Robert Chandler Swallow, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Principal Deputy Director, Headquarters Air Force Studies and Analysis (SAF/SA), Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He is responsible for the development of Air and Space Force-wide policy, guidance, modeling, simulation and analyses that inform Air and Space Force leadership decisions concerning current and future warfighting capabilities.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Swallow served as the Acting Director of Headquarters Air Force Studies, Analysis, and Assessments (HAF/A9) for 20 months as well as the Principal Deputy HAF/A9. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the 1,100 Department of the Air Force military and civilian analysts to support planning and budgeting reviews, establishing the Operations Research Analyst (15A) career field and spearheaded analytic innovation. In his first SES position, he was the Technical Director for the Joint Warfare Analysis Center, Dahlgren, Virginia, leading the advancement of boutique targeting analysis. With a focus on providing future combatant commanders with more targeting options faster, he worked across the interagency to provide modeling and simulation, network analysis, wargaming and operations-research optimized weapons pairings that leveraged emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and directed energy to conduct conventional, cyber, information, space, economic and gray zone warfare. Specific partnerships with the U.S. Cyber Command, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Air and Space Intel Center, Air Combat Command and the Joint Technical Coordination Group for Munitions Effectiveness, led to breakthroughs in threat-representative network simulation and advanced weapons pairings.
Mr. Swallow gained a breadth of experience in policy, strategy, military operations, counterterrorism, cyber warfare, economics, infrastructure, operations research and nuclear engineering while serving in the U.S. Navy. He concluded his military service in three joint assignments: Commander of the JWAC, professor at the National Defense University teaching Economics of the National Security Strategy during the Great Recession and developing the Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands Fellowship, and in the Pentagon, serving as the Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs developing policy options for the middle East, Russia, the Caucasus, Europe, Africa and NATO. His sea tours included operations around the world, highlighted by commanding the guided missile frigate the USS Nicholas that intercepted the merchant ship BBC China carrying contraband nuclear centrifuges to Libya exposing the illegal nuclear efforts of Pakistan, Iran, North Korea and Libya; executing emergency relief efforts in Yemen after the terrorist attack on the USS Cole; and driving the carrier, USS Enterprise.
EDUCATION
1985 Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, La.
1993 Master of Science, Operations Research, Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, Calif.
1998 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence
2008 Master of Arts, National Security and Strategic Studies, Naval War College, Newport R.I.
2017 U.S. Air Force Senior Leader Orientation Course, Washington, D.C.
2017 Advanced Professional Executive Senior Executive Service Orientation Program, Washington, D.C.
2019 USAF Executive Leadership Seminar, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, Chapel Hill
2020 USAF Advanced Senior Leader Development Seminar, Warrenton, Va.
2023 Vanguard Senior Executive Leadership Program, Potomac, Md.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. May 1985–December 1990, Division Officer assignments on USS Virginia and USS Bainbridge, Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
2. January 1991–March 1993, Student, Operations Research, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif.
3. April 1993–December 1997, Department Head assignments on USS Elliot and USS Enterprise, Arabian Gulf
4. January 1998–December 1999, Executive Officer on USS Elrod, Mediterranean Sea
5. August 2000–July 2001, Chief of Staff, JTF Determined Response; Chief Staff Officer Middle East Force
6. January 2001–March 2003, N1 Officer Assignments, Surface Forces Atlantic, Norfolk, Va.
7. April 2003–September 2004, Commanding Officer, USS Nicholas, Mediterranean Sea
8. October 2004–January 2007, Current Operations Officer, 7th Fleet, Pacific Ocean
9. February 2007–March 2008, Student, Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
10. April 2008–April 2010, Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense, OSD-Policy International Security Affairs, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
11. May 2010–April 2013, Associate Professor, National Defense University, Eisenhower School, Washington, D.C.
12. May 2013–May 2015, Commander, Joint Warfare Analysis Center, Dahlgren, Va.
13. November 2016–April 2019, Technical Director, Joint Warfare Analysis Center, Dahlgren, Va.
14. April 2019–November 2019, Principal Deputy Director, Studies, Analyses and Assessments, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
15. November 2019–June 2021, Acting Director, Studies, Analyses and Assessments, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. June 2021–June 2022, Principal Deputy Director, Studies, Analyses and Assessments, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
17. June 2022–present, Principal Deputy Director, Studies and Analysis, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
2023 Meritorious Presidential Rank Award
Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service
Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three gold stars
Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award
Navy Commendation Medal with three gold stars
Navy Achievement Medal
Command at Sea Pin
Command Ashore Pin
Surface Warfare Officer Pin
Parachute Badge
PUBLICATIONS
“Considering the Cost of Cyber Warfare: Advancing Cyber Warfare Analytics to Better Assess Tradeoffs in System Destruction Warfare,” The Journal of Defense Modeling & Simulation, 2023
“Accelerating Change in Austerity: The Art of Safely Running with Scissors in the DoD,” Military Operations Research Society Phalanx, Vol. 53, No. 3 September 2020 (coauthored with Captain Kyle Frazee, and Dr. John B. Young)
“Searching for a Bakers Dozen – Lessons Learned from a Decade of War.” Small War’s Journal, Dec 2012 (coauthored with CDR Yousef Aboul Enein)
“Bosnia & Herzegovina: A Sailor’s View,” Proceedings, June 2004
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Member, Military Operations Research Society
(Current as of February 2024)