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Twin brothers, co-workers attend UNWT

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Ashley Conner
  • 39th Information Operations Squadron
HURLBURT FIELD, FLA. --  Last December, Captain Merritt earned recognition as the first Undergraduate Network Warfare Training course Honor Graduate at the 39th Information Operations Squadron here. So, you can imagine their surprise when UNWT instructors once again saw Captain Merritt's name on the class roster for the second iteration of UNWT which began this week.

Twin brothers Capt. Kris Merritt, UNWT graduate, and Capt. David Merritt, current UNWT student, will be the first family members to complete the rigorous 38-day training that educates students on the basics of warfare in cyberspace.

Capt. David Merritt has aced all of UNWT's computer based training, which means he is on track to receive the same prestigious award as his brother.

"I feel pressure to take home an award, but it is not pressure from Kris," said Capt David Merritt. "We are both competitive people but aren't competitive with each other."

Both captains graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2002 with degrees in Computer Engineering. Although the Air Force sent them down different career paths, Kris as a Communications officer and David as a Development Engineer, they are both currently working as flight commanders in the 33rd Network Warfare Squadron at Lackland AFB, Texas. Due to the similarity of the mission, their flights frequently work together.

"My team performs network defense, while his team performs network incident response, said Capt. Kris Merritt. "The content of our work is very operational, and we inevitably must come together to discuss courses of action. It's a daily occurrence, and it makes it a fun work environment."

"This course is providing us with situational awareness of all things network not just computer networks," said Capt. Kris Merritt. "UNWT and the Security Essentials Certification will provide the Air Force and Cyber command with legitimate network security professionals who all speak the same operational language."

Capt. David Merritt echoed his brothers' sentiments by saying that UNWT is the future of the Air Force.

"It will turn today's mindset into more of a net warfare mindset where non-kinetic attacks will be more prominent," he said.