MSgt Justin Smith
MSgt Justin A. Smith is the Course Manager for Cyberspace 200, Department of Cyberspace Studies, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He manages a three-week foundational cyberspace course, leading curriculum development, instruction, and administration for more than 600 students annually. He coordinates instructors, refines course content to meet evolving cyber mission requirements, and delivers classroom instruction on cyberspace operations to prepare officers and civilians for integration into the Air Force’s cyber workforce.
Master Sergeant Smith entered the Air Force in September 2009 and completed Electrical Power Production technical training at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, graduating in November 2009. He served as an electrical power production journeyman before retraining into the cyber warfare operations specialty in 2015, completing Cyber Warfare Operator technical training at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, in December 2015. Over 15 years of active-duty service, he has accumulated extensive technical and leadership experience in cyber operations, weapons and tactics, and training. His assignments include McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey; Misawa Air Base, Japan; Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas; Fort Meade, Maryland; and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Notably, he served as Operations Flight Chief and Joint Task Force Operations Lead at Fort Meade, Maryland, directing mission execution and operational planning for advanced cyber operations. While assigned to the 390th Cyberspace Squadron, he played a pivotal role in building Air Combat Command’s offensive cyber training pipeline, and as a graduate student at the Air Force Institute of Technology, he conducted innovative research on artificial intelligence integration in autonomous cyber operations. Prior to his current position, Master Sergeant Smith was a graduate student at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
EDUCATION
2013 Airman Leadership School, Misawa Air Base, Japan
2017 Remote Interactive Operator Training (RIOT), NSA Texas, San Antonio, Texas
2018 Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
2018 Associate of Applied Science, Electrical Power Technology, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2018 Associate of Applied Science, Cyber Operations, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2019 Basic Instructor Course, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
2020 Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education Level I, by correspondence
2022 Bachelor of Science, Cybersecurity, Critical Infrastructure Protection, University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
2024 Cyber 200, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
2024 Graduate Certificate, Cyber-Physical Sensing: Cyber Attack, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
2024 Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education Level II, by correspondence
2025 Cyber 300, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
2025 Master of Science, Cyber Operations, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
“Currently pursuing Doctor of Philosophy, Offensive Cyber Engineering, Capitol Technology University”
ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 2010 – October 2011, Electrical Power Production Apprentice, 87th Civil Engineer Squadron, McGuire AFB, New Jersey
2. July 2011 – February 2013, Electrical Power Production Journeyman, 35th Civil Engineer Squadron, Misawa Air Base, Japan
3. February 2013 – July 2014, Electrical Power Production Craftsman, 35th Civil Engineer Squadron, Misawa Air Base, Japan
4. July 2015 – December 2015, Student, Cyber Warfare Operations Technical Training, 333rd Training Squadron, Keesler AFB, Mississippi
5. April 2016 – September 2020, Cyber Warfare Operator / NCOIC, Weapons and Tactics, 390th Cyberspace Squadron, JBSALackland, Texas
6. January 2021 – May 2022, Flight Chief, Weapons and Tactics, 390th Cyberspace Squadron, JBSA-Lackland, Texas
7. May 2022 – May 2023, Operations Flight Chief and JTF Operations Lead, 315th Cyberspace Squadron, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland
8. May 2023 – March 2025, Graduate Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
9. March 2025 – Present, Course Manager, Cyberspace 200, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Airman Basic September 15, 2009
Airman First Class November 13, 2009
Senior Airman March 13, 2012
Staff Sergeant April 1, 2014
Technical Sergeant June 1, 2017
Master Sergeant January 1, 2021
(Current as of August 2025)