LTC Rob Payne, USAF Instructor Director of Programs, Research & Operations - Modern War Institute Air Force Liaison Inter-Service Commissioning Representative Modern War Institute robert.payne [at] westpoint.edu About Education Research & Publications LTC Rob Payne is an active-duty Air Force officer serving as director of Programs, Research, and Operations at the Modern War Institute. He is currently assigned as a rotating faculty member and exchange instructor from the United States Air Force Academy. LTC Payne is a career logistician who has served in leadership positions within the Logistics Readiness Squadron, Air Mobility Squadron, Aerial Port Squadron, and the USAF Expeditionary Center and is a Joint Qualified Officer. He is a veteran of three operational deployments to Afghanistan at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels as an Air Advisor and Afghan-Pakistan Hand (AFPAK) program in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Resolute Support, and Freedom Sentinel as well as Operations Allies Refuge and Allies Welcome. Before joining MWI, he served as the A4 Chief of Logistics for the USAF Expeditionary Center. His military education includes the Logistics Readiness Officer Course, Squadron Officer School, Defense Language Institute, Air Command and Staff College, Joint Logistics Course, and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School. M.A. - National Defense UniversityB.A. - Virginia Military Institute Research Interests Security Force Assistance, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS), Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems, and Autonomous Systems.