2019 Young Alumni Award Honorees

A member of the 2019-20 class of White House Fellows, Dues previously served as the military assistant to the deputy chairman of the Military Committee at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Headquarters, where he led a small team and served as the principal advisor to a U.S. three-star general officer. Dues helped develop policy recommendations with 29 partner nations to support politically informed military advice to NATO’s political leadership. In that capacity, he coordinated with international political and military stakeholders on a 10-year military strategy for NATO, in the defense of one billion citizens in the Euro-Atlantic region.

As a U-28 special operations pilot, Dues trained and com- manded varied aircraft crews in combat to hunt the world’s most wanted terrorists. With more than 1,300 combat flight hours across five deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, he has completed nearly 300 combat missions. On his most recent deployment, Dues led the stand-up of a new $109 million U-28 special operations site in Iraq. He has held multiple leadership roles in both combat and training to develop future Air Force special operations leaders, including directing U-28 flight operations that resulted in 866 enemies killed in action.

Additionally, he was hand-picked as the aide-de-camp to support a three-star general officer in NATO, the world’s most successful military alliance, and planned 50 international trips. He was selected as Field Grade Officer of the Year and was a six-time FGO of the quarter, three times at the wing level. He will pin on lieutenant colonel later this year.

He has earned a master’s in philosophy and doctorate in public policy analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He was also a distinguished graduate from Squadron Officer School.

His volunteer passions and community involvement maintain a domestic and international focus along the “teach a person to fish” model. He regularly volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, helping build more than 40 homes throughout his military service in the local community and in response to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. As a philanthropist, he’s contributed to charities, including raising funds for more than 100 international cleft lip surgeries and funding more than 100 microloans in developing countries. He was awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for these efforts.

“Thank you to the AOG and those many outstanding examples in the Long Blue Line who inspire excellence,” Dues says. “I am truly honored and humbled to receive this award, and I hope my small contributions will inspire others to serve and excel.”

Currently an assistant professor of political science at USAFA, Krieger leads the International Relations division, overseeing  the   instruction of 685 cadets in 14 classes and supervising six instructors. She is also co-editing the ninth edition of the department’s American Defense Policy book and acts as a mentor and selection committee member for the Academy’s graduate scholarship program. 

Following USAFA graduation, Krieger continued her education as a Marshall Scholar in the United Kingdom. She earned her first master’s degree in global politics from the London School of Economics, and her second master’s degree in conflict security and development from King’s College London. She also completed internships at the U.S. Department of State, where she worked on arms transfers to the Middle East, and at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, where she contributed to their 2006 Military Balance publication.

Krieger then earned her pilot wings by completing Euro- NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training and was selected to fly the F-16. She quickly upgraded to mission commander, and led the 11 enlisted members of the squadron’s Aircrew Flight Equipment shop through a rigorous inspection and a squadron deployment to the Republic of Korea. Her leadership earned her recognition as the squadron and wing Company Grade Officer of the Year.

Krieger was selected as one of two members of the second class of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s Captains Prestigious Ph.D. Fellowship, a program that creates strategic thinkers and joint leaders by sending high-performing captains to a top-tier civilian university to complete a doctorate in strategic studies. She completed a doctorate in international relations at Georgetown University (with a third master’s degree along the way). She researched and co-wrote a report for the chief of staff of the Air Force on why female officers separate from the Air Force at twice the rate of their male peers. The report led to some of the current personnel process changes — such as the Career Intermission Program — and earned Krieger the 2015 General Wilma Vought Visionary Leadership award.

Krieger then became a special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She led the chairman’s internal think tank, which is responsible for integrating information and products from across the Joint Staff to inform policy decisions. She authored the chairman’s policy memos on the integration of women into combat roles and transgender persons into the military. She also served on the leadership team of the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum, a nonprofit volunteer organization that inspires innovation in national security by empowering junior practitioners.

Krieger serves her community by sitting on the Marshall Scholarship board of directors and fundraising for the Ameri- can Cancer Society, a disease she has recently survived.

“I’m honored to receive this award and deeply grateful to the Air Force Academy for the extraordinary opportunities it provided to challenge myself, grow as a leader and scholar, and ultimately launch me on this amazing career,” Krieger says. “I have always been awed by the Academy and feel profoundly lucky to be able to give back to this institution and future members of the Long Blue Line.”

Currently the 344th Air Refueling squadron commander at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, Spurlock is responsible for the organization training and equipping of 101 members from 20 different legacy platforms who will stand up the first KC-46 squadron. Spurlock is responsible for creating the tactics, techniques and procedures to not only provide “Global Reach Global Power” but also serve as a valuable node in the combat cloud. Spurlock holds a master’s of business administration from Mississippi State University, as well as a master’s in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government through the Air Force Fellowship program.

Spurlock has been awarded Company Grade Officer of the Year three separate years at the group, wing and MAJCOM levels, to include being No. 1 of more than 4,000 as Air Mobility Command’s Company Grade Officer of the Year in 2011. Spurlock was also awarded the Airlift Tanker Association’s Young Leadership Award, California’s Air Force Association

(AFA) Company Grade Officer of the Year and the General Ellis Trophy for the top KC-10 crew at the 2011 AMC Rodeo. Additionally, in pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base he was awarded the AFA award for his work following Hurricane Katrina. Spurlock organized a team of airmen, traveled to the devastated Gulf Coast Region and helped families rebuild their storm-ravaged homes.

Spurlock is the former military aide to both presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. In this capacity, he was the ceremonial aide to the president for all events up to and including presenting the Medal of Honor.

In addition, he acted as the White House Military Office director of operations for all matters affecting presidential support while traveling. In this role, he personally supported the pope’s visit to the U.S., led operations for the 2017 inauguration, and commanded the 2017 mission to repatriate the U.S. prisoner in Egypt, Aya Hijazi.

Most importantly, Spurlock was entrusted to carry the “nuclear football” for the president and personally assist him if needed to execute continuity of government and nuclear command and control.

Spurlock volunteers by sponsoring, advocating and supporting the Gold Star Families program and Wreaths Across America.