AFIT’s Immersive Cyber Education Program targets cadets 

  • Published
  • By Cadet Joseph Hansen
  • Air Force Institute of Technology

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - Cellphones, computers, satellites, cars, airports, sewage systems, thermostats, insulin pumps and even your coffee maker all have ties to cyberspace. All of them are necessary. All of them are exploitable and corruptible. These are the critical tools that make up our lives today, and the newest class from the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Immersive Cyber Education program are learning how to protect and in some cases, ethically exploit these tools. 

AFIT ICE is an annual program run by the Air Force Cyberspace Technical Center for Excellence and Center for Cyberspace Research made for college Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets from all branches of the U.S. military. This year, AFIT ICE is boasting 42 participants across the U.S. Army, Air Force and Space Force ROTC programs. 

While the training focuses a lot on cyber attack and defense, cadets also get the opportunity to learn about software defined radios, reverse engineering, cryptography, digital forensics and much more. They are also given ample opportunities to train and prepare to become leaders of the U.S. military, as they lead teams, hold leadership positions and learn from knowledgeable leaders in both the military and cyber realms. 

Programs such as these are essential to our way of life as our society delves deeper into technology. Just recently, several cyber services went down after a non-malicious faulty update was pushed to the general public and as a result, caused over $5 billion in damages. A single person, actor, or state with malicious intent could have the capability of causing even more damage with a targeted attack, which is why it is imperative to develop the next generation of cyber leaders and warriors in programs like AFIT ICE. 

“Our adversaries are definitely teaching their troops about cyber,” said Anthony Thornton, an Air Force cadet at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Detachment 592. “You can’t expect people to learn about something as important as this by themselves and you can’t leave this kind of thing to chance. You have to provide educational opportunities to those interested in cyber.” 

AFIT ICE is a program designed for any cadet interested in the cyber realm. There are a variety of majors represented this year including economics, construction and electrical engineering, although most of the cadets are pursuing a major in computer science and computer engineering. Regardless, the AFIT ICE program provides new and challenging experiences almost none of the cadets have experienced before. 

“It is a great introduction to all these different niches within cyberspace,” stated Cole Ackerman, an Army cadet at the University of Maryland’s Terrapin Battalion. “You really don’t get this type of in-depth lecture and hands-on experience in a college classroom.” 

“[My previous cyber experience included] taking a couple of online Cisco lab classes, and most of it was learning by myself… I had a very basic understanding, but it didn’t go past the surface,” claims Sedat Altun, a Space Force cadet at the University of California Berkeley’s Detachment 085. “[At AFIT ICE,] I have gained a better understanding of how networks and their systems work.” 

AFIT ICE and similar programs are incredibly important to the future of the world as we head into an ever increasingly connected and cyber world. Within the next 2-3 years, these cadets being taught today are going to be protecting your data, your cities, your computers and yes, maybe even your coffee makers.  

For more information about AFIT’s ICE program, visit https://www.afit.edu/ICE