Maj Cara A. Fitzgerald is an instructor in the Department of Political Science at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. She teaches classes on national security, foreign policy, American government, and civil-military relations.

Maj Fitzgerald earned her commission through AFROTC Detachment 90 in 2014. She is an Air Battle Manager with over 1,000 flight hours onboard the E-3 Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS). She has deployed twice in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and served back-to-back short tours as an Air Advisor to the United Arab Emirates Air Force.

Maj Fitzgerald is a LEAP scholar and Ph.D. candidate at the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY), majoring in International Relations. Her dissertation research explores the consequences of military sanctions.

Bachelor of Arts, Political Science & Liberal Arts, Colorado State University, Colorado (2014)

Master of Arts, International Relations, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma (2017)

Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama (2019)

Graduate Certificate, Government Analytics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (2020)

Master of Philosophy, Political Science, The Graduate Center, CUNY, New York City, New York (2023)

Student ABM, Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training, Tyndall AFB, Florida (September 2014 – August 2015)

Air Weapons Officer and OIC Mobility & Readiness, 965th Air Control Squadron, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma (April 2015 – August 2018)

C2ISR Branch Chief, AFCENT Air Warfare Center, Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates (September 2018 – April 2020)

Executive Officer, AFCENT Air Warfare Center, Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates  (April 2020 – August 2020)

Ph.D. Candidate, AFIT Civilian Institution, City University New York, Manhattan, New York (August 2020 – June 2024)

Instructor of Political Science, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado (June 2024- present)