In this highlight article, The AFIT Foundation is recognizing Lieutenant Colonel (ret) Paul Cancino! Paul completed his BS in Business Management from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2002 and went on to complete his MS in Logistics and Supply Chain Management at the US Air Force Institute of Technology in 2010. Next, he earned his MS in Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School in 2021, and most recently a MS in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School.

Colonel Cancino was commissioned in 2002. He was deployed twice to Iraq in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, and three times to Afghanistan in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM and OPERATION FREEDOM’S SENTINEL. He served in a variety of positions and echelons ranging from imbedded air advisor, three-time squadron commander, director of operations, executive officer, task
force staff, installation power and water production officer, and aerial port flight line duty officer, with extensive airlift, supply chain, and joint/coalition mobility experience.

Colonel Cancino’s greatest memories are of learning from AFIT professors Dr. William Cunningham, Major/Dr. Daniel Mattioda, Major/Dr. Ben Skipper, and Col/Dr. Ned Sandlin. “It’s great to analyze case studies, but I was blessed to have engaged with and learned from leaders who personally took theory and applied it to real world modern-day combat, contingency, and humanitarian relief operations. They turned academics into reality, making their work relevant to the classroom and the battlespace.”

Colonel Cancino’s AFIT and operational experience galvanized the maxims he lives by:
1. There is fast, there is cheap, and there is high quality. You only get two out of three. (Dr. Cunningham)
2. Logistics is the pacing item for all operations. You can’t out pace logistics (Dr. Mattioda)
3. Operations are the dreams of planners. We make those dreams a reality (Dr. Sandlin)
4. Logisticians don’t deliver good or bad news. It’s just facts. (Dr. Skipper)

Colonel Cancino’s advice for AFIT graduates is to “Get first-hand experience by being at the point of contact.” You can read and research reports and data endlessly, but there is so much information lost in translation, and so many heuristics not written in the AFIs and LOIs. Get out to the field and get intimately involved with the operations so that you can truly understand the problem and the needs of the people who you are supporting. “Being there” forges strong relationships, lends credibility to your work, and demonstrates your level of commitment. Thank you, Colonel Cancino!