Hon. Dr. John Plumb
Written by: Jodi Slattery
Dr. John F. Plumb served as the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy from April 2022-May 2024. In this role he was responsible for the overall supervision of space warfighting policy for the Department of Defense. His policy portfolio encompassed the Department’s strategic capabilities for integrated deterrence: space, nuclear weapons, cyber, missile defense, electromagnetic warfare, and countering weapons of mass destruction. His accomplishments during his tenure included the classified Space Strategic Review, the unclassified Commercial Space Integration Strategy, the 2022 Missile Defense Review, the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review, and the unclassified Space Policy Review and Strategy on Protection of Satellites. He also led the entire rewrite of the Department’s outdated space classification strategy, and spearheaded the expansion of the Combined Space Operations Initiative from 7 to 10 Allied nations.
Dr. Plumb has spent his career in national security roles both in and out of uniform. He was an active-duty U.S. Navy submarine officer, commanded multiple Navy reserve units, and has held civilian staff roles in the U.S. Senate, the Pentagon, and the National Security Council staff in the White House. He has also held senior roles at both Rand and the Aerospace Corporation. He holds a B.S. in Physics from the University of Notre Dame, and an M.S. in Physics and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado.
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