Two Air Force Institute of Technology faculty members were selected as Air Education and Training Command winners for the Air Force Information Dominance Annual Awards. Lt. Col. Jason Fields won in the Cyberspace Outstanding Field Grade Officer category and Master Sgt. Adam Vera in the Outstanding Cyber Warfare Senior Noncommissioned Officer category. They will next represent AETC at the Air Force-level competition.

The Information Dominance Annual Awards recognize individuals, teams and units for sustained superior performance while providing information dominance and cyberspace operations to Air Force and/or DoD missions and operations.

“The leadership and expertise of Lt. Col. Fields and Master Sgt. Vera have been critical in delivering the premier cyberspace professional continuing education our Department of Cyberspace Studies is known for across the Department of Defense, “said Col. Christopher Landwehr, dean, School of Strategic Forces. “The two of them, supported by an award-winning team, are making a difference in preparing cyberspace professionals in an era of Great Power Competition.”
 

Lt. Col. Jason Fields is the director of the Department of Cyberspace Studies within AFIT’s School of Strategic Force Studies. In this role, he oversees courses required for cyberspace professionals to earn their senior and master operator badges; developing skilled cyberspace warriors capable of supporting and fighting in a joint all domain environment.

During the award period, he led 16 cyberspace professional continuing education courses, coordinating 35 instructors and speakers, executing 880 classroom hours, delivering more than 56,500 student education contact hours, enabling student eligibility of 626 Joint Qualified Officer points resulting in 784 Air Force and international partner graduates.

He delivered four new operations-focused lessons improving the standards for the Air Force’s only Intermediate Joint Cyberspace Course. This resulted in completing 560 classroom hours and more than 30,000 student contact hours for 383 joint officers, enlisted and civilian graduates.

Fields led the first 10-day International Cyberspace Education in-resident course since 2019 for 12 students from eight allied partners, while executing 80 classroom hours, 960 student contact hours and bolstering partners' cyber defense posture to counter Russian and Chinese threats.

Fields has a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Missouri University of Science and Technology and a Master’s of Education from Trident University International. He joined the AFIT faculty in January 2023.
 

Master Sgt. Adam Vera serves as the course manager superintendent of Cyberspace 200 within AFIT’s School of Strategic Force Studies. He drafts and advertises schedules for six course offerings per year for more than 200 students and instructs several lessons aimed to provide students with the defensive and offensive cyber skillsets required to fulfill national strategy operational requirements.

During the award period, he led 24 instructors and guest lecturers for the Air Force's only joint intermediate cyberspace operations course. His efforts resulted in graduating 350 joint and total force officers, enlisted and civilians in seven course offerings and delivering 42,000 cyberspace continuing education contact hours in support of the 2022 National Defense Strategy.

He directly supported seven distance-learning Cyberspace Operations Fundamentals course offerings for 300 joint cyberspace professionals, offering 12,000 education hours resulting in a 96% student-recommend rating.

Vera was key to an innovative department methodology developed for lowering required instructor contact for virtual education options allowing a 35% reduction in instructor demand or an increase in student enrollment by 25%. He also led the department's instructor training and certification program where he streamlined evaluation progress. His efforts contributed to a reducing the average qualification time by 50% and increasing average monthly qualifications 150%.

Vera earned two associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force, one in information systems technology and the other in cybersecurity and a Bachelor of Science degree in cybersecurity from University of Maryland Global Campus. In 2016, he deployed as the 91st Cyberspace Operations Squadron liaison officer; augmenting combatant commands to coordinate network attack missions in support of Operations FREEDOM’S SENTINEL and RESOLUTE SUPPORT.