The Honorable Alex Wagner was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 7, 2022, and sworn in as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force on June 10, 2022. As the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, he provides overall supervision for matters related to manpower, military and civilian personnel, Reserve component affairs and readiness support for the nearly 700,000 Airmen and Guardians in both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Space Force.
Mr. Wagner’s career includes significant experience in national security, law, and private industry. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Wagner served as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at the Aerospace Industries Association, leading efforts focused on talent development in the aerospace and defense industry, including specific programs to enhance workforce diversity, expand STEM education access, and protect employees’ health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also worked as a lawyer in private practice, specializing in intellectual property law and the First Amendment.
Additionally, he served in various positions in the Department of Defense during the Obama-Biden administration. In 2015, Mr. Wagner was appointed Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Army, shaping policy and outreach for the Secretary while aligning the Army’s civilian and military leadership with the Secretary’s priorities, initiatives, and plans. In this role, he was closely involved in developing and implementing policies opening all combat roles to women, enabling transgender Americans to openly serve their nation, and updating the Army’s uniform and grooming regulations to enhance recruiting and retention of soldiers of faith. In previous appointments in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, he represented DoD equities to the interagency and internationally on issues regarding human rights and the laws of war, strategic and conventional arms control, and nuclear non-proliferation.
Mr. Wagner received his law degree from Georgetown Law, where he served as an adjunct professor from 2011 to 2017, and his undergraduate degree from Brown University.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Brown University, Providence, R.I.
2005 Juris Doctor, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1999–2000, Research Analyst, DFI International, Washington, D.C.
2000–2002, Research Analyst, Arms Control Association, Washington, D.C.
2005–2008, Associate Attorney, K&L Gates LLP, Seattle, WA.
2009–2011, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Global Strategic Affairs), Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C.
2011–2014, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Rule of Law and Detainee Policy), Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C.
2014–2015, Global Policy Development Manager, Uber Technologies, Washington, D.C.
2015–2017, Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Army, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C.
2017–2018, Of Counsel, Avicenna Strategy, Washington, D.C.
2018–2022, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Aerospace Industries Association, Arlington, VA.
2022–present, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), Washington, D.C.
AWARDS AND HONORS
Best Lawyers Under 40, National LGBT Bar Association, 2014
Exceptional Public Service Medal, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 2015
Distinguished Public Service Medal, Department of the Army, 2017
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
DC Bar, 2011
Security Fellow, Truman National Security Project, 2014–present
(Current as of July 2022)