Maj Matthew “Niner” Smokovitz is an officer in the United States Space Force and a current Fellow in the Institute for Future Conflict. He previously served as the Director of Operations for the 3d Combat Training Squadron (Mission Delta 3), where he led the unit to become the first in Space Operations Command (SpOC) to earn college accreditation for four advanced training courses.

Niner was also a member of the instructor cadre at the United States Air Force Weapons School, where he broadened his integration expertise and focus on Space and Airborne Electromagnetic Warfare, as well as Cyber Operations. He has completed two deployments in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, Operation Resolute Support, and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, providing critical EW capabilities in joint and coalition environments.

Maj Smokovitz is a 2012 graduate of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, and he holds a Master of Science in Space Studies from American Military University.