LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif-- Lt. Gen. John F. Thompson, Space and Missile Systems Center commander, was virtually presented the 2020 Gen. James V. Hartinger Award August 20 on behalf of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) at the Space Warfighting Industry Forum, here.
Named after the first Commander of the United States Air Force Space Command, the NDIA has selected one recipient annually since 1984 to be recognized for their outstanding achievements, leadership and contributions to the space mission throughout the Department of Defense (DoD).
Thompson, who is responsible for approximately 6,000 employees nationwide and an annual budget of $9 billion, manages the research, design, development, acquisition and sustainment of satellites and the associated command and control systems.
“I want to thank the men and women of the Space and Missile Systems Center,” said Thompson. “I’ve watched and supported them from the sidelines as best I could as the commander and the Program Executive Officer for Space. Everyone at the center shares in this award and their efforts have been absolutely instrumental in us being able to tackle this new era of peer-to-peer space competition.”
The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the NDIA champions the local defense economy, is heavily involved with workforce development with an emphasis on supporting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs in local primary and secondary schools, and works to address critical issues industry and military facilities face across the DoD.