• 2020 STEM Hero •

After earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas, Captain Eric M. Pratts joined the United States Air Force in 2011 as an enlisted Airman and received technical training to repair the radios, navigational aids, and weather monitoring equipment used by Air Traffic Control.

After five years, he rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant and attended the Air Force’s Officer Training School. After receiving his commission in 2016, he completed further technical training in Cyberspace Operations and was assigned the mission of integrating Cyberspace Operations into military training exercises run by the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center.

During this time, his leadership was pivotal in providing training and hands-on experience dealing with modern cybersecurity threats to key pieces of National Defense Infrastructure to members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force as well as representatives from multiple allied nations. Through his direction, a team of more than eighty members trains almost six thousand personnel annually.

Captain Pratts is currently the Officer in Charge of Advanced Programs where he oversees the development and integration of new Cyber tools to address threats outlined in the National Defense Strategy, and the effectiveness of training provided to Joint and Coalition forces.