AFIT Launches Updated Joint Intermediate Cyberspace Operations Course

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Jason Fields
  • Air Force Institute of Technology

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - The Air Force Institute of Technology’s School of Strategic Force Studies recently launched a new version of the Joint Intermediate Cyberspace Operations course, also known as Cyberspace 200. The updated course is designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s U.S. Air Force Cyberspace Warfare Operations (17X) officers and other cyberspace professionals. The inaugural class of the updated Cyberspace 200 course welcomed 62 students, including 51 officers, four enlisted personnel and seven civilians. 

The primary objective of Cyberspace 200 is to enhance the operational mindsets of warfighter communications and cyberspace effects company grade officers, enabling them to plan, operate and execute capabilities across a full spectrum of operations within joint multi-domain environments. This officer career development is crucial as cyberspace operations become more complex and further integrated into military operations and strategies. 

Spanning 13 intensive class days, the course combines academic knowledge with practical application. The curriculum covers a wide array of topics vital for modern cyberspace operations, including understanding cyberspace organizations, planning and integration and analyzing the operational environment.  

“The new Cyberspace 200 curriculum is designed to not only educate, but also push our 17X officers out of their comfort zones,” said Lt. Col. Jason Fields, director of AFIT’s Department of Cyberspace Studies. “Great Power Competition demands our cyberspace professionals not just be excellent, but be the absolute best at what they do, and to understand their role in the mission of the United States Air Force.” 

The course highlights several key focus areas to develop well-rounded cyberspace professionals: cyberspace capabilities, Organize, Train and Equip, the operations environment, planning and enrichment. These areas help explain the functionalities, applications and implications of communications and cyberspace capabilities in joint multi-domain operations. Understanding the dynamic nature of cyberspace and information warfare is crucial, as is developing operational designs and plans that incorporate communications and cyberspace capabilities and resilience within a joint environment.   

During the course, an emphasis is placed on applying military planning processes and critical thinking skills. Students learn to integrate communications and cyberspace capabilities to achieve mission objectives effectively. Key concepts regarding communications, cyberspace, doctrine, strategy, policy and professional development are thoroughly explored ensuring students have a solid conceptual foundation. The course also offers enrichment opportunities such as industry perspective lectures, mission insights from military units, student-led lectures and tours of advanced research centers like AFIT’s Autonomy and Navigation Technology Center. 

A highlight of the course is the extensive practical application through a course-long cyberspace planning exercise, divided into six distinct portions, including an integrated capstone. During the exercise phases, students develop multiple valid courses of action to meet specific cyberspace tasks, such as ensuring operational readiness, providing secure communications for forward-deploying units, developing offensive and defensive cyberspace operations and protecting U.S. and allied interests. Students conduct analysis and wargaming of the developed courses of action using defined evaluation criteria, compare different courses of action using weighted evaluation criteria to determine the most effective approach and then recommend a final integrated course of action based on their analysis and comparison.  

“We overhauled 100 percent of the exercise activities for this new curriculum, creating a fictional area of responsibility our students live and operate in,” said Capt. Charles Dana, Cyberspace 200 course chief. “There was a lot of new information that the students had to ingest and to our delight, they rose to the occasion and produced top-tier products throughout the course.” 

The exercise capstone phase culminates with senior military evaluators from outside the Department of Cyberspace Studies evaluating the student’s final out briefs and providing feedback. Col. Ivan Herwick, Air Force Materiel Command chief information officer and deputy director of Air, Space and Cyberspace Operations, participated as a senior evaluator. 

“It was rewarding to see the students, each with unique experiences and skills, come together to present a complex situation in a brief amount of time,” said Herwick.  “More importantly, demonstrating what they had learned during the course, working together to build and present their work and using that as a basis for operational and strategic-level discussion and learning.”   

The capstone phase simulates real-world decision-making environments and provides students with valuable insights from experienced leaders. The primary roles and responsibilities of these senior leaders include evaluating whether students accomplish the required tasks and objectives, providing constructive feedback and guidance to enhance learning, asking questions that foster a deeper understanding of operational concepts and choosing one of the presented courses of action while explaining the rationale behind the selection. Col. Christopher Landwehr, dean of the School of Strategic Force Studies, also participated as a senior evaluator. 

“Along with the cyberspace focused joint planning aspects, the larger goal as part of our education objectives is to develop critical thinkers,” said Landwehr.  “Students bring their training, diverse experiences and skillsets to the course to not only tackle some tough challenges but also to share their knowledge with their peers.  It was impressive to see their final capstone briefs, a culmination of everything they learned throughout the course while leveraging each other’s strengths to tackle a Great Power Competition scenario.  For me, it’s always a pleasure to see such gifted and smart professionals step through their thought process to solve a complex problem and leave AFIT more ready, proficient and capable than when they arrived.” 

The updated Cyberspace 200 course represents a significant step forward in preparing U.S. Air Force 17X officers and cyberspace professionals for the challenges of modern warfare. By blending academic knowledge with practical application and offering insights from military leaders, the course ensures that graduates are better equipped to navigate the complexities of cyberspace operations. As the field of cyberspace continues to evolve, AFIT remains at the forefront of educating and developing the next generation of cyberspace leaders. 

For more detailed information about the Cyberspace 200 course, please visit: https://www.afit.edu/EX/page.cfm?page=1503