DEFENSEWERX Welcomes Dr. John S. Wilcox to Board of Directors

DEFENSEWERX would like to welcome Dr. John S. Wilcox to our Board of Directors.

Dr. John S. Wilcox is currently the Vice President for Advanced Programs & Technology for Orbital ATK. He is a retired member of the Senior Executive Service. His last assignment before retiring after 36 years of combined military and federal service was as the Director for Munitions, Air Force Research Laboratory, located at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. In this capacity, he assisted the Commander of AFRL in strategic S&T investment planning across the technology directorates. He also led the combat air forces future weapons technology planning and execution at the Munitions Directorate providing programmatic and technical guidance to a staff of more than 500 scientists and engineers developing airlaunched conventional munitions technology. The activities of the Munitions Directorate include research on missile seekers, precision guidance, navigation and control, image processing, munitions integration, warheads, fuzing, explosives and technology assessment methodology. Prior to this assignment, Dr. Wilcox served as the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Precision Engagement from 2002 to 2009.

Prior to his Civilian Service career, Dr. Wilcox was a Colonel in the United States Air Force and retired after 24 years of active duty before beginning his civilian career. He began his operational flying career in the F-111 and went on to fly the Royal Air Force and German Tornado and F-4, and F-15E fighter aircraft. He is a graduate and instructor at the United States Air Force Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. He commanded the 28th Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base and was the Chief of Advanced Air Supremacy while assigned to the Directorate of Requirements at Headquarters, Air Combat Command. While assigned to the Pentagon, he served as the Senior Military Assistant for Airpower in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. His most recent assignment at the Pentagon was as the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Precision Engagement and Director of the Joint Capability Technology Demonstration Program. During Operation DESERT STORM, Dr. Wilcox served on the Targeting Team for the strategic air campaign and was the Chief, Time Sensitive Targeting, for Operation ENDURING FREEDOM while assigned to Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. He also served as the Director for Night Fist operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and the Global War on Terrorism. Dr. Wilcox was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2002 and was awarded the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executive by the President of the United States in 2015 prior to his retirement from the DoD.