By Sean Green | STRIKEWERX Communications Manager
BOSSIER CITY, La. — U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets are spending their summer to help strengthen Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC).
The third year of the ROTC Cadet Training Success Program recently kicked off with 13 ROTC cadets from universities and colleges across the country gaining real world experience and building technical skills under the guidance of AFGSC mentors at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, Dyess AFB, Texas, and Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
“We wanted to share this a possible career path for new officers to take as we become more operationally relevant and help modernize the Air Force,” said Maj. Jacob Ehrlich, chief of AFGSC Analytics, Assessments and Lessons Learned directorate. “Our directorate has a large workload, and these cadets are doing things we may otherwise never have had the time to get around to.”
The program was funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research through Clarkson Aerospace Corp. and facilitated by the Cyber Innovation Center (CIC).
“This program attracts talented college cadets to spend eight weeks of their summer working on technical projects that develop systems, concepts, and technologies to enhance AFGSC capabilities,” said Kevin Nolten, CIC president. “The cadets can use their skills to aid the unique challenges facing the nuclear mission while gaining rare professional development opportunities with senior leadership.”
Antonio Hernandez, a Louisiana Tech University ROTC cadet, joined this year’s program at the CIC to sharpen his skills ahead of being commissioned in the Air Force.
“I was very excited to be chosen because this will put me a step ahead of my peers,” said Hernandez. “You get to learn things that you may not necessarily learn in college, network with high-ranking personnel from the command, and put me into places I’ve never set foot in.”
The Bossier City, La., native joined the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Course (JROTC) and Air Force Reserve while at Airline High School. He is currently dual enrolled in the Community College of the Air Force while at Louisiana Tech.
“My goal has been to take everything I learn from JROTC, what I’m currently learning from the Reserves, and now with the ROTC Cadet Success Program right now to create my own ‘tool belt’ and use it to become the best officer I can be,” Hernandez said.
“I would tell other cadets who are thinking about the program to jump in. This is one of the most amazing opportunities I’ve had so far,” he added.
About the Cyber Innovation Center
Cyber Innovation Center (CIC), located in Bossier City, Louisiana, is the anchor of the 3,000-acre National Cyber Research Park and serves as the catalyst for the development and expansion of a knowledge-based workforce throughout the region. As a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation, CIC fosters collaboration among its partners and accelerates technology, research, and development. One of its primary missions is to develop a sustainable knowledge-based workforce that can support the growing needs of government, industry, and academic partners.