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.
Dr. Sebastian Lukasik is Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership and Research Development at Air Command and Staff College, where he serves as director of the ACSC In-Residence Electives Program. He holds a Ph.D. in military history from Duke University. His research and teaching interests include combat motivation, the history and theory of airpower, and military culture. He is currently completing a book manuscript on the emergence of combined-arms warfare in the First World War and its implications for soldiers’ experience of and response to the stresses of modern combat.
Dr. Amber B. Batura is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Leadership and Research Development. She teaches courses in Leadership, Airpower, and International Security as well as offering the War and Gender elective. Dr. Batura advises the Commandant Speaker Series and serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for ACSC and participates in various committees at ACSC and AU. 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 Ph.D. in history from Texas Tech University in 2018. 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.
Dr. Daniel A. Connelly serves 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 has taught courses in International Security, Leadership Studies, Air Power Theory, the Just War Tradition, Russian Studies and Educational Methodology. He holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Auburn University, and master’s degrees in strategic intelligence and Russian culture with a concentration in international security. 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. He has served as an adjunct professor on ethics at the Air Force Chaplain Corps College for several years. He is currently working on a book on international relations theory. Previously, Dan served as Dean of Academic Affairs at Squadron Officer College.
Dr. Paul Johstono is an Associate Professor of Leadership Studies at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He is currently the course director for Leadership and the Profession of Arms. He teaches courses on Leadership and Ethics, Military Theory, and Airpower. He teaches or has taught elective courses on the Great Captains of military history, Roman Great Power Competition, and the Vietnam War. He regularly leads walking tours and staff rides on leadership, strategy, and social innovation in the Montgomery Civil Rights Movement. He is the ACSC representative to the SACS QEP, a member of the AU Ethics Working Group, and works on several ACSC and AU committees. Prior to joining ACSC in January 2019, he was Associate Professor for History of Warfare at The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina. Dr. Johstono received his bachelor’s degree in history from Furman University in Greenville, SC (2005) and his master’s degree (2008) and Ph.D. (2012) in history from Duke University. He specializes in warfare and military institutions in the Hellenistic era, approximately from Alexander the Great to Julius Caesar. He has published numerous articles and chapters on subjects ranging from ancient insurgency to battlefield investigation to demography and ethnography. His first book, on the Army of Ptolemaic Egypt, was published at the end of 2020. He is on the editorial board for the Brill series on War in World History. He is currently completing projects on ethics and diversity, ancient leadership and strategy, ancient cases of military adaptation and resiliency, and a systems theory analysis of ancient great powers.
Dr. William “Bill” Harlow is Professor of Organizational Leadership at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Prior to his current position, he served as Chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. He has been a faculty member at UT Permian Basin since 2008, previously holding roles as Professor, Associate Professor, and Assistant Professor. He also served as Dean of Undergraduate Success from 2012 to 2019, leading initiatives that significantly improved student retention and graduation rates. Dr. Harlow holds a PhD in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University (2002), an MA in Communication from the University of Texas at El Paso (1999), and a BA in Communication from Angelo State University (1997). His teaching includes courses on Public Speaking, Political Communication, Crisis Communication, and more, both online and face-to-face. His professional background includes roles as Secretary for the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission and Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. State Department, where he served in Mexico City and Abuja, Nigeria. He also worked as an Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University and has held various teaching positions during his graduate studies. Dr. Harlow's research includes publications on communication theories and presidential rhetoric. He has secured significant grants, including a $1.85 million Title V HSI grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Dr. Brosh M. Teucher is Professor of Organizational Leadership at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Washington (2006), an MS in Behavioral and Management Sciences from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (1995), and dual BA degrees in Psychology and Geography from Haifa University (1992). His research focuses on organizational culture, cross-cultural negotiation, and human capital management. He has published in various journals and presented at major conferences such as the Academy of Management. Dr. Teucher teaches courses on Leadership in the Profession of Arms, National Security and has taught Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, Leadership, and Negotiation at both graduate and executive levels. He has also participated in advanced professional development programs, including those at Harvard Law School and the Center for Conflict Resolution.
Col Stringer is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. She teaches Leadership in the Profession of Arms, and Leadership in Command, as well as offering Leadership 652 ARCS for the Global College of PME (GCPME). Col Stringer is the ACSC Fellows Program manager. She holds a Bachelor of Arts: French & German, University of Portland, a Bachelor of Business Administration & Marketing, University of Portland, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air University. Col Stringer is the Wing Commander (IMA) of the 480 Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing at Langley AFB, Virginia.
Lt Col Ballew is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He teaches Leadership in the Profession of Arms, Airpower Strategy & Operations, and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Ballew holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, U.S. Air Force Academy, a Master of Arts degree in International Relations, University of Oklahoma, a Master of Arts degree in Counseling & Leadership, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Ballew was commander of the 32nd Student Training Squadron at Squadron Officer School.
Lt Col Barnes is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He currently serves as deputy course director for the Leadership in Command Course. He teaches National Security, and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Barnes holds a B.S. University of Arkansas, Business Administration, a M.A. Webster University, Procurement and Acquisition Management, a MBA, Naval Postgraduate School, a Master of Military Studies, Marine Command and Staff College. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Barnes was commander of the 92nd Contracting Squadron.
Lt Col Canup is an Air University Fellow and instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. She teaches Leadership in the Profession of Arms and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Canup holds a B.S. Space Systems Engineering & French Minor, U.S. Air Force Academy, a M.S. Space Systems Engineering, AFIT, a M.A. National Security Affairs, Sub-Saharan Africa, Naval Postgraduate school, a M.S. Strategic Studies, Air War College. Prior to her current assignment, Lt Col Canup was a student at Air War College.
Lt Col Colonel Joseph “Winters” Ladymon is an instructor in the Department of Leadership and Research Development at Air University's Air Command and Staff College. He holds a bachelor’s degree in government and history (dual majors) from the College of William and Mary, a master's degree in national security studies from American Military University, and a master's degree in administrative leadership from the University of Oklahoma. Lt Col Ladymon also attended the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Ladymon commanded the 314 Training Squadron at the Defense Language Institute-Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey, where he led 750 personnel at two geographically separated units undergoing language training for USAF missions worldwide. Lt Col Ladymon is a career intelligence professional and targeting analyst, weapons school graduate and instructor, and has deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Odyssey Dawn.
Lt Col Liggett is an Air University Fellow and Instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He teaches Leadership in the Profession of Arms and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Liggett holds a B.S. in Military History, U.S. Air Force Academy, a M.A. in Homeland Security, AMU, a M.A. in National Security Studies, Naval Postgraduate school, a M.S. Strategic Studies, Air War College. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Liggett was a student at Air War College.
Lt Col Long is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He currently serves as deputy course director for the Leadership and the Profession of Arms Course. He teaches Airpower Strategy and Operations and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Long holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Economics, U.S. Air Force Academy, a Master of Military Operational Studies, Command and General Staff College. He is a senior pilot serving as an instructor/evaluator in the RC-135 and a mulit-domain warfare officer serving in both USEUCOM and USSOUTHCOM. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Long was the Branch Chief, Strategic Plan Integration at AFSOUTH.
Lt Col Schreiber is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He currently serves as deputy Chair of the Leader and Research Development Department. He teaches National Security and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Schreiber holds a B.A. Spanish Literature, Virgina Military Institute, a M.A. Int’l Relations, Troy University, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air University. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Schreiber served as the deputy of the 14th Operational Group at Columbus AFB.
Lt Col Matt “Indy” Ziemann is an instructor in the Department of Leadership and Research Development at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College.  He teaches Leadership and the Profession of Arms, Leadership in Command, Airpower Strategy and Operations, and is the military advisor for the Gathering of Eagles.  He is a career intelligence officer and political-military affairs strategist with a background primarily in special operations.  He is an instructor/evaluator senior airborne ISR Operator with over 1200 flight hours in a variety of special operations aircraft including over 850 combat hours flown in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and Operation NEW DAWN.  He is also a civilian pilot owning an RV-4 for the past 17 years and flying WWII warbirds for the Commemorative Air Force.  Lt Col Ziemann commanded the 392d Intelligence Squadron and served as military deputy director of Air University’s Commanders’ Professional Development School running O-6 pre-command training prior to his arrival on ACSC faculty.  He received his Bachelor of Science in management from the US Air Force Academy and holds a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in strategic leadership from Trident University and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University.
Major Markling is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. Major Markling is a graduate of ACSC. He teaches Joint Air Operations Planning, Airpower Strategy and Operations, and Leadership in Command. He holds a B.S. in Foreign Area Studies from the U.S. Air Force Academy, M.A. Strategic Purchasing and Category Management, Naval Postgraduate School, and a Masters of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, Maxwell AFB. Prior to attending ACSC, Major Markling was the commander DCMA Israel in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Major Olson is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He’s a graduate of the School of Advanced Nuclear and Deterrence Studies (SANDS) concentration while attending ACSC. He currently serves as director of staff of the Leader and Research Development Department.  He teaches Joint Air Operations Planning, National Security, and Leadership in Command. Major Olson holds a bachelor's degree in University Studies, University of New Mexico, a M.A. in Security Management, American Military University, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, Maxwell AFB. Prior to attending ACSC, Major Olson was the 14th Security Forces commander at Columbus AFB, MS.
Major Smith is an Air University Fellow and instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. Major Smith is a graduate of ACSC. She teaches Leadership and the Profession of Arms, Leadership in Command.  Major Smith holds a B.S. Geography & Geographic Information Sciences, South Dakota State University, a M.S. Organizational Leadership (specialization in Strategic Innovation and Change Management), Colorado State University, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, Maxwell AFB. Prior to attending ACSC, Major Smith was the Director of Operations for 52 Logistics Readiness Squadron.
Major Watts is an Air University Fellow and instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. Major Watts is a graduate of ACSC. She currently serves as deputy course director for the Leadership and the Profession of Arms Course. Additionally, she teaches Joint Air Operations Planning, National Security, and Leadership in Command, and is the military advisor for the Gathering of Eagles.  Major Watts holds a B.S. in Economics, Auburn University, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, Maxwell AFB. Prior to attending ACSC, Major Watts was the Squadron Commander of the 77th Fighter Generation Squadron (77 FGS).


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, LTC, 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.


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. Gregory Miller Dean 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 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

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 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.


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. Kevin C. Holzimmer is Department 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. Matthew R. Schwonek is an instructor in the 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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
Dr. Todd C. Robinson is an Associate 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.


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Dean of Education

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.

 
Col Sarah Bakhtiari is the ACSC Resident Dean of Education (DE).  As the ACSC-R Program Manager, Col Bakhtiari is the is the principal advisor to the ACSC Commandant on all aspects of JPME. She 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 Bakhtiari ensures ACSC-R complies with external inputs from the SECAF, the CSAF, the Air Staff, Air Force Major Commands, CJCS.
Dr. Jordan R. Hayworth is the Associate Dean for Policy and Strategy at the Air Command and Staff College. He previously served as an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Leader and Research Development, where he was the 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.
Lt Col Charles “Creed” Napier is an assistant professor at Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He holds an MBA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Masters in Military Operational Art and Science from ACSC, and a PhD in International Relations from Stanford University. Lt Col Napier received his commission from the US Air Force Academy in 2006 and is a combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter pilot with 1,500 hours in the HH-60G and HM-225. He helped save more than 120 lives in combat during deployments to Afghanistan, Chad, and Niger. Part of this operational experience included service as an exchange pilot to the French Air Force. Lt Col Napier’s research focuses on why states choose to fight one another with proxy groups or denied forces and the mechanisms through which this strategy reduces interstate conflict. 
Lt Col Jeremy “HULK” Sherman is the Associate Dean for Plans and Requirements at Air Command and Staff College. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Commander, 10th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany where he led the USAF’s sole deployed E-8C Squadron in support of both USAFE and Allied Air Command. He has flown over 2,500 hours in both the E-8C JSTARS and E-3A NATO AWACS and served as an Instructor and Evaluator Combat Systems Officer in both Major Weapon Systems’ Formal Training Units. His staff experience includes Chief of Direct Operations for Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization/Defense Threat Reduction Agency (JIDO/DTRA), Speechwriter to the AFCENT Commander, and Chief of Personnel Recovery for AFCENT. Lt Col Sherman’s professional and military education include a graduate from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management, Master of Science Degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Joint and Combined Warfighting School, Master of Military Operational Art and Science Degree from Air Command and Staff College, and Air War College.  
Maj Sean Ritter is an Air University fellow, and Joint All Domain Strategist graduate assigned as the ACSC Chief Data Officer.  He teaches the Data Science and AI leadership specialization and is responsible for bringing new data science and computer aided techniques to Air Command and Staff College broadly.  Prior to this assignment, he was the Operational Assessments Team Leader at United States Strategic Command.  He has a Master’s of Science from the Air Force Institute of Technology in Operations Research and has served in a diverse range of assignments to include Combatant Command Staff, Air Operations Center Staff, and Headquarters U.S. Air Force. 

Dept. of Airpower

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 Strategy and Operations and Contemporary and Emerging Warfare, in support of the USAF’s new mission: To fly, fight, and win… Airpower anytime, anywhere. The first course, Airpower Strategy and Operations, examines the emergence and development of airpower from World War I through the early years of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to better understand airpower employment today. The Contemporary and Emerging Warfare course examines capabilities, limitations, threats, and technology in modern conflicts, incorporating joint doctrine and studying great power and peer adversaries. The courses work together to merge lessons learned from historical and contemporary conflicts with emerging technologies and threats to prepare for future conflict. Airpower…Get Some!

 

Dr. Edwin H. Redman, Colonel, USAF (Retired), is Chair of the Department of Airpower and an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies at the US 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 (SAASS). 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 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

Lt Col Todd “King” Arthur is the Deputy Department Chair of the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Lt Col Arthur is a command pilot with over 5500 hours in the C-5 A/B/M, T-1A, T-6A and E-11 aircraft. He served as an instructor pilot in all four airframes, and flew combat missions in Operations IRAQI FREEDOM, ENDURING FREEDOM, and FREEDOM SENTENEL. He is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, ACSC, and commanded the 430 EECS. Lt Col Arthur received his Bachelor of Science from the United States Air Force Academy with a minor in Military Doctrine, Operations and Strategy. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Touro University with an emphasis in corporate finance. Lt Col Arthur also has a Master of Military Sciences from Air University. His last assignment was Commander, 430 EECS Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arab.
Dr. Jared R. Donnelly is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies and the Course Director of the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare course at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College. 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. 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 decision making in multi-domain operations.

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

Dr. Heather P. Venable is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Airpower and the Airpower Strategy and Operations Course Director. 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 II course director. As a visiting professor at the US Naval Academy, she taught naval and Marine Corps history. She graduated with a BA in History from Texas A&M University and an MA 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. 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 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 The Strategy Bridge. Her current research centers on intersections between theory and pre-war thinking and the application of airpower in combat.
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. 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.
Dr. Joshua A. Sipper is an Assistant Professor at the Air Command and Staff College. He completed his Doctoral work at Trident University in September of 2012, earning a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership (emphasis, E-Learning Leadership). Dr. Sipper’s previous degrees were obtained from Troy University (M.Ed. Education) and Faulkner University (B.S. English). Dr. Sipper is a veteran who served honorably in the U.S. Air Force in the intelligence career field and worked for Lockheed Martin in a similar capacity on the U-2 program. More recently, Dr. Sipper shifted his focus into the cyber realm for seven years as a Systems Engineer, Chief of Cyber Standardization and Evaluation, and Cyber Exercise Manager for General Dynamics at the Air Force’s 26th Network Operations Squadron, followed by a nine-year stint as a civil servant in the Air Force cyber career field at the Curtis E. LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education. Just prior to his appointment at ACSC, Dr. Sipper was a Professor of Cyberwarfare Studies at the Air Force Cyber College where he designed several cyber courses including Cyber ISR, Cyber EW, and Cyber and Information Warfare Capabilities and Trends. He has numerous publications including his paper titled “The Cyber Microbiome and the Cyber Meta-reality” published at the IARIA Cyber 2020 conference for which he won a “Best Paper Award” and also has a book titled “The Cyber Meta-reality: Beyond the Metaverse, published by Rowman and Littlefield in 2022. Dr. Sipper’s research interests include cyber operations, ISR, electromagnetic warfare, and cyber warfare.
Dr. M.V. "Coyote" Smith is an associate professor in the Department of Airpower 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.
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.
Dr. John Terino is an Associate Professor of Military and Security Studies at the Air Command and Staff College. At ACSC, he teaches courses on Military Theory, Airpower, Contemporary Warfare, Joint 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 after serving for almost 23 years. He received his BA, MA, and PhD in the History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently researching a couple of book chapters and editing an airpower anthology book.
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, 2022), came out in print in the Fall of 2022. 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.

Dr. Hurley 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).  Dr. Hurley is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy Class of 1990 and a 2005 graduate of ACSC, having also earned an MA in History from the University of Washington (1991) and a PhD in History from The Ohio State University (2009).  He spent most of his military career as an intelligence officer, completing threat and theater analysis assignments in Air Mobility Command, Pacific Air Forces, US Air Forces in Europe, NATO, and US Forces Korea.  Dr. Hurley retired from the Air Force in 2014 as the Chief of USAF ISR Doctrine and Policy Integration, HQ AF/A2, The Pentagon.  Since leaving active service he has worked as a Senior Fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and an airpower history author for Helion & Co., Publishers, and he continues to serve as a volunteer guide at the National Museum of the US Air Force.  He joined Air University as a civilian professor in May 2024.
Lt Col Boss is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He entered the Air Force in 2004 and initially served as an Air Battle Manager before transitioning to the intelligence career field in 2013. Lt Col Boss has deployed in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and ODYSSEY DAWN / UNIFIED PROTECTOR and served a tour in the 603d Air Operations Center. He holds an EdD in Aviation and Space Education from Oklahoma State University, holds MS degrees from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and is a graduate of ACSC (AY17). Lt Col Boss joined the ACSC faculty in July 2023 upon completion of tours as a Squadron Commander and Deputy Group Commander.
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.
Lt Col Drew Roberts is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and Contemporary and Emerging Warfare Courses. He is an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) on the RC-135 Rivet Joint with deployments in support of USCENTCOM, USEUCOM, and USINDOPACOM. He also served as an exchange officer with the Royal Air Force conducting test and evaluation and flying operations on the British RC-135. Lt Col Roberts received a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Florida State University, a Master of Arts in Intelligence Studies from American Military University, a Master of Military Operational Arts and Sciences from ACSC, and recently completed and defended his doctoral dissertation from the University of North Texas in military history. His research is focused on the integration of airpower into combined arms operations during the First World War.
Major Steven "Noforn" Barfoot is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Prior to instructing at ACSC, he was a member of ACSC’s AY22 class. In his previous assignment, he was the assistant director of operations at the 527th Space Aggressor Squadron at Schriever AFB, CO. As an air traffic controller in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Maj Barfoot cross-trained into space operations in 2009 when he was assigned to the 12th Space Warning Squadron, Thule Air Base, Greenland. Since then, he’s had numerous space assignments in both Canada and the US. Additionally, he has worked in space acquisitions as the project director for the Surveillance of Space 2 capability; the follow-on to Sapphire. Maj Barfoot holds a Master of Business Administration as well as a Master of Military Operational Art and Science and a Master of Philosophy in Military Strategy. 
Maj Daniele Lins is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the United States Air Force's Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). She teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Maj Daniele Lins belongs to the Brazilian Air Force's first female pilot class, which graduated in 2006. After graduation, her operational career was based on fighter and strike aviation until 2016. After that, she was assigned to work for the Brazilian Airspace Control Department where she worked as the Brazilian representative on the ICAO RPAS Pannel (Headquarters in Montreal, Canada) and manager of the Working Group to develop UTM CONOPS for the South American region (under the ICAO SAM - Lima, Peru). Prior to her current assignment in the United States, she worked for the Brazilian CSAF and flew in the 2nd Squadron of the Special Transportation Group, performing DV airlift (for the Vice President and Ministers). Maj Daniele Lins attended the Brazilian Air Force Academy, receiving his bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Science with qualification in Military Aviation. She also holds a Lato Sensu postgraduate course in Public Administration and Air Force Employment, an MBA in Planning and Strategic Management, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science. 
Lt Col Joe Baldwin is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations course as well as the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare course. Prior to this assignment, he served on the commander’s action group at Third Air Force, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Maj Baldwin is a senior pilot, previously qualified in the M-28 Skytruck, PC-12, T-6A, and most recently C-130J. Maj Baldwin holds a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy, Master of Science in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC
Lt Col Michael "Deano" Dean is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Within AU, Lt Col Dean has served as the Air University (AU) Fellow Program Manager, AY23 Airpower and Contemporary Warfare Instructor, and was an AU Fellow with instructor experience at Squadron Officer School. His recent assignments include strategy and current plans development on the United States Air Forces-Europe Staff and 603d Air Operations Center. He is an Air Battle Manager with over 2,000 hours on the E-3 AWACS. Lt Col Dean has deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Unified Protector, Enduring Freedom, and Inherent Resolve. Other notable missions supported are Operation Noble Eagle, SOUTHCOM Counter-Drug Operations, Presidential Overwatch, and representing Air Forces-Africa on numerous security cooperation delegations. Lt Col Dean received a Master of Arts in Education from George Fox University and a Master of Operational Art and Science from ACSC in AY22
Lt Col Jeremiah Gilmore is an instructor in the Department of Airpower and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare Deputy Course Director at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Prior to this assignment, Lt Col Gilmore was a Staff Officer at Air Combat Command (ACC) where he worked acquisition and capability development for several emerging Air force Programs. He holds a Master’s in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University as well as a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Georgia and received his commission from ROTC. He has previously served at Offutt AFB where he deployed with the RC-135 to the CENTCOM and INDOPACOM AORs. He has also completed an instructor assignment at the Combat Systems Officer Formal Training Unit in Pensacola Florida. He is a Senior Combat Systems Officer with over 2000 hours in the RC-135 and T-1A aircraft.
Lt Col Robert Lacy is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Lt Col Lacy is a Senior CSO having flown the EC-130H, MC-130H, and MC-130J. He holds a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University as well as a Master of Natural Resource Development from Texas A&M University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2006 and commissioned through ROTC. Prior to this assignment he was assigned to the 58th Special Operations Wing, AETC’s schoolhouse for Special Operations and Personnel Recovery aviation.
Lt Col Mike Mulligan is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations, Leadership and the Profession of Arms and Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Prior to this assignment, he was an Ops Support Squadron commander. Lt Col Mulligan is a USSF space operations officer.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Auburn University of Montgomery, Master of Science in Political Science from American Military University, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.
Lt Col James "Motel" Six is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Deputy Commander Detachment 3, Training Support Squadron, Air Combat Command (ACC) at Davis- Monthan Air Force Base, AZ. Lt Col Six is a Senior Combat Systems Officer with over 1,000 flight hours in the EC-130H “Compass Call”, including over 550 combat hours flown in various operations as an Evaluator Mission Crew Commander. Lt Col Six received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Clemson University (Go Tigers!), holds a Master of Arts in History from American Military University, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.
Lt Col Dominic “DOG” Gaskin is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Commander, 343d Reconnaissance Squadron, Air Combat Command (ACC) at Offutt AFB, NE. Lt Col Gaskin is a Master Electronic Warfare Officer with over 2000 flight hours in the RC-135V/W RIVET JOINT and T-1A, including 884 combat hours. Lt Col Gaskin received a Bachelor of Science in English from Troy University, a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.
Maj Jacob “Jake” Bradosky is an Instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Prior to this assignment, he was the Program Element Monitor for B-1, B-2, B61-12, and Nuclear Weapons Support, Directorate of Global Power Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Pentagon. Maj Bradosky began his career in ICBM operations at Malmstrom AFB, Montana. He went on to serve in a variety of Acquisition assignments to include program management positions for Sentinel, ICBM reentry systems, and several satellite programs including partner programs with Taiwan and Norway. Maj Bradosky has deployed in support of Operations FREEDOM'S SENTINEL, RESOLUTE SUPPORT, and ALLIES REFUGE. Maj Bradosky holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Wright State University, Master of Business Administration from Liberty University, and Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.
 
Maj Chris “KRUSTY” Carver 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). Serving in this capacity, he teaches the Joint Air Operations Planning Course, Airpower Strategy and Operations Course, and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare Course. Maj Carver is a Senior Remotely Piloted Aircraft Pilot with more than 3,100 hours in the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator, including 2,500 in combat supporting Operations ENDURING FREEDOM, NOMAD SHADOW, FREEDOM SENTINEL, RESOLUTE SUPPORT, and INHERENT RESOLVE. His past assignments include operational flying units, test, formal training unit, and one deployment to Afghanistan as a MQ-1 Launch and Recovery Pilot. Maj Carver received a Master of Arts in Military History from the American Military University and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.
Major Korey "Bounce" Lantes is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations course, the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare course, and the 2024 PACAF Specialization. His recent assignments include serving as Chief of Standardization and Evaluation at the Air Battle Manager (ABM) schoolhouse, as an Evaluator and Senior Director on the JSTARS, and as initial cadre for the TOC-F at Robins Air Force Base. Major Lantes is an Air Battle Manager with over 750 combat hours on the JSTARS, supporting Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Inherent Resolve (OIR), and SOUTHCOM counter-drug missions and operational missions in the Pacific. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Florida, a Master of Arts in American Military History from American Military University, and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from ACSC.
Major Jessica Harris is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), where she teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations course and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare course. Prior to this assignment, she was the director of operations at the 24th Analysis Squadron at the Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) at Patrick SFB, Florida. Major Harris is a career intelligence officer, with previous assignments at the 603d Air and Space Operations Center, Air University’s International Officer School, and Headquarters NATO Allied Air Command. She holds a bachelor’s in international relations from Florida State University and a master’s in military operational air and science from ACSC.
Maj Ian “Dutch” VanBergen is an instructor in the Department of Airpower at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) where he teaches the Airpower Strategy and Operations and the Contemporary and Emerging Warfare courses. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Chief of Staff, 314th Airlift Wing, Little Rock AFB, AR. Maj VanBergen is a senior pilot with over 2.500 hours in the C-130J, T-44A, and T-6A aircraft. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science degree from ACSC.


Dept. of Warfighting

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.


Dept. of Leadership

Department of Leadership

The Department of Leadership and Research Development (DEL) organizes and executes the “Leadership and the Profession of Arms” and “Leadership in Command” core courses as well as the ACSC electives program.  In the Leadership courses students have the opportunity to hone their personal leadership philosophy, better understand the complexities of leading people and organizations, 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 is the Chair of the Leadership and Research Development Department at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Dr. Beckenbaugh received her bachelors and masters 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.
Dr. Sebastian Lukasik is Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership and Research Development at Air Command and Staff College, where he serves as director of the ACSC In-Residence Electives Program. He holds a Ph.D. in military history from Duke University. His research and teaching interests include combat motivation, the history and theory of airpower, and military culture. He is currently completing a book manuscript on the emergence of combined-arms warfare in the First World War and its implications for soldiers’ experience of and response to the stresses of modern combat.
Dr. Amber B. Batura is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies in the Department of Leadership and Research Development. She teaches courses in Leadership, Airpower, and International Security as well as offering the War and Gender elective. Dr. Batura advises the Commandant Speaker Series and serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for ACSC and participates in various committees at ACSC and AU. 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 Ph.D. in history from Texas Tech University in 2018. 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.
Dr. Daniel A. Connelly serves 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 has taught courses in International Security, Leadership Studies, Air Power Theory, the Just War Tradition, Russian Studies and Educational Methodology. He holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Auburn University, and master’s degrees in strategic intelligence and Russian culture with a concentration in international security. 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. He has served as an adjunct professor on ethics at the Air Force Chaplain Corps College for several years. He is currently working on a book on international relations theory. Previously, Dan served as Dean of Academic Affairs at Squadron Officer College.
Dr. Paul Johstono is an Associate Professor of Leadership Studies at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He is currently the course director for Leadership and the Profession of Arms. He teaches courses on Leadership and Ethics, Military Theory, and Airpower. He teaches or has taught elective courses on the Great Captains of military history, Roman Great Power Competition, and the Vietnam War. He regularly leads walking tours and staff rides on leadership, strategy, and social innovation in the Montgomery Civil Rights Movement. He is the ACSC representative to the SACS QEP, a member of the AU Ethics Working Group, and works on several ACSC and AU committees. Prior to joining ACSC in January 2019, he was Associate Professor for History of Warfare at The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina. Dr. Johstono received his bachelor’s degree in history from Furman University in Greenville, SC (2005) and his master’s degree (2008) and Ph.D. (2012) in history from Duke University. He specializes in warfare and military institutions in the Hellenistic era, approximately from Alexander the Great to Julius Caesar. He has published numerous articles and chapters on subjects ranging from ancient insurgency to battlefield investigation to demography and ethnography. His first book, on the Army of Ptolemaic Egypt, was published at the end of 2020. He is on the editorial board for the Brill series on War in World History. He is currently completing projects on ethics and diversity, ancient leadership and strategy, ancient cases of military adaptation and resiliency, and a systems theory analysis of ancient great powers.
Dr. William “Bill” Harlow is Professor of Organizational Leadership at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Prior to his current position, he served as Chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. He has been a faculty member at UT Permian Basin since 2008, previously holding roles as Professor, Associate Professor, and Assistant Professor. He also served as Dean of Undergraduate Success from 2012 to 2019, leading initiatives that significantly improved student retention and graduation rates. Dr. Harlow holds a PhD in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University (2002), an MA in Communication from the University of Texas at El Paso (1999), and a BA in Communication from Angelo State University (1997). His teaching includes courses on Public Speaking, Political Communication, Crisis Communication, and more, both online and face-to-face. His professional background includes roles as Secretary for the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission and Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. State Department, where he served in Mexico City and Abuja, Nigeria. He also worked as an Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University and has held various teaching positions during his graduate studies. Dr. Harlow's research includes publications on communication theories and presidential rhetoric. He has secured significant grants, including a $1.85 million Title V HSI grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Dr. Brosh M. Teucher is Professor of Organizational Leadership at the Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). He holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Washington (2006), an MS in Behavioral and Management Sciences from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (1995), and dual BA degrees in Psychology and Geography from Haifa University (1992). His research focuses on organizational culture, cross-cultural negotiation, and human capital management. He has published in various journals and presented at major conferences such as the Academy of Management. Dr. Teucher teaches courses on Leadership in the Profession of Arms, National Security and has taught Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, Leadership, and Negotiation at both graduate and executive levels. He has also participated in advanced professional development programs, including those at Harvard Law School and the Center for Conflict Resolution.
Col Stringer is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. She teaches Leadership in the Profession of Arms, and Leadership in Command, as well as offering Leadership 652 ARCS for the Global College of PME (GCPME). Col Stringer is the ACSC Fellows Program manager. She holds a Bachelor of Arts: French & German, University of Portland, a Bachelor of Business Administration & Marketing, University of Portland, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air University. Col Stringer is the Wing Commander (IMA) of the 480 Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing at Langley AFB, Virginia.
Lt Col Ballew is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He teaches Leadership in the Profession of Arms, Airpower Strategy & Operations, and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Ballew holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, U.S. Air Force Academy, a Master of Arts degree in International Relations, University of Oklahoma, a Master of Arts degree in Counseling & Leadership, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Ballew was commander of the 32nd Student Training Squadron at Squadron Officer School.
Lt Col Barnes is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He currently serves as deputy course director for the Leadership in Command Course. He teaches National Security, and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Barnes holds a B.S. University of Arkansas, Business Administration, a M.A. Webster University, Procurement and Acquisition Management, a MBA, Naval Postgraduate School, a Master of Military Studies, Marine Command and Staff College. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Barnes was commander of the 92nd Contracting Squadron.
Lt Col Canup is an Air University Fellow and instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. She teaches Leadership in the Profession of Arms and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Canup holds a B.S. Space Systems Engineering & French Minor, U.S. Air Force Academy, a M.S. Space Systems Engineering, AFIT, a M.A. National Security Affairs, Sub-Saharan Africa, Naval Postgraduate school, a M.S. Strategic Studies, Air War College. Prior to her current assignment, Lt Col Canup was a student at Air War College.
Lt Col Colonel Joseph “Winters” Ladymon is an instructor in the Department of Leadership and Research Development at Air University's Air Command and Staff College. He holds a bachelor’s degree in government and history (dual majors) from the College of William and Mary, a master's degree in national security studies from American Military University, and a master's degree in administrative leadership from the University of Oklahoma. Lt Col Ladymon also attended the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Ladymon commanded the 314 Training Squadron at the Defense Language Institute-Foreign Language Center, Presidio of Monterey, where he led 750 personnel at two geographically separated units undergoing language training for USAF missions worldwide. Lt Col Ladymon is a career intelligence professional and targeting analyst, weapons school graduate and instructor, and has deployed in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Odyssey Dawn.
Lt Col Liggett is an Air University Fellow and Instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He teaches Leadership in the Profession of Arms and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Liggett holds a B.S. in Military History, U.S. Air Force Academy, a M.A. in Homeland Security, AMU, a M.A. in National Security Studies, Naval Postgraduate school, a M.S. Strategic Studies, Air War College. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Liggett was a student at Air War College.
Lt Col Long is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He currently serves as deputy course director for the Leadership and the Profession of Arms Course. He teaches Airpower Strategy and Operations and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Long holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Economics, U.S. Air Force Academy, a Master of Military Operational Studies, Command and General Staff College. He is a senior pilot serving as an instructor/evaluator in the RC-135 and a mulit-domain warfare officer serving in both USEUCOM and USSOUTHCOM. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Long was the Branch Chief, Strategic Plan Integration at AFSOUTH.
Lt Col Schreiber is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He currently serves as deputy Chair of the Leader and Research Development Department. He teaches National Security and Leadership in Command. Lt Col Schreiber holds a B.A. Spanish Literature, Virgina Military Institute, a M.A. Int’l Relations, Troy University, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air University. Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Schreiber served as the deputy of the 14th Operational Group at Columbus AFB.
Lt Col Matt “Indy” Ziemann is an instructor in the Department of Leadership and Research Development at Air University’s Air Command and Staff College.  He teaches Leadership and the Profession of Arms, Leadership in Command, Airpower Strategy and Operations, and is the military advisor for the Gathering of Eagles.  He is a career intelligence officer and political-military affairs strategist with a background primarily in special operations.  He is an instructor/evaluator senior airborne ISR Operator with over 1200 flight hours in a variety of special operations aircraft including over 850 combat hours flown in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and Operation NEW DAWN.  He is also a civilian pilot owning an RV-4 for the past 17 years and flying WWII warbirds for the Commemorative Air Force.  Lt Col Ziemann commanded the 392d Intelligence Squadron and served as military deputy director of Air University’s Commanders’ Professional Development School running O-6 pre-command training prior to his arrival on ACSC faculty.  He received his Bachelor of Science in management from the US Air Force Academy and holds a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in strategic leadership from Trident University and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University.
Major Markling is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. Major Markling is a graduate of ACSC. He teaches Joint Air Operations Planning, Airpower Strategy and Operations, and Leadership in Command. He holds a B.S. in Foreign Area Studies from the U.S. Air Force Academy, M.A. Strategic Purchasing and Category Management, Naval Postgraduate School, and a Masters of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, Maxwell AFB. Prior to attending ACSC, Major Markling was the commander DCMA Israel in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Major Olson is an instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. He’s a graduate of the School of Advanced Nuclear and Deterrence Studies (SANDS) concentration while attending ACSC. He currently serves as director of staff of the Leader and Research Development Department.  He teaches Joint Air Operations Planning, National Security, and Leadership in Command. Major Olson holds a bachelor's degree in University Studies, University of New Mexico, a M.A. in Security Management, American Military University, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, Maxwell AFB. Prior to attending ACSC, Major Olson was the 14th Security Forces commander at Columbus AFB, MS.
Major Smith is an Air University Fellow and instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. Major Smith is a graduate of ACSC. She teaches Leadership and the Profession of Arms, Leadership in Command.  Major Smith holds a B.S. Geography & Geographic Information Sciences, South Dakota State University, a M.S. Organizational Leadership (specialization in Strategic Innovation and Change Management), Colorado State University, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, Maxwell AFB. Prior to attending ACSC, Major Smith was the Director of Operations for 52 Logistics Readiness Squadron.
Major Watts is an Air University Fellow and instructor for the Department of Leadership and Research Development. Major Watts is a graduate of ACSC. She currently serves as deputy course director for the Leadership and the Profession of Arms Course. Additionally, she teaches Joint Air Operations Planning, National Security, and Leadership in Command, and is the military advisor for the Gathering of Eagles.  Major Watts holds a B.S. in Economics, Auburn University, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University, Maxwell AFB. Prior to attending ACSC, Major Watts was the Squadron Commander of the 77th Fighter Generation Squadron (77 FGS).


Dept. of Research

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.


Dept. of Joint Education

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, LTC, 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.


Dept. of Spacepower

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. Gregory Miller Dean 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 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

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 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.


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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. Kevin C. Holzimmer is Department 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. Matthew R. Schwonek is an instructor in the 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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
Dr. Todd C. Robinson is an Associate 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.