Skills: Over 30 years' experience as a proven military and civilian leader with extensive experience with the USAF, Joint DoD, and academia. His areas of expertise are deterrence theory education, grand strategy, and strategic triad operations; USAF flight operations; interlocutor between Air Force operations and academia.

Experience: also serves as the Vice President for Education and is a Co-founder of the National Institute for Deterrence Studies, a non-profit think tank. He is also a member of the teaching faculty of the Department of Defense and Strategic Studies at Missouri State University, where he teaches graduate and doctorate courses in deterrence theory and grand strategy.

Previously, he was the Associate Dean of the School of Strategic Force Studies at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), where he led a robust portfolio of USAF professional continuing education programs supporting the USAF nuclear enterprise. Preceding his time at AFIT, he was the Executive Director of the Louisiana Tech Research Institute, where he designed and developed a catalog of Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications curriculum and courses for the Air Force Global Strike Command’s workforce. Colonel McGiffin retired from the USAF in 2017 with over 26 years of experience as an aviator, commander, staff officer, and educator; most of which was supporting the USAF’s nuclear enterprise. Prior to his retirement from active duty, Colonel McGiffin was the Associate Dean of Faculty and Assistant Professor of Strategy and Deterrence at the National War College in Washington DC. He has served on the Joint Staff, HQ AF staff, and Joint Forces Command staff, as a squadron commander, and as the senior advisor to Iraq’s military Vice Chief of Staff. He was a Master Navigator and flight instructor with 2,750 flight hours in the E-4B, EC-135, KC-135 and T-43 aircraft. Among his many decorations, he was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, a Legion of Merit, two Aerial Achievement Medals, and the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal. 

Education: MS in Strategic Intelligence (MSSI) from the Joint Military Intelligence College (now called the National Intelligence University) in Washington DC, and his Masters in Aeronautical Science (MAS) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He has also published numerous articles and book chapters on deterrence education and deterrence application.