Colonel John E. Dukes, Jr. is the Deputy Program Executive Officer for Space and Director of Staff for the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base (AFB), California. He leads and aligns the organization’s various corps, across the enterprise, to ensure the organization, training, and equipping of SMC’s staff that research, design, development, acquisition, and sustainment of space and missile systems, command and control, launch and operational satellite systems. The Space and Missile Systems Center is the nation’s center of technical expertise for military space acquisition with approximately 6,000 employees nationwide and an annual budget of $9 billion.
Colonel Dukes received his commission as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the University of Alabama in 1998. The colonel has held command positions as a maintenance flight commander, logistics flight commander, and as a maintenance squadron commander. Additionally, he has held a variety of acquisition, aircraft maintenance, and multiple program offices positions, including deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and U.S. Central Command where he served as the information operations branch chief. Prior to his current role at SMC, he was the Senior Materiel Leader and Chief for Geosynchronous (GEO)/Polar Division.
EDUCATION
1998 Bachelor of Science, Finance, University of Alabama, Ala.
2000 Master of Business Administration, Finance, Boston College, Mass.
2001 Squadron Officers School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2002 Master of Business Administration, Economics, Western New England University, Mass.
2007 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2013 Joint Command and Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2014 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 1998–December 1999: PRISM/CARDS Project Officer, Electronics Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
2. December 1999–February 2001: JEFX 00 Advanced Technology Project Manager, Electronics Systems Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
3. February 2001–January 2002: Supply Modernization Acquisition Officer, Headquarters Standard Systems Group, Maxwell AFB, Gunter Annex, Ala.
4. January 2002–November 2002: Executive Officer to the System Program Manager, Headquarters Standard Systems Group, Maxwell AFB, Gunter Annex, Ala.
5. November 2002–February 2003: Chief Legacy Main Systems Migration, Headquarters Standard Systems Group, Maxwell AFB, Gunter Annex, Ala.
6. February 2003–June 2004: Deputy Program Manager, Automated Civil Engineering System, Headquarters Standard Systems Group, Maxwell AFB, Gunter Annex, Ala.
7. June 2004–March 2005: Maintenance Flight Commander, 57th Equipment Maintenance Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. April 2005–July 2005: Maintenance Operations Officer, 57th Equipment maintenance Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
9. July 2005–February 2007: Maintenance Operations Officer, 57th Component Maintenance Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10. February 2007–April 2008: Maintenance Operations Officer, 57th Maintenance Operations Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
11. April 2008–April 2009: Logistics Flight Commander, 686th Armament Systems Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
12. April 2009–July 2010: Assistant Director of Operations, 686th Armament Systems Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
13. July 2010–February 2011: Chief, Program Operations and Sustainment, 686th Armament Systems Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
14. February 2011–March 2012: Deputy Chief, Systems Interface & Integration, Air Armament Center Armament Directorate, Eglin AFB, Fla.
15. April 2012–April 2013: Deputy Program Manager, Global Command and Control System - Joint, Program Executive Office Command & Control Capabilities, Defense Information Systems Agency, Ft. George G. Meade, Md.
16. April 22, 2013–February 2014: Program Manager, Global Command and Control System - Joint, Program Executive Office Command & Control Capabilities, Defense Information Systems Agency, Ft. George G. Meade, Md.
17. February 2014–March 2015: Chief, Service Division, Joint Spectrum Center, Defense Spectrum Organization, Defense Information Systems Agency, Annapolis, Md.
18. March 2015–September 2015: Chief, Service Branch, Joint Spectrum Center, Defense Spectrum Organization, Defense Information Systems Agency, Annapolis, Md.
19. October 2015–August 2016: Program Manager, Global Electromagnetic Spectrum Information System, Joint Spectrum Center, Defense Spectrum Organization, Defense Information Systems Agency, Annapolis, Md.
20. August 2016–May 2017: Program Manager, Global Electromagnetic Spectrum Information System, Joint Spectrum Center, Defense Spectrum Organization, Defense Information Systems Agency, Annapolis, Md.
21. May 2017–May 2018: Deputy Chief, Acquisition & Contract Support Division, Directorate of Program Management and Integration, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB Calif.
22. June 2018–June 2018: Chief, SMC Transformation, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB Calif.
23. June 2018–August 2018: Chief, Space Acquisition & Integration, Director of Staff, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB Calif.
24. September 2018–June 2019: Chief, Space Acquisition & Integration, Director of Staff, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB Calif.
25. July 2019–July 2019: Senior Military Leader, Advancement/Development Division, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB Calif.
26. August 2019–January 2021: Senior Military Leader, GEO/Polar Division, Air Force Program Executive Officer - Space Production Corps, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB Calif.
27. January 2021–Present: Deputy Program Executive Officer for Space and Director of Staff, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB Calif.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Achievement Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Force Outstanding unit Award with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Force Organizational Exellence Award
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant January 15, 1997
First Lieutenant January 15, 1999
Captain January 15, 2001
Major September 01, 2006
Lieutenant Colonel January 01, 2012
Colonel June 19, 2018
(Current as of January 8, 2021)