Lt. Col. Daniel B. “Plato” Morabito is a National Security Affairs Fellow for the academic year 2024-2025 at the Hoover Institution and former Director of the Commander’s Action Group, Sixteenth Air Force, Joint Force Headquarters (Cyber) AFCYBER. His career includes service as Watch Officer and Branch Chief for the Combat Operations Division, Air Force Cyber Operations Center, Joint Base San Antonio, TX where he oversaw world-wide USAF network operations and provided command and control for multiple offensive and defensive cyber campaigns. Additionally, Lt Col Morabito led the 855th Cyber Protection Team at Scott AFB where he also served as Chief of Standardization and Evaluation for the Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunt (CVA/H) weapon system for the 688th Cyberspace Operations Group. He then served as the Director of Operations for Detachment 2, 318th Cyberspace Operations Group, Nellis AFB, NV where he oversaw cyber integration into multi-domain Joint and Coalition exercises for the USAF Warfare Center.

Lt. Col. Morabito received his commission through Air Force ROTC in 2006. He has served in various assignments, specializing in the standup and growth of new organizations to include the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, the 835th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, 855th Cyber Protection Team, and the 688th Cyberspace Operations Group. His qualifications include the Air Force’s Cyber Command and Control Mission System and CVA/H weapon system.

His work on Information Warfare theory and alternate futures has been published in Air and Space Power Journal, Over the Horizon Journal, Global Security and Intelligence Studies, and Army University Press. He is a graduate of Air Command and Staff College’s Joint All-Domain Strategist program and a Superior Graduate of the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies.

EDUCATION

2006 Bachelor of Science, Computer Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX 2006 Air and Space Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, AL
2007 Expeditionary Communications Officers Training, Keesler AFB, MS
2009 Master of Science, Leadership and Information Technology, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA
2012 Master of Science, Cyberspace Operations, Air Force Institute of Technology, OH
2013 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2018 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL., by correspondence
2020 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Maxwell AFB, AL 2021 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, AL., by correspondence
2021 Master of Arts in Military Operations, US Army School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, KS

ASSIGNMENTS

June 2006 – January 2008, Officer in Charge, Ops, GCCS, 1st Air and Space Communications Squadron, Ramstein AB, GE
January 2008 – July 2009, Flight Commander, 1st Communications Maintenance Squadron, Kapaun AS, GE
July 2009 – May 2010, Executive Officer, 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, Ramstein AB, GE
May 2010 – June 2012, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson AFB, OH J
une 2012 - September 2013, Watch Officer, 624th Operations Center, Joint Base San Antonio, TX
September 2013 – September 2015, Branch Chief, Network Ops, 624th Operations Center, Joint Base San Antonio, TX
September 2015 – June 2016, Commander, 855 Cyber Protection Team, 835th Cyber Operations Squadron, Scott AFB, IL
June 2016 – June 2018, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 688th Cyberspace Operations Group, Scott AFB, IL
June 2018 – June 2019, Director of Operations, 318th Cyberspace Operations Group, Detachment 2, Nellis AFB, NV
June 2019 – June 2020, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Joint All-Domain Strategist, Maxwell AFB, AL
June 2020 – July 2021, Student, US Army School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, KS
July 2021 – July 2023, Commander, 834th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas
July 2023 – July 2024, Director, Commander’s Action Group, 16th Air Force, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and four Oak Leaf clusters
Air Force Combat Readiness Medal
Air Force Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal with six Service Stars OTHER

ACHIEVEMENTS

2008 USAFE Communications and Information CGO of the Year
2019 24th Air Force Larry O Spencer Innovation Award
2021 Honors List and Superior Graduate, U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies

PUBLICATIONS

“Detecting hardware-assisted hypervisor rootkits within nested virtualized environments,” AFIT Thesis, 2012
“The Great Escape,” Army University Press, July 2021
“How We Lost the Information War of 2028,” Global Security & Intelligence Studies, Winter 2021
“National Security and the Third-Road Threat: Toward a Comprehensive Theory of Information Warfare. Air & Space Power Journal,

2021 EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant 13 May 2006
First Lieutenant 31 May 2008
Captain 31 May 2010
Major 1 Aug 2016
Lieutenant Colonel 1 May 2021