Mr. Michael Cook is the Deputy Director for the 412th Communications Squadron, Edwards Air Force Base, California. The squadron’s mission is to deliver agile cyber capabilities to develop, support and defend innovative Test and Evaluation solutions and support to over 8,000 clients spanning 26 units and 17 geographical locations in support of the 412th Test Wing mission.
Mr. Cook was born and raised in Missouri and earned a Bachelor’s degree from Chaminade University of Honolulu in 1998. He has attained three graduate degrees and is a graduate of the Air War College (AWC) Senior Developmental Education program. Mr. Cook entered government service in 1990 as an active duty member of the United States Navy. In 1998 he was accepted into the Naval Officer Candidate School (OCS) and earned his subsequent commission. During his career in the Navy he was stationed in sea and shore commands primarily in Japan and Hawaii. While on sea duty in Japan he deployed to the Arabian Gulf in 1994, participated in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise, the world’s largest maritime warfare exercise, and deployed to the Indian Ocean following the events of 9/11. In 2010 he accepted a position at the 412th Range Squadron, Edwards Air Force Base California. During his career at the 412th Range Squadron he has been the Program Support Lead for the Global Vigilance Program, the Program Support Lead for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Operational Test Team (JOTT) and Supervisor of the Mission Capabilities and Support Section. In addition to his supervisory duties he led the way in creating a comprehensive Training, Certification and Development (TCD) program for the Information Technology (IT) workforce within the squadron and played a key role in the strategic planning of education and developmental opportunities for all members within the squadron. Prior to becoming the Deputy Director of the 412th Communications Squadron he was the squadron’s Operations Flight Chief. In his spare time Mr. Cook enjoys reading and writing. He also enjoys pursuing as well as sharing professional development opportunities.
EDUCATION
- 1990, Basic Electricity and Electronics, in residence, Service School Command, Orlando, Florida
- 1991, Naval Advanced Electronics Program, in residence, Service School Command, Great Lakes, Illinois
- 1992, Satellite Communications “C” School, in residence, Service School Command, San Diego, California
- 1998, Bachelor of Arts, English, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaii
- 1999, Naval Officer Candidate School (OCS), in residence, Pensacola, Florida
- 2000, Naval Surface Warfare Officers (SWO) School, in residence, Newport, Rhode Island
- 2000, Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC), in residence, Newport, Rhode Island
- 2005, Master of Management, University of Phoenix (UOP)
- 2012, Certified Acquisition Professional-Level 1, Program Management, Defense Acquisition University 2013, Master of Science in Information Technology, University of Management and Technology (UMT)
- 2013, Cyber 200 Certification, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Wright-Patterson, AFB, Ohio
- 2015, Certified Acquisition Professional-Level 3, Information Technology, Defense Acquisition University
- 2015, Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), National Defense University (correspondence)
- 2016, Master of Science in Engineering Management, University of Management and Technology (UMT)
- 2017, Cyber 300 Certification, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Wright-Patterson, AFB, Ohio
- 2017, Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), Air University (AU) Intermediate PME (correspondence)
- 2018, Air War College (AWC), Air University (AU) Senior PME (correspondence)
LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION SHORT COURSES
- 2018, Leading High Performance Teams, in residence, University of Southern California (USC)
- 2018, Leading With Impact, Civilian Developmental Education in residence, Bolger Center, Potomac, Maryland
- 2019, Innovation and Strategy, in residence, Harvard University
ASSIGNMENTS
- 1992 – 1994, Electronic Maintenance Department, Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)
- 1994 – 1996, Combat Systems Maintenance Support, USS Hewitt (DD-966), Yokosuka, Japan
- 1996 – 2000, Planning and Programs Department, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
- 2000 – 2002, Engineering Officer, USS Vincennes (CG-49), Yokosuka, Japan
- 2002 – 2004, Communications Officer, Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Yokosuka, Japan
- 2004 – 2008, IT Systems Analyst/PM, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), Japan, Italy and Bahrain
- 2008 – 2010, IT Project Manager, Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station, Yokosuka, Japan
- 2010 – 2015, Data Production Analyst, 412th Range Squadron, Edwards AFB, California
- 2015 – 2017, Program Lead, Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Operational Test Team, Edwards AFB, California
- 2017 – 2019, Mission Capabilities & Support Section Chief, 412th Range Squadron, Edwards AFB, California
- 2019 – 2020, Operations Flight Chief, 412th Communications Squadron, Edwards AFB, California
- 2020 – Present, Deputy Director, 412th Communications Squadron, Edwards AFB, California
AWARDS
- 1994, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with two gold stars
- 1998, Magna cum Laude, Chaminade University of Honolulu
- 1999, Naval Officer Candidate School (OCS) Distinguished Graduate
- 2004, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
- 2012, 412 RANS Performer of the Month Award
- 2014, International Honor Society Delta Epsilon Tau Kappa Chapter of Virginia
- 2015, 412 RANS Quarterly Award
- 2016, Booster of the Year Award, Desert High School Wrestling
- 2017, 412 RANS Time-Off Award (X3)
- 2017, 412 RANS Team of the Quarter Award
- 2017, 412 RANS Annual Supervision/Management Award
- 2017, 412 TENG Annual Director's Award
- 2018, 412 RANS Quarterly Supervision/Management Award (X2)
- 2018, 412 TENG Quarterly Director's Award
- 2018, 412 RANS Team of the Quarter Award
- 2018, 412 TENG Quarterly Supervision/Management Award
- 2018, 412 TENG Innovation Team of the Quarter Award
- 2018, 412 RANS Annual Supervision/Management Award
- 2018, 412 RANS Time-Off Award (X3)
PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS
- 2014, Cyber Acquisition Professionals Need Expertise, Defense AT&L Magazine, March-April 2014
- 2015, Securing Cyber Acquisitions, Defense AT&L Magazine, January-February 2015
- 2015, The First 100 Days of an Acquisition Workforce Manager, Defense AT&L Magazine, May-June 2015
- 2016, Intellectual Innovation: A Paradigm Shift in Development, Defense AT&L Magazine, July-August 2016
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
- 2007, Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Management Institute (PMI)
- 2010, Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Foundation Version 3
- 2010, CompTIA Network+
- 2010, CompTIA Project+
- 2015, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)²
- 2016, Certified Authorization Professional (CAP), International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)²
Mike Cooke