Erin N. Pettyjohn, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Director, Information and Spectrum Warfare Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. She leads 3,000 employees in the Department of the Air Force's Center of Expertise for information, cyber, sensing, EW, PNT, sense-making, directed energy, and ground-based space domain awareness.
Ms. Pettyjohn was commissioned into the United States Air Force as a second lieutenant from the Virginia Military Institute in 2001 and joined the Air Force Reserve the same year she became a federal civilian in 2006. She served over 25 years in a diverse field of research and development, primarily in space, intelligence, hypersonics, and directed energy technology. Her range of assignments have included the Pentagon, intelligence community, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, and AFRL, across a variety of positions where she excelled in program management, leadership technology development, and intelligence analysis. Prior to serving as the Director for Directed Energy, she was the Deputy Director at AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate. She was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in June 2024.
In her previous role, she was the Director, Directed Energy Directorate, AFRL, Kirtland AFB, N.M. In this role, she supported a team of over 900 military, civilian, and on-site contractors, which comprise the nation's center of excellence for high energy laser weapons, high power microwave weapons, and ground-based space domain awareness.
EDUCATION
2001 Bachelor of Science, Physics, with distinction, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Va.
2003 Master of Science, Applied Physics, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
2011 Squadron Officer School, Non-resident Studies Program, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
2011 Office of Personnel Management, Center for Leadership Development Program, Albuquerque, N.M.
2016 Air Command and Staff College, Non-resident Studies Program, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
2017 Joint and Combined Warfare School, Hybrid, Newport News, Va.
2020 Air War College, Non-resident Studies Program, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
ASSIGNMENTS AND CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. June 2001–August 2001, Systems Engineer, Logicon/Northrop Grumman, Fairfax, Va.
2. August 2001–April 2003, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio (active duty)
3. April 2003–April 2005, Fiber Laser Researcher, Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland AFB, N.M. (active duty)
4. April 2005–April 2012, Cryogenics Program Manager and Section Chief, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
5. April 2007–April 2016, Satellite Vulnerability Analyst (Air Force Reserve), Kirtland AFB, N.M.
6. April 2012–October 2013, Deputy Chief, Battlespace Surveillance Innovation Branch, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
7. October 2013–June 2016, Chief, Battlespace Surveillance Innovation Branch, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
8. April 2016–March 2021, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Squadron Commander (Air Force Reserve), National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
9. June 2016–May 2019, Deputy Chief, High Power Electromagnetics Division, Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland AFB, NM
10. May 2019–January 2021, Chief, High Power Electromagnetics Division, Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
11. January 2021–August 2022, Chief, Geospace Technologies Division, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
12. March 2021–June 2022, Advanced Hypersonics Capability Lead (Air Force Reserve), The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
13. June 2022–January 2024, Military Assistant to Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Science, Technology, and Engineering (Air Force Reserve)
14. August 2022–June 2024, Deputy Director, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
15. January 2024–March 2026, Deputy Director, Joint Reserve Directorate, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. (Air Force Reserve)
16. June 2024–January 2026, Director, Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
17. March 2026–present, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Program Executive Officer Nuclear Delivery, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M. (Air Force Reserve)
18. January 2026–present, Director, Information and Spectrum Warfare Directorate, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
Engineering and Technical Management - Practitioner
(Current as of August 2026)