MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. — During a recent speech at the City of Montgomery (Alabama) Kiwanis Club, Air University Commander Lt. Gen. Steven L. Kwast announced plans for an Air Force Cyber College.
After thanking the Montgomery community for their support of Maxwell Air Force Base, June 2, Kwast detailed Air University’s plans to develop the new college.
“We are going to build a learning environment where Airmen can learn from the leading cyberspace strategists,” said Kwast. “The college will be a learning institution where our students from the active-duty and Reserve forces, sister services and international partners can study together and innovate solutions to cyber challenges that face our nation.”
Scheduled to begin classes here later this year, the vision for the new college is to bring the brightest cyber minds in the Air Force together at Air University. Similar to the National Defense University’s Cyber Leadership program, Air University’s Cyber College will be focused on leveraging cyber technology to meet national security strategies in the next decade.
Although Kwast admits there are challenges to starting the new college, Air University is looking for support from across the country and within the private sector.
“In addition to leveraging our existing capabilities within Air University, we have an ongoing outreach campaign to recruit top professors and talent from every pocket of the country,” said the general.
Plans for the new college include regularly connecting faculty and students with educational programs at other universities within a four-state region of Montgomery so military and civilian students can learn from each other’s perspectives.
“We are moving away from the traditional brick-and-mortar classrooms where students listen to lectures and pass tests. The new cyber college will be a learning institution where students have collaborative access to great cyber minds at Air University from anywhere in the world,” explained Kwast.
He added that AU will leverage the existing infrastructure of the Defense Information Systems Administration at Gunter Annex, as well as current AU faculty and local community support to create a school that will help the nation design the tools needed to dominate tomorrow’s cyber world.
Each year, Air University provides full spectrum education, research and outreach at every level through professional military education, professional continuing education and academic degree granting. Known as the intellectual and leadership center of the U.S. Air Force, Air University graduates more than 50,000 resident and 120,000 non-resident officers, enlisted and civilian personnel each year.