Lt. Gen. Luke C. G. Cropsey is the Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. He is responsible for research and development, test, production, product support and modernization of Air Force programs worth more than $60 billion annually.
Lt. Gen. Cropsey was commissioned through the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1995. He held key engineering, acquisition and sustainment positions on Air Force conventional and nuclear weapon systems and National Reconnaissance Office space systems; served on the Office of the Secretary of Defense staff for systems engineering; and led at the squadron, group and wing levels as a Materiel Leader and Senior Materiel Leader. Lt. Gen. Cropsey's joint experience also includes three years at the European Command Plans and Operations Center in Stuttgart, Germany, where he served as a Space Operations Planner and Executive Officer to the Director of Operations.
Prior to assuming his current position, Lt. Gen. Cropsey was the Department of the Air Force Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Command, Control, Communication and Battle Management (DAF PAE C3BM), Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In that role, he integrated the C3BM materiel enterprise within the department, aligning technical architecture and acquisition authorities to streamline the delivery of decision advantage capabilities via the DAF BATTLE NETWORK.
EDUCATION
1995 Distinguished Graduate, Bachelor of Science, Engineering Mechanics, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1996 Master of Science, Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing
2001 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2005 Legislative Studies Program, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
2005 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2006 Department of Defense Executive Leadership Development Program, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
2007 Air Force Lean Aerospace Initiative Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
2008 Master of Science, Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
2012 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2014 Distinguished Graduate and Antonelli Award Winner, Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1995–August 1996, Student, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
2. September 1996–January 1999, Weapons Effects Engineer, Munitions Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
3. February 1999–November 2001, Chief, Structural Engineering Concepts, U.S. Air Force Force Protection Battlelab, Lackland AFB, Texas
4. December 2001–February 2004, Chief, Systems Engineering Branch, Office of Research, Undersecretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
5. March 2004–August 2005, Legislative Liaison, Advanced Systems and Technology Portfolio, National Reconnaissance Office, Washington, D.C.
6. September 2005–August 2007, Chief, Strategic Integration Branch, 303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
7. September 2007–August 2008, Fellow, Air Force Lean Aerospace Initiative, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
8. September 2008–July 2011, Information Operations and Space Planner, and Executive Officer to the Director of Operations, U.S. European Command, Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany
9. August 2011–July 2013, Materiel Leader, Pacific/Southeast Asia/Americas Branch, Air Force Security Assistance Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
10. August 2013–June 2014, Student, Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (formerly the Industrial College of the Armed Forces), Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
11. June 2014–July 2016, Deputy for Systems Engineering Plans and Policy to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering, Office of Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
12. July 2016–July 2017, Senior Materiel Leader, Direct Attack Division, Armament Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin AFB, Fla.
13. July 2017–July 2018, Senior Materiel Leader, Advanced Programs Division, Armament Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin AFB, Fla.
14. July 2018–May 2020, Senior Materiel Leader and Director, ICBM Directorate, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB, Utah
15. May 2020-June 2021, Senior Military Assistant, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. August 2021–September 2022, Director, Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, and Director of International Affairs, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
17. September 2022–January 2026, Department of the Air Force Program Executive Officer, then Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
18. January 2026–present, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 2008–July 2011, Information Operations and Space Planner, and Executive Officer to the Director of Operations, U.S. European Command, Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany, as a lieutenant colonel
2. June 2014–July 2016, Deputy for Systems Engineering Plans and Policy to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering, Office of Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal
Air Force Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal
(Current as of February 2026)