Dr. Brett C. Bedeaux is the Senior Scientific and Technical Advisor for Advanced Nuclear Hardness and Survivability, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. As the primary science and technology advisor to the AFNWC commander, he is responsible for ensuring nuclear hardness and survivability systems meet requirements for the U.S. Air Force’s nuclear weapons, their delivery systems and support systems. He provides senior-level technical expertise across the Air Force nuclear mission, interfacing with senior leadership within the Department of Defense and Air Force.
Prior to his current assignment, Dr. Bedeaux was AFNWC’s Lead Project Officer for Nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Warheads and the Air Force leader of Department of Defense and Department of Energy interagency activities on development, sustainment, operational effectiveness and overall management of nuclear ICBM warheads.
Before becoming an Air Force civilian in 2011, Dr. Bedeaux spent more than 30 years at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he participated in eight underground nuclear tests, performed hostile environment qualification on nuclear weapon components and performed intelligence evaluations of foreign nuclear weapons.
Dr. Bedeaux has authored several technical papers, including one on “Velocity measurements of inert porous materials driven by infrared-laser-ablated thin-film titanium,” published in the Journal of Applied Physics.
EDUCATION
1996 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Summa Cum Laude, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
1998 Master of Science, Electrical Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
2001 Master of Science, Engineering Mechanics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro
2009 Doctorate of Philosophy, Materials Engineering, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. July 1976‒July 1986, Electronics Technologist, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M.
2. July 1986‒October 1992, Underground Nuclear Test Experiment Liaison, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M.
3. October 1992‒January 1998, Analyst, Engineering and Program Management, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M.
4. January 1998‒November 2000, Hostile Environment Assessment Engineer, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M.
5. November 2000‒August 2005, Systems Nuclear Hardening and Survivability Engineer, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M.
6. August 2005‒August 2011, Intelligence Analyst for Foreign Nuclear Weapons, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, N.M.
7. August 2011‒April 2015, Supervisory Physical Scientist, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
8. April 2015‒August 2019, Lead Project Officer for Nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Warheads, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
9. August 2019‒present, Senior Scientific and Technical Advisor for Advanced Nuclear Hardness and Survivability, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
NNSA Defense Programs Award for Excellence, Blue Book
United Kingdom Chief Scientist Award for Joint Technology Demonstrator
NNSA Defense Programs Award for Excellence, W88 Neutron Generator Hostile Environment Assessment
(Current as of November 2019)