Robert M. “Rob” Dunn, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Technical Advisor for Survivability, Air Force Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California. He serves as the most senior Air Force technical advisor and expert on all aspects of electromagnetic spectrum survivability for flight and ground test and evaluation capabilities across AFTC's test ranges and facilities valued at more than $31 billion, including 116 aircraft and 164 ground test facilities. He is responsible for providing advice and guidance to Air Force senior leadership and U.S. government officials as well as to immediate and multiple nationally-important aerospace system program efforts concerning test infrastructure, capability, practices and interpretation of test results. In this capacity, Mr. Dunn's current focus is collaboration across the test and training enterprise to accelerate developing the survivability test and training capabilities relevant to a technologically advanced adversary. He is responsible for ensuring AFTC investment and modernization efforts align test capabilities with test needs. AFTC's workforce of 18,000 military, civilians, contractors and its ranges and facilities, are located across the U.S. including Edwards AFB; Eglin AFB, Florida; Holloman AFB, New Mexico; and Arnold AFB, Tennessee. Additionally, Mr. Dunn is charged with leading the effort to hone the Air Force's test and training methodologies that will prepare the U.S. to be lethal in a highly contested combat environment and to mold a technologically advanced workforce required to execute these methodologies.
Mr. Dunn was commissioned through ROTC in 1981 and served nearly 11 years before transitioning to civil service to continue in the aerospace survivability mission space. During his military service, he developed hands-on RF engineering experience at the Air Force Armament Laboratory (now Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate, or AFRL/RW); survivability experience including analysis, maintenance and support and mission planning at the Air Force Electronic Warfare Center; and test experience executing the last series of actual nuclear weapons effects tests while with Defense Nuclear Agency.
His experience as an Air Force civil servant spans survivability and lethality flight, hardware-in-the-loop and installed system testing, as well as survivability modeling and simulation across a wide variety of U.S. weapons systems and technologies. He has subsequently used this experience in a variety of roles as a technical director to develop the next generations of survivability, lethality technology, test capabilities and engineers.
Prior to his appointment Mr. Dunn served as the Technical Director for a data-masked organization, providing the Commander with transformational strategic vision as well as technical direction of the mission capabilities and mission conduct.
EDUCATION
1981 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman
1986 Master of Science, Electrical Engineering (Comm/Radar), Mississippi State University, Starkville
CIVILIAN CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. March 1992–September 1993, Senior Engineer, EG&G Special Projects, Las Vegas, Nev.
2. September 1993–February 1996, Electronic Warfare Test Engineer, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center OL-NV, Las Vegas, Nev.
3. February 1996–February 1999, T&E M&S Program Manager, Data Masked
4. February 1999–June 2000, Survivability Branch Chief, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
5. June 2000–December 2000, Survivability Engineer, Data Masked
6. December 2000–October 2003, Technical Director Special Projects Flight Test Squadron, Data Masked
7. October 2003–February 2008, Technical Director, 412th Electronic Warfare Group, Edwards AFB, Calif.
8. February 2008–July 2012, Technical Director Multiple Operating Locations
9. July 2012–October 2017, Division Technical Director, Air Force Research Laboratory/Strategic Technology Office, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
10. October 2017–March 2019, Technical Director, 412th Electronic Warfare Group, Edwards AFB, Calif.
11. March 2019–August 2022, Technical Director, Data Masked
12. August 2022–present, Technical Advisor for Survivability, Air Force Test Center, Edwards AFB, Calif.
MILITARY CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. April 1981–May 1985, Research and Design Radio Frequency Engineer, Air Force Armament Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
2. May 1985–September 1986, Air Force Institute of Technology Civilian Institution Graduate Student and AFIT Liaison Officer, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Miss.
3. September 1986–May 1989, Electronic Warfare Engineer, Air Force Electronic Warfare Center, Kelly AFB, Texas
4. May 1989–June 1991, Sensor Vulnerability Branch Chief, AFEWC, Kelly AFB, Texas
5. June 1991–March 1992, Test Technical Director, Field Command Defense Nuclear Agency, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
(Current as of June 2023)