Our Lines of Effort

• Air and Space Power and the Joint Force in a Multi-Domain World
• Defense Institutional Effectiveness: Organizational and Cultural Adaptation
• Wargaming as Professional Development
• Great Power Competition: Strategic Foresight for the Future Fight

• Strategic Competition and Regional Security (e.g. Europe, Middle East, Asia, Latin America, Polar)
• National Security Strategy (NSS), National Defense Strategy (NDS), National Military Strategy (NMS), Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), Defense Strategic Guidance (DSG), etc.
• Posture/Mission Statements of Functional and Geographic Combatant Commands
• Technology, Innovation, and Future Warfare
• Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)
• Information Warfare
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• War Fighting Domains (Air, Space, Cyber, Land, and Maritime)
• Deterrence and Nuclear Warfare
• Conventional Warfare
• Hybrid Warfare and Gray Zone Conflict/Competition
• Unconventional Warfare (Irregular/Asymmetric Warfare)
• Civil Wars, Insurgencies, and Counterinsurgencies (COIN)
• Military Theories (Clausewitz, Douhet, Mahan, Gerasimov, Sun Tzu, etc.)
• Regional Threats (Rogue states, Terrorist networks, Transnational criminal organizations)
• Global Problems (Humanitarian, Climate Change, Disasters)
• (Grand) Strategy, Operations, Tactics, Doctrine, Training, Leadership, Laws, Battlefield Disasters
• Military Cultures (Organization, Institutions, Policies)
• Military Force Composition (Gender, Race, Religion, Identity, etc.)
• Logistics
• Civil-Military Relations (CMR)
• Foreign Military capabilities
• Comparative analysis, defense institution building (DIB), security force assistance (SFA), foreign internal defense (FID)
• Public Policy Engagement
• Wargaming and Red-Teaming

• A Wargaming Approach to Multidomain Strategy – 2023 Minerva Grant Recipient (Dr. Brian Stewart, USAFA, Dr. Mariel Borowitz and Dr. Jon Lindsay, Georgia Tech, and Dr. Jackie Schneider, Stanford)
• Developing Maturity Model for US military assistance programs (Minerva DECUR Research Team: Dr. Ryan Burke, Dr. Buddhika Jayamaha, Lt Col Jahara Matisek, and Dr. Will Reno at Northwestern University)
• Developing Correlates of War (COW) Militarized Interstate Dispute (MID) dataset, version 6 (Co-PI: Dr. Paul Bezerra working with University of Arizona, University of Essex, and West Virginia University), with an anticipated completion date of 2025.
• Management of Correlates of War (COW) Militarized Interstate Dispute Locations (MIDLOC) dataset, version 2.1 (Version 3.0 under development) (Co-PI: Dr. Paul Bezerra working with University of Arizona)
• Integration of Battlefield Medicine with contemporary military operations (PI: Dr. Ky Hunter and Dr. Emmy Betz at University of Colorado)
• Evaluation of military violence prevention for Headquarters Air Force Personnel (PI: Dr. Ky Hunter)
• “Destinations Unknown” – Fictional writing about the future of warfare and strategy (Dr. Ky Hunter in partnership with Marine Corps University)
• Colombia Fieldwork, pedagogy, cadet research on kidnapping/hostages (AFOSR funded, PI: Dr. Dani Gilbert)
• Polar Security in the era of Great Power Competition (AFOSR funded, PI: Dr. Ryan Burke)
• Soft Anti-Ballistics Composite Armor (Dr. Ryan Burke and 1Lt Hayley Weir), Patent Pending
• Tri-Service Academy Wargaming Collaboration (managed by Dr. Ky Hunter, Lt Col Rob Grant, and Mr. Michael Golembesky)
  • Exploring future air, space and cyberspace power policy issues using modeling, simulation, and experiential learning

The lab is a 9.5-million dollar facility consisting of two modular suites, with each suite housing a fully integrated Joint All-Domain Operations Center (JADOC), Flight Bay, and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) control room.

The JADOC contains 24 operations center positions, which provide strategic- and operational-level command and control simulators. These simulators can replicate, in a tailorable way, an air operations center (AOC) and space operations center (SpOC) and all of their associated capabilities, roles, and missions, along with cyber integration and other joint domains. The Flight Bay consists of 6 tactical-level command and control (C2), electronic warfare (EW), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) positions, as well as 12 flight simulators that simulate the employment of 10 different fighter and bomber aircraft, along with air battle management, EW, and ISR platforms. Finally, the RPA control room houses 3 RPA simulators.

The two suites can run independently or be linked into the same scenario. Furthermore, the suites fully integrate voice, data link, and chat capabilities to enhance decision-making processes. A third suite is planned for Fiscal Year 2024, with dedicated spaces for space domain control. Finally, future upgrades are targeting the integration and networking of the MDL suites to entities outside of USAFA and beyond.

Learn More

• Cadet Kerrilee Berger (USAFA ’21) and Jahara Matisek, “Your Hamburger and National Security: Veganism, Food Insecurity and American Power,” War Room, 6 August 2020.
• Cadet Kathryn Koonz (USAFA ’21), “Deepening the Cut: How China’s Genetic Warfare is Affecting International Relations,” OTH Journal, 26 May 2020.
• Cadet Joshua Williamson (USAFA ’21) and Jahara Matisek, “Limited Wars in the Periphery: The Dilemma of American Military Assistance,” Expeditions with MCU Press, June 2020.
• Cadet Nathan Fairhurst (USAFA ’21) and Jahara Matisek, “Cased Telescoped Ammunition: The Next Step in Ammo Evolution?” Small Arms Defense Journal, 18 December 2019.
• Cadet Mathieu Barron (USAFA ’21) and Jahara Matisek, “Grab your Coats: Can America succeed in the Arctic?” Modern Diplomacy, 11 June 2019.
• Cadet Maxwell Stangl (USAFA ’21),“Russia Won’t Start a (Conventional) War in the Baltics,” The National Interest, 13 May 2019.
• Cadet Jason Sattler (USAFA ’19), “High-Energy Laser Systems and the Future of Warfare,” The Strategy Bridge, 29 November 2018.
• Cadet Isaiah Honable (USAFA ’19), “Space Theories Wanted,” The Strategy Bridge, 13 November 2018.
• 2nd Lt Robert Hunter Ward (USAFA ’18), “The Dawn of Anti-Personnel Directed-Energy Weapons,” The Strategy Bridge, 24 July 2018.
• 2nd Lt Riley Murray (USAFA ’18), “The Unrealized Value of Open Source Intelligence for Irregular Warfare,” The Strategy Bridge, 25 July 2018.

• John Farquhar, “Kick the Tires and Light the Fires: Foundations of American Airpower.” Maxwell AFB: Air University Press, 2023.
• Bonnie Rushing and Ky Hunter, “The Human Weapon System in Gray Zone Competition.” Journal of Advanced Military Studies 14, no. 1 (2023): 255-271.
• Paul Bezerra and Erik Jacobs, “CTRL+ALT+DELETE: Resetting U.S.-China Policy.” In On the Rise: Perspectives on Foreign Policy, edited by Aspen Strategy Group, 5-8. Washington D.C.: Aspen Institute, 2022.
• Thomas J. Volgy, Paul Bezerra, Jacob Cramer, and J. Patrick Rhamey, Jr. “The Case for Comparative Regional Analysis in International Politics.” In Regions, Power, and Conflict: Constrained Capabilities, Hierarchy, and Rivalry, edited by William R. Thompson et al., 11-41. Singapore: Springer Nature, 2022.
• Thomas J. Volgy, Kelly Marie Gordell, Paul Bezerra, and J. Patrick Rhamey, Jr. “Conflict, Regions, and Regional Hierarchies.” In Regions, Power, and Conflict: Constrained Capabilities, Hierarchy, and Rivalry, edited by William R. Thompson et al., 175-201. Singapore: Springer Nature, 2022.
• Bonnie Rushing, review of The Command of the Air by Gulio Douhet, Journal of Advanced Military Studies 13, no. 2 (2022): 216-218.
• Bonnie Rushing, “Changing the Narrative.” US Black Engineer and Information Technology 45, no. 4 (2021): 70-73.
• Matisek and Austin G. Commons, “Thinking outside of the Sandbox: Succeeding at Security Force Assistance beyond the Middle East,” Military Review (March/April 2021): 33-42.
• Colin Robinson and Jahara Matisek, “Military advising and assistance in Somalia: Fragmented interveners, Fragmented Somali military forces,” Defence Studies 21, no. 2 (February 2021).
• Alan Briding, “The Essential Partnership: The Four Core Functions of Military Leadership and the Core Values,” JCLD 8, no. 1 (2021): 160-172.
• Jahara Matisek and Ivor Wiltenburg, “Security force assistance as a preferred form of 21st century warfare: The unconventional becomes the conventional,” The Conduct of War in the 21st Century: Kinetic, Connected and Synthetic, edited by Rob Johnson, Martijn Kitzen, and Tim Sweijs (London: Routledge, 2021).
• Ryan Burke and Elizabeth Buchanan, “Adapting to the Cold, Hard Facts of Polar Security: Advice for the Biden Administration,” Modern War Institute, 26 January 2021.
• Charles Jacoby, Jr. and Ryan Burke, “Russia, China, and the Facts of Polar Security,” Modern War Institute, 7 January 2021.
• Elizabeth Buchanan and Ryan Burke, “Project 6633 Interview Series: Key Challenges in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions,” Modern War Institute, 8 January 2021.
• Kyleanne Hunter, Jeannette Gaudry Haynie and Natalie Trogus, “A Cornerstone of Peace: Women in Afghanistan,” War Room, 8 January 2021.
• Ryan Burke, “The Hidden Dangers in Biden’s Foreign Policy,” Defense One, 7 December 2020.
• Stephen Reny, “Nuclear-Armed Hypersonic Weapons and Nuclear Deterrence,” Strategic Studies Quarterly 14, no. 4 (Winter 2020): 47-73.
• Colin Robinson and Jahara Matisek, “Assistance to Locally Appropriate Military Forces in Southern Somalia: Bypassing Mogadishu for Local Legitimacy,” RUSI Journal 165, no. 4 (2020): 68-78.
• Bradley Podliska and Donnie Hodges, “Instructors Wanted, Apply Within: Why the Air Force is Failing to Change its Culture and what to do about It,” War on the Rocks, 8 December 2020.
• Jahara Matisek, “International Competition to Provide Security Force Assistance in Africa: Civil-Military Relations Matter,” PRISM: Journal of Complex Operations 9, no. 1 (October 2020): 103-123.
• Nils Zimmerman and Jahara Matisek, “A Developmental Role for Militaries in Africa: The Peace Engineering Corps Solution,” S+F (Sicherheit und Frieden) (“Security and Peace”) 38, no. 2 (2020): 112-117.
• Jahara Matisek and Mike Fowler, “The Paradox of Security Force Assistance after the rise and fall of the Islamic State in Syria-Iraq,” Special Operations Forces Journal 6, no.2 (2020): 118-138.
• Kyleanne Hunter and Rebecca Best, “You Can’t Have Women in Peace without Women in Conflict and Security,” Georgetown Security Studies Review 8, no.2 (2020): 5-18.
• Kyleanne Hunter, “On Veterans Day, we must talk about suicide prevention,” The Hill, 11 November 2020.
• Danielle Gilbert, “Armed group allegedly plotted to kidnap Michigan’s governor. Here are 5 things to know about political kidnappings,” The Washington Post, 14 October 2020.
• Danielle Gilbert, “Why Trump’s alleged comments about soldiers brought so much outrage,” The Washington Post, 12 September 2020.
• Danielle Gilbert, “News of a Kidnapping,” Political Violence at a Glance, 2 September 2020.
• Ryan Burke and Jahara Matisek, “Can the Illogical Inertia of American Involvement in the Middle East Be Broken?” Real Clear Defense, 17 July 2020.
• Danielle Gilbert, “The Oxygen of Publicity: Explaining U.S. Media Coverage of International Kidnapping,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (2020).
• Jahara Matisek, “Communications in Multi-Domain Operations: What Does the BACN Bring?” OTH Journal, 24 June 2020.

The symposium began in January 2023 and advances scholarly discussion on topics of strategic significance to the U.S. Air and Space Forces, joint forces, and the broader national security enterprise. The event takes place in Polaris Hall and gathers U.S. government practitioners, members of industry, and scholars to discuss and engage with U.S. Air Force Academy and Air Force ROTC cadets on emerging technologies, operational trends, and warfighting concepts.

The next SWC Symposium will be held April 15-16, 2025 and will be themed: Gray Matter in the Gray Zone: Operational Imperatives in the Cognitive Battlespace.

Bonnie Rushing, “Axon – The Argument for Enlisted Faculty in Officer Military Education – Ep 4.” Air University Teaching and Learning Center, 2023.

Bonnie Rushing, “NCO Journal Podcast Episode 20: Competitive Advantage.” NCO Journal Podcast, 2022.

Bonnie Rushing, “Competitive Advantage: Increased Responsibility of Noncommissioned Officers,” Submitted to: NCO Journal (Army University Press), 2022.

Bonnie Rushing, “High-Tech Sunday: Episode 41- MSgt Bonnie Rushing.” CCG Media, 2021.

Bonnie Rushing, “Disruptive Women: Rushing Through Barriers,” Submitted to: SIGNAL (AFCEA), 2020.