Dr. Joseph M. Hatfield (Ph.D. Cambridge University) recently retired as an active-duty naval intelligence officer and Assistant Professor at the United States Naval Academy, where he taught courses on the technical fundamentals of cybersecurity, the ethics and policy of cyber operations, intelligence and national security, and human factors in cyber operations. His well-cited research is published in leading peer-reviewed academic journals and he has been a guest on conference panels, podcasts, and other venues.
Prior to arriving at the Naval Academy, his military experience included an operational tour with Helicopter Squadron Five, where he deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for combat operations from 2007-2009 supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. From 2009-2012, he worked as an intelligence analyst at U.S. Africa Command and played a leading role in the intelligence that drove US combat operations supporting Operation Odyssey Dawn. He then spent four years, from 2012-2015, as the director of intelligence for Commander Task Force SIX SEVEN in Sigonella, Sicily. His activities there remain classified.
He was awarded the Joint Service Achievement Medal for his work during the 2011 Libyan Civil War, where his intelligence analysis was used to brief senior decision makers in the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the President of the United States. In 2012, he was named the company grade officer of the year for U.S. Africa Command. In 2013, he was named the Rear Admiral Thomas A. Brooks Junior Officer of the Year (a navy-wide award). In 2014, he was the recipient of the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement. His military experience also earned him the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, multiple Naval Achievement Medals, and six Overseas Service Ribbons.