WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE -- In a rapidly evolving and contested threat environment, the National Air and Space Intelligence Center is sharpening the ultimate weapon system, the minds of its Airmen.
NASIC recently launched the Wing Initiative for Scholastic Excellence campaign, or Project WISE, a new program designed to equip personnel with the mental and educational tools needed to maintain a competitive edge.
Project WISE is a Center-wide initiative tailored to cultivate a culture of lifelong learning. Running from Sept. 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027, the program incentivizes and recognizes military and civilian personnel who pursue higher education, professional certifications, NASIC UpSkills courses, and professional development programs.
"Being ready is not just a physical thing for our Airmen," said Chief Master Sgt. Tabatha Sanders, NASIC command chief. "True readiness requires mental and educational preparation. When our people continuously better themselves, they bring undeniable credibility to our fighting force and that intellectual credibility is at the very core of our nation's deterrent capability."[MM3.1]
While professional development is its own reward, Project WISE adds a healthy dose of competition to the Center. Individuals and units, including squadrons, group staff, wing staff, and A-Staff directorates, will go head-to-head to climb the leaderboard, tracking their achievements on a live dashboard.
"A little friendly competition has a way of pushing us to new heights," Sanders said. "When we challenge ourselves and each other to hit these academic goals, we aren't just winning prizes we are building a faster, smarter, and more lethal team. That collective drive is what keeps NASIC ahead of the threat."
To fuel that competition, the program uses a modern, transparent way to track progress. Unit representatives will log educational achievements into a centralized system that feeds directly into a live Power BI dashboard, providing real-time updates on which individuals and units are leading the pack.
“By taking time previously to sharpen our own technical skills, we engineered this tracking system rapidly, which allowed us to focus all our passion on the human element of this campaign,” said Master Sgt. Nathan Reynolds, NASIC Wing Training superintendent. “Project WISE is ultimately about aerodynamics. Just like an aircraft, when our Airmen reduce their cognitive friction by sharpening their minds, their operational aerodynamics increase. They can hit new speeds, sift through massive amounts of data, and carry the heavier intellectual payloads required to out-think our enemies."
Points are awarded via a weighted rubric, with bonus points available for outstanding academic performance, such as maintaining a 3.8 GPA or higher. As participants hit key targets, they can earn prestigious individual and unit-level rewards[MM4.1] at the conclusion of the academic year.
For more information about Project WISE, NASIC members are encouraged to reach out to their unit’s point of contact.