LtCol Andrew J. "Skipper" Berry is the director of Warfighter's Edge (WEdge) – a cutting edge technology development group in the Institute for Information Technology Applications, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado. A previous F-16 pilot with over 100 hours of combat time and 3500 hours total time. Lieutenant Colonel Berry directs a team of 45 leading to successful delivery of three major programs within the USAF presently. Originally, the WEdge briefing software (WEBS) program was an initiative at the C2ISR Battle Lab at Langley AFB, Virginia and showcased at the Joint Expeditionary Forces Experiment, 2006 (JEFX-06). It is currently fielded at numerous Air Force bases.
A native of Denver, Colorado, LtCol Berry is a Distinguished Graduate of Colorado State University Air Force ROTC Program. After receiving his commission in May 1989, with a degree in Computer Science and minor in mathematics, he attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Reese AFB, Lubbock, Texas. He earned his aeronautical rating in January 1991. From graduation until July 1996, LtCol Berry was a T-37 Instructor Pilot where his programs earned four distinct benchmarks during a USAF inspection. From July 1996 to March 1997 he attended F-16 RTU and had a follow on assignment to Hill AFB until February 2000. After leaving the Active Duty in February 2000, Lt Col Berry went on to continue to fly F-16s at the Oklahoma Air National Guard, Tulsa, Oklahoma. There he specialized in a unique briefing system for flight briefing rooms and continued to improve and teach this technology to the Air National Guard. During April, 2005, during one of his presentations on this technology, he was hired by the Air Force Reserves to work at the Institute for Information Technology Applications, to implement this technology throughout the Air Force. From there innovative ideas have led to three successful programs implemented with the focus to help the warfighter.
EDUCATION
1990 B.S., Computer Science, Minor Mathematics, Colorado State University, Colorado.
1995 M.A.S., Aeronautical Science, Embry Riddle University, Florida.
1996 Squadron Officer's School, Maxwell AFB, AL
2003 Air Command and Staff College, Correspondence Course
ASSIGNMENTS
May 05 - Present, IITA HQ USAFA, Colorado, Director, Warfighter's Edge.
Feb 00 - May 05, 125 FS Tulsa ANG, Oklahoma. F-16CG Instructor Pilot: Traditional Guardsman. Supervisor of Flying, Instrument Refresher Course Instructor, Chief Briefing Room (BRI) Programming
Mar 97 - Feb 00, 4th FS, Hill AFB, Utah, Active Duty. F-16CG Flight Lead: Held positions as Hill AFB, UT Flight Commander, Supervisor of Flying, and Chief of Scheduling
Jul 96 - Mar 97, 61st FTS, Luke AFB, Arizona, Active Duty. F-16C RTU, SRO
May 96 - Jun 96, 49th FTS, Columbus AFB, Mississippi, Active Duty. Lead-In Fighter Training
Jan 91 - Jul 96, 35th FTS, Reese AFB, Texas, Active Duty. T-37B Flight Examiner, Check Pilot, and Instructor Pilot: Assistant Flight Commander, Chief of Scheduling, RSU Controller, & Spin Pilot
Apr 91 - Jun 91, 355th FTS, Randolph AFB, Texas, Active Duty. Pilot Instructor Training
Jan 90 - Jan 91, 64th FTW, Reese AFB, Texas, Active Duty. Undergraduate Pilot Training
AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
General Jumper Warfighting Integration, Outstanding Officer for USAFA. March 2009.
USAF outstanding research and development award, Jan 2007
Company grade officer of quarter, 4th FS, Hill AFB. Apr-Jun 98, Jan-Mar 99
Daedaelian Leadership Award, Air to Ground Top Gun. 61st FTS, Luke AFB. Feb 97
Wing Commander's Excellence Award, 64 FTW, Reese AFB, Apr 96
Instructor Pilot of the Quarter, 35th FTS, Reese AFB. Apr-Jun 94, Jan-Mar 95 at Group level
President's excellence award for academic and military professionalism. CSU, May 89