Photo By Trevor Cokley | Cadet 3rd Class Rebecca Kinstle and Cadet 1st Class Ethan Pyle are both majoring in...... read more read more
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The defense of space has shifted from theoretical discussions to real-world planning and strategy. The U.S. Air Force Academy’s Space Warfighting minor equips cadets with the knowledge and skills they will need to operate in an increasingly contested space environment. It also introduces them to space-related career fields.
“The Space Warfighting minor has opened my eyes to the possible jobs offered by the U.S. Space Force,” said Cadet 3rd Class Rebecca Kinstle, who is majoring in Astronautical Engineering and taking the Space Warfighting minor. “From engineering to intelligence, the Space Force plays a variety of interconnected roles in space defense. Investigating this increasingly relevant domain through the Space Warfighting minor has enabled me to visualize these connections better and understand the integral part space plays both domestically and internationally.”
The minor is aligned directly with the Space Force mission. Graduates are prepared to take on core mission roles, including space domain awareness, space superiority, satellite communications and missile warning systems. Cadets complete at least 15 additional semester hours in the minor beyond what is required for their chosen major. The course requirements provide a technical understanding of the space domain and a sociocultural understanding of the future battlespace.
The minor also benefits cadets not pursuing a Space Force career through an educational background on the enhancement that space provides warfighters. Coursework includes communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, missile warning and navigation.
Currently, 35 cadets are enrolled in the Space Warfighting minor, said Lt. Col. Luke Hagen, Department of Astronautics curriculum director. Since 2020 when the minor was stood up, 27 graduates have earned it.
“We realized that we were graduating cadets going directly into the Space Force, and only a few of them had major space coursework other than core astronautics,” Hagen said. “We knew that we had to help future cadets get a broader understanding if they had an interest in Space Force careers.”
Four tracks comprise the Space Warfighting minor: Acquisitions, Digital, Intelligence and Operator. The minor covers a wide range of topics aimed at developing operational, strategic and technical expertise in space warfare. Cadets complete courses from several areas of study to ensure a broad and well-rounded exposure in space-related topics. Those areas include Space Operations and Strategy, Orbital Mechanics, Space Systems Engineering, Cybersecurity in Space, Space Policy and Law, and Warfighting Tactics in Space.
The minor also prepares cadets for the new one-year U.S. Space Force Officer Training Course. Cadets learn many of the topics taught in the course, and the minor provides an even broader understanding of space issues, said Cadet 1st Class Ethan Pyle, an Astronautical Engineering major on the Acquisitions track in the Space Warfighting minor. Pyle plans on a Space Force career after completing the officer training course.
Pyle recommends the minor for cadets interested in commissioning into the Space Force.
“This minor will make you more prepared to understand the strategic significance of the space domain,” Pyle said. “Most of the classes in the minor are also required for the Astronautical Engineering major.”
| Date Taken: | 11.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.18.2024 21:40 |
| Story ID: | 487889 |
| Location: | U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COLORADO, US |
| Hometown: | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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