Colonel Russell Teehan is the Director, Portfolio Architect of the US Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). He leads a team of roughly 100 personnel charged with spearheading the center’s activities to design an integrated space enterprise architecture and partner with other commercial, allied, government agencies and industry partners to enable SMC to smartly design, rapidly acquire, and expeditiously integrate the space systems needed to support today’s fight and the battlefield of tomorrow. Col Teehan was commissioned in 1993 by USAF Academy. His career has included a variety of assignments ranging from basic weapons research at the Air Force Research Laboratory, teaching physics at the USAF Academy, special programs management at the Space and Missiles Systems Center and a multitude of Air Staff and OSD Pentagon staff assignments. He recently served as the Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory Phillips Research Site where he led a team of 800 personnel and an annual budget of $300 million focused on advancing technologies to prototype the next generation of Space
Force space capabilities.
EDUCATION
1993 BS, Physics, USAF Academy, CO
1994 MS, Applied Physics (Lasers), Georgia Institute of Technology, GA
1999 PhD, Optical Sciences, University of New Mexico, NM
2007 MS, Military Arts and Sciences, Air Command and Staff College, Montgomery AFB, AL
2014 MS, National Resource Strategy, The Eisenhower School, National Defense University, Ft. McNair, DC
ASSIGNMENTS
1.Jun 93 – Sep 94, Applied Physics Masters Program Candidate, Georgia Institute of Technology, GA2.
Sep 94 – Aug 96, Laser Research Physicist, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, NM3.
Aug 96 – Dec 99, Optical Sciences PhD Candidate, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM4.
Dec 99 – Jun 02, Assistant Professor of Physics, USAF Academy, CO5.
Jun 02 – Jul 03, Director, Laser & Optics Research Center & Assoc. Prof. of Physics, USAF Academy, CO6.
Jul 03 – Jul 06, Deputy Chief, Counterspace Technology Division (SMC/SYT), Los Angeles AFB, CA7.
Jul 06 – Jun 07, Distinguished Graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Montgomery AFB, AL8.
Jun 07 – Apr 09, Space Control Program Element Monitor, SAF/AQSC, Pentagon, Washington DC9.
Apr 09 – Jun 10, Deputy Chief, Space Control Division, SAF/AQSC, Pentagon, Washington DC10.
Jul10 – Jul 13, Chief of Rapid Reaction Branch, Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson AFB, CO11.
Jul 13 – Jun 14, Student, Eisenhower School, National Defense University, Ft. McNair, Washington DC12.
Jun 14 – Jun 16, Chief, Space Control Branch, OUSD/AT&L(SSI), Pentagon, Washington DC13.
Jun 16 – Jul 18, Cmdr, Phillips Research Site, Dir, AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, NM14.
Jul 18 – Present, Portfolio Architect Director, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, CA
(Current as of Jul 2020)