The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security have renewed the designation of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research (CAE-R) through academic year 2019. The CAE Designation Ceremony will be held at the 19th Annual Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education on June 15, 2015.
NSA & National CAE-R Program Manager congratulated AFIT's ability to meet the increasing demands of the CAE-R program criteria and stated that this designation recognizes AFIT's active contribution to the protecting the nation's information infrastructure, addressing the critical shortage of cyber professionals, and highlighting the importance of higher education as a solution to defending America's cyberspace.
The CAE-R designation focuses on institutions of higher learning that demonstrate excellence in research and education, to include development of technologies and techniques related to cyber security and defense.
AFIT is also one of thirteen schools that have been designated by the NSA as a National CAE in Cyber Operations. AFIT's Master of Science degree in Cyber Operations is recognized as satisfying NSA's rigorous academic requirements and program criteria.
The mission of AFIT's Center for Cyberspace Research (CCR) is to promote multidisciplinary collaboration on defense-focused graduate education and research in cyber operations and security to meet the needs of the Air Force, Department of Defense, and the nation. CCR, established in March 2002, is one of six research centers at AFIT. It consists of 21 faculty members who possess extensive operational experience in military communications and security and maintain close working relationships with the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and other Air Force organizations. This synergistic approach promotes an environment for collaborative research that solves real-world communications and security issues facing our nation and national defense.
