Brig. Gen. Ryan L. Britton is the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Presidential & Executive Airlift, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He is responsible for the planning and execution of all lifecycle activities related to recapitalization of Air Force One and E-4B aircraft and sustainment of the current Air Force One, E-4B, C-12, C-32, C-37 and C-40 aircraft.
Brig. Gen. Britton entered the Air Force in 1991 through the University of Memphis ROTC program. Early in his career, he held various engineering, program management and staff positions at the Electronic Systems Center and the Munitions Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory. Brig. Gen. Britton has operational experience as a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launch officer and later served as the Chief of the Emergency War Order section at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. He holds two graduate degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology and is a RAND Fellow.
Brig. Gen. Britton was the Deputy Director for Acquisition for the Missile Defense Agency. Additionally, he served as the Director of the ICBM Systems Directorate located at Hill AFB, Utah, and commanded the 730th Aircraft Sustainment Support Squadron at Robins AFB, Georgia. General Britton has also held numerous staff positions to include the Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics at the Pentagon, at U.S. Strategic Command, the Air Staff, Air Force Materiel Command and Warner Robins Air Logistics Center. He deployed as the Liaison Officer to the Iraqi Minister of Defense in Baghdad. Brig. Gen. Britton holds the Department of Defense Acquisition Corps Level III certification in Acquisition Program Management and Systems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering-Systems Engineering.
Brig. Gen. Britton also served as the Director, Global Reach Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia, where he was responsible to the Air Force Acquisition Executive for the airlift, air refueling, training and special operations programs portfolio and was the Director of Global Power Programs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, & Logistics, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia, where he was responsible for the directing, planning and programming of more than 159 Air Force, joint service and international programs.
EDUCATION
1991 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, University of Memphis, Tenn.
1995 Master of Science, Electrical Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
1999 Undergraduate Space and Missile Training, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
1999 Missile Initial Qualification Training, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
2004 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2006 Master of Science, Systems Engineering, Intermediate Developmental Education, AFIT, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
2008 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2011 Air Force Fellow, Senior Developmental Education, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif.
2011 Program Manager’s Course, Defense Acquisition University, Huntsville, Ala.
2011 Better Business Deals & Industry Insights, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
2012 Executive Program Manager’s Course, Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, Va.
2014 U.S. Air Force Leadership Enhancement Program, The Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2015 Joint/Combined Warfighting School, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1991 - May 1994, Program Manager and Systems Engineer, Command and Control Systems, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
2. May 1994 - December 1995, Electrical Engineering Graduate Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
3. December 1995 - December 1998, High Speed Imaging Research Engineer and Executive Officer to the Director, Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate, Eglin AFB, Fla.
4. December 1998 - July 1999, Student, Undergraduate Space and Missile Training and Missile Initial Qualification Training, Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
5. July 1999 - August 2001, Missile Combat Crew Member, Missile Combat Crew Evaluator and Flight Commander, 741st Missile Squadron, 91st Space Wing, Minot AFB, N.D.
6. August 2001 - March 2003, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Chief, Emergency War Order Section, 91st Operations Support Squadron, 91st SW, Minot AFB, N.D.
7. March 2003 - July 2004, Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb.
8. July 2004 - March 2006, Intermediate Developmental Education Student, Graduate School of Systems Engineering, AFIT, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
9. March 2006 - July 2006, Policy Branch Chief, Directorate of Air, Space and Information Systems, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
10. July 2006 - July 2007, Commander, 730th Aircraft Sustainment Support Squadron, 330th Aircraft Sustainment Wing, Robins AFB, Ga.
11. July 2007 - December 2008, Executive Officer to the Commander, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins AFB, Ga.
12. December 2008 - June 2009, Liaison Officer to the Iraqi Minister of Defense, Multi-national Security Transition Command-Iraq, Baghdad
13. June 2009 - January 2010, Chief, Nuclear Arms Control, Strategic Plans and Policy Division, Directorate of Operational Planning, Policy and Strategy, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
14. January 2010 - July 2010, Chief, Strategic Policy Branch, Strategic Plans and Policy Division, Directorate of Operational Planning, Policy and Strategy, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va.
15. July 2010 - July 2011, Senior Developmental Education Student, Air Force Fellow with the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif.
16. July 2011 - July 2015, Director & Senior Materiel Leader, ICBM Systems Directorate, Hill AFB, Utah
17. July 2015 - August 2016, Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. August 2016 - May 2017, Deputy Director for Acquisition, Missile Defense Agency, Fort Belvoir, Va.
19. May 2017 - December 2018, Director, Global Reach Programs, Assistant Secretary Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
20. December 2018 – June 2019, Director, Global Power Programs, Assistant Secretary Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
21. June 2019 – present, Air Force Program Executive Officer, Presidential & Executive Airlift Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. March 2003 - July 2004, Aide-de-Camp to the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., as a major
2. December 2008 - June 2009, Liaison Officer to the Iraqi Minister of Defense, Multi-national Security Transition Command-Iraq, Baghdad, as a lieutenant colonel
3. July 2015 - August 2016, Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
4. August 2016 - May 2017, Deputy Director for Acquisition, Missile Defense Agency, Fort Belvoir, Va., as a colonel and brigadier general
BADGES
Master Space Badge
Master Acquisition Badge
Master Missile Operations Badge
Weapon Systems: Minuteman III
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Combat Readiness Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Medal with “N” device and oak leaf cluster
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
2012 Outstanding Air Force Program Office
2013 Outstanding Air Force Program Manager (ACAT I)
2013 USD (AT&L) Workforce Achievement Award for Program Management
2013 OSD Award for Value Engineering
2014 OSD Award for Value Engineering
2014 AFA Citation of Honor
2014 David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award
2015 Outstanding Air Force Program Office
2015 Air Force Association General Larry D. Welch Award
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant July 17, 1991
First Lieutenant July 17, 1993
Captain July 17, 1995
Major June 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel May 1, 2007
Colonel Sept. 1, 2011
Brigadier General Sept. 2, 2017
(Current as of August 2021)