Air Force Institute of Technology
The Air Force Institute of Technology, or AFIT, is the Air Force's graduate school of engineering and management as well as its institution for technical professional continuing education. A component of Air University and Air Education and Training Command, AFIT is committed to providing defense-focused graduate and professional continuing education and research to sustain the technological supremacy of America's air and space forces.
AFIT accomplishes this mission through three resident schools: the Graduate School of Engineering and Management, the School of Systems and Logistics, and the Civil Engineer and Services School. Through its Civilian Institution Programs, AFIT also manages the educational programs of officers enrolled in civilian universities, research centers, hospitals, and industrial organizations. Since resident degrees were first granted in 1955, more than 18,700 graduate and 760 doctor of philosophy degrees have been awarded. In addition, Air Force students attending civilian institutions have earned more than 12,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees in the past twenty years.
AFIT's Mission
Provide Airmen with world-class defense-focused and research-enabled advanced academic education, and career-long professional continuing education both on-command and on-demand. Through four resident schools and a non-resident civilian institution program, delivers: graduate education to the Medical, Line, Legal and Chaplain Corps professional continuing education to Civil Engineers, Space, Nuclear, Acquisition, and Logistics professionals cutting-edge research in many areas, including cyber, directed energy, hypersonics, stealth, navigation and space and consultation and analysis support services.
On 10 November 1919, Colonel Thurman Bane received authorization to begin instruction at the Air School of Application. The following year, the first class of nine students graduated from the newly named Air Services Engineering School. Now, 98 years later, the Air Force Institute of Technology has awarded over 20,000 degrees and more than 400,000 people have gone through the continuing education courses.
CHANGING NAMES FOR A GROWING INSTITUTE
1919-1920: Air School of Application
1920-1926: Air Service Engineering School
1926-1941: Air Corps Engineering School
1944-1945: Army Air Forces Engineering School
1945-1947: Army Air Forces Institute of Technology
1947-1948: Air Force Institute of Technology
1948-1955: United States Air Force Institute of Technology
1955-1956: Institute of Technology, USAF
1956-1959: Air Force Institute of Technology
1959-1962: Institute of Technology
1962-Present: Air Force Institute of Technology
2011
2012
2013
The National Security Agency (NSA) and the United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) designated the Air Force Institute of Technology as a National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Operations for the period 2013-2018. The goal of the CAE program is to strengthen national security by promoting higher education and research in Cyber Operations with a particular emphasis on technologies and techniques related to specialized cyber operations (e.g., collection, exploitation, and response) and producing a growing number of professionals with cyber operations expertise in various disciplines. The program identifies institutions offering a cyber curriculum that has deep technical foundations in computer science, computer engineering and/or electrical engineering, and interdisciplinary research with extensive opportunities for hands-on applications through cyber labs and exercises.
After a rigorous application and screening process, AFIT's Master's of Science degrees in Cyber Operations and Cyber Warfare were recognized as graduate level curriculum satisfying NSA's rigorous academic requirements and program criteria. These degree programs are offered by AFIT's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering along with significant support from AFIT's Center for Cyberspace Research (CCR).
The CAE-Cyber Operations Program supports the President's National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE): Building a Digital Nation and complements AFIT's 2009 designation in NSA's existing CAEs in Information Assurance Education and Research Programs.
The Center for Cyberspace Research (CCR), established in March 2002, conducts defense-focused research at the Master's and PhD levels. Defense focused research is a key mission component of the CCR. CCR affiliated faculty possess extensive operational experience in military communications and security. In addition, the faculty members have close working relationships with Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, NSA, and other Air Force organizations. This synergistic approach promotes an environment for collaborative research that solves real-world cyber security issues facing our nation and national defense.
To support the Air Force and DOD mission to grow its cyber security workforce, the Center has developed four cyber Professional Continuing Education courses that augment the graduate degree programs. These courses are the senior and master cyber professional rating courses Cyber 200 and Cyber 300 courses, the Advanced Cyber Education (ACE) cyber security boot camp program, and the TALON program for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education. All programs are a unique blend of current cyber policy, doctrine, and law with applications of emerging technologies by hands-on experimentation.
The CCR staff and affiliated faculty teach and perform research focusing on understanding and developing advanced cyber-related theories and technologies. In 2008, AFIT and the CCR were designated by the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff as the Air Force Cyberspace Technical Center of Excellence.
2015
On Sept. 11, Air University Commander Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast announced that several professional continuing education programs will realign to AU's Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The programs realigning are the National Security Space Institute, which is currently aligned under AU's Ira C. Eaker Center for Professional Development, and the Nuclear College component of AU's Center for Unconventional Weapons Studies.
This action is being taken as part of a comprehensive AU transformation initiative led by Kwast. The primary goal of this decision is to take a more holistic, coordinated approach to meeting current and future education requirements in several of the Air Force's high-priority core missions, to include air and space superiority and nuclear deterrence--global strike.
AFIT is currently responsible for graduate degree and certificate programs related to space in AFIT's Center for Space Research and Assurance, as well as those programs related to nuclear deterrence. AFIT is also a major center for Air Force professional continuing education for example, its School of Systems and Logistics and The Civil Engineer School, enroll more than 22,000 students annually. This action will make more effective use of AU's faculty talent with nuclear and space expertise and associated staff resources.
AFIT currently supports Air Force requirements for both graduate education and professional continuing education in cyber through its Center for Cyberspace Research. With the realignment of space and nuclear professional continuing education, AFIT will be AU's primary center for comprehensive education in several of the Air Force's high-priority core missions: nuclear deterrence, cyber and space superiority.
The National Security Space Institute, located at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the Department of Defense's center of excellence for professional continuing education, or PCE, for the national security space community. NSSI researches, develops and provides world-class instruction of space system technologies, capabilities, operational concepts, acquisitions and tactics in support of joint service strategies to develop space professionals across the DOD and with several international allies, as well as to provide space education to warfighters for joint military operations. With a faculty and staff of 44 military, Air Force civilians and contractors, the NSSI currently enrolls about 800 students each year from across the DOD, as well as allied countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
NSSI currently offers two courses for space professionals: Space 200, a four-week course for mid-career officers, enlisted and civilians and Space 300, a three-week capstone course for senior officers, enlisted and civilians.
AU's Nuclear College, located at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, currently offers three PCE courses to Airmen in the nuclear enterprise. With a faculty and staff of 10 Air Force civilians, the program enrolls more than 1,100 people annually.
Nuclear 200, Air Force Nuclear Fundamentals, is a four-day course designed to enhance awareness of the U.S. Air Force nuclear mission. The course covers nuclear weapon fundamentals, force structure, nuclear stockpile guidance and planning, the DOD nuclear surety program, the nuclear community, and current issues related to the Air Force's nuclear mission.
Nuclear 300, Advanced Nuclear Concepts, is a five-day in-residence course that covers nuclear history and lifecycle, nuclear effects and surety, nuclear policy/strategy, the U.S. nuclear enterprise, nuclear incident response, and stockpile sustainment. The course is for "core nuclear" individuals at the nine-plus year point working in the nuclear enterprise.
Nuclear 400, Senior Leader Nuclear Management, is a two-day, nuclear issues course for flag officers and civilian members of the federal senior executive service who have nuclear responsibilities in their portfolio of responsibilities.
(Link: https://www.afit.edu/ABOUT/index.cfm)