Maj. Gen. John M. Olson is the Mobilization Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations, Headquarters United States Space Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. In this position, he assists the CSO with responsibility to organize, train and equip space forces; develop and acquire military space systems; and conduct space operations to advance and protect U.S. and allied interests. Maj. Gen. Olson is the USSF lead for Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control and the Advanced Battle Management System. Maj. Gen. Olson also serves on the Office of the Secretary of Defense Operational Energy Innovation Technical Advisory Group and flies as an Airborne Emergency Action Officer on the Looking Glass Airborne Nuclear Command Post leading strategic deterrence missions.
Maj. Gen. Olson was commissioned in 1992 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has earned five engineering degrees, including two bachelor’s degrees from the U.S. Air Force Academy, master’s degrees in engineering from the University of Illinois and the University of Tennessee and a Doctorate in Systems Engineering from Auburn University. He also completed executive education programs at Harvard, MIT and Stanford. Maj. Gen. Olson has held numerous air, space, cyber, acquisition, test, weapons, political-military, intelligence and technology command, staff and leadership roles at all levels. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, a freefall parachutist and a former European and Eurasian Foreign Area Officer. Maj. Gen. Olson deployed to Southwest Asia, supporting air and space operations for operations Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and New Dawn in Iraq, Odyssey Dawn in Libya and Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. Maj. Gen. Olson transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in 2004 after joining NASA, where he served as a Senior Executive Service leader in several civil space leadership roles for nearly a decade, earning the Presidential Rank Award. In his industry capacity, he served as a CEO, president, vice president, and general manager in both public and private corporations for nine years, following 25 years of federal civil service culminating as the Assistant Director for Space and Aeronautics in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Prior to his current position, Maj. Gen. Olson served as the first Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer for the Department of the Air Force at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
EDUCATION
1992 Bachelor of Science degrees in both engineering sciences and mechanical engineering, German minor, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
1993 Master of Science in materials science and engineering (advanced composites), University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
1997 French Language and Russian for Astronauts courses, Defense Language Institute, Presidio of Monterey, Calif.
1998 U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Flight Test Engineer course, Edwards AFB, Calif.
1999 Squadron Officer School, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2001 Master of Science in aviation systems (avionics and human factors), University of Tennessee, Tenn.
2001 Joint Special Operations School, European & Eurasian Foreign Area Officer courses, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
2002 Air Command and Staff College (by seminar), Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2003 Doctorate of Philosophy in industrial and systems engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.
2005 Harvard Senior Executive Fellows program, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2006 Defense Systems Management College and Program Management Officers course, Ft. Belvoir, Va.
2008 Air War College (by correspondence), Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2018 Executive Leadership Program, University of North Carolina, Keenan-Flagler Graduate School of Business, Chapel Hill, N.C.
2019 Systems Acquisition Management Course (ACQ404), Defense Acquisition University, Ft. Belvoir, Va.
2019 Continuous Process Improvement for Executives, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C
2019 Senior Leader Orientation Course, Joint Base Andrews, Va.
2020 National Cybersecurity Policy and Technology Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2020 Data Science for Data Leadership Executive Course, Washington, D.C.
2021 Emerging Technologies and Globalism versus Sovereignty Executive Courses, Arlington, Va.
2021 Artificial Intelligence for National Security Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
2022 Artificial Intelligence Executive Program, Naval Postgraduate School and Stanford, Palo Alto, Calif.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 1992 - June 1993, Student, U.S. Air Force Academy Graduate School Program Scholarship and Air Force Institute of Technology Civilian Institutions Program, University of Illinois-Urbana, Ill.
2. June 1993 - February 1995, Advanced Composites and Stealth Engineer, Aircraft Battle Damage Repair engineer and maintenance officer, Sacramento Air Logistics Center, McClellan AFB, Calif.
3. February 1995 - May 1996, Student, Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Reese AFB, Texas
4. May 1996 - September 1997, Special Operations Test Director and Flight Test Engineer, Detachment 1, 46th Operations Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
5. September 1997 - June 1998, Student, French Language Program and Russian Experimental Course, Defense Language Institute, Presidio, Monterey, Calif.
6. June 1998 - June 1999, Student, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Class 98B, Edwards AFB, Calif.
7. June 1999 - July 2001, Chief, Airborne Test Branch and European & Eurasian Foreign Area Officer, Munitions Test Division, 46th Operations Group, 46th Test Wing, Air Armament Center, Eglin AFB, Fla.
8. July 2001 - January 2002, Director of Test, Weapons Test Flight and European & Eurasian Foreign Area Officer, Munitions Test Division, 46th Operations Group, 46th Test Wing, Air Armament Center, Eglin AFB, Fla.
9. January 2002 - July 2003, Flight Commander, Special Projects, Air to Air Joint Systems Program Office, 46th Operations Group, 46th Test Wing, Air Armament Center, Eglin AFB, Fla.
10. July 2003 - June 2004, Chief, Test, Operations, and Programs Division, Space Vehicle Operations Directorate, Detachment 12, Space and Missile Systems Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
11. June 2004 - June 2006, Chief, Test and Operations Division, Space Test Program Washington Representative, Detachment 12, Space and Missile Systems Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
12. June 2006 - April 2011, Chief, Space Technology and Acquisition, National Security Space Office, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
13. April 2011 - April 2012, Space Situational Awareness Program Element Monitor, Space Control and Advanced Technology, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, Space Acquisition, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
14. April 2012 - May 2012, Deputy Director, Technical Intelligence, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
15. May 2012 - August 2016, Director, Joint Reserve, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
16. August 2016 - August 2017, Individual Mobilization Augmentee to Air Force Program Executive Officer for Agile Combat Support, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
17. August 2017 – January 2019, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, and Air Force Program Executive Officer for Strategic Systems, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
18. January 2019 – October 2019, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, 24th Air Force; Commander, Air Forces Cyber; and Commander, Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber, JB San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
19. Oct 2019 – June 2021, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, 16th Air Force; Commander, Air Forces Cyber; Commander, Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber, and Commander, Service Cryptologic Component, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
21. January 2022 – January 2023, Chief Data and AI Officer, Department of the Air Force, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
22. June 2021 – present, Mobilization Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations, Headquarters United States Space Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. January 2002 - July 2003, Flight Commander, Special Projects, Air to Air Joint Systems Program Office, 46th Operations Group, 46th Test Wing, Air Armament Center, Eglin AFB, Fla., as a major
2. June 2006 - April 2011, Chief, Space Technology and Acquisition, National Security Space Office, Headquarters Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a major and lieutenant colonel
3. June 2011 - October 2011, Chief, Diplomatic Clearances Officer, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia, as a lieutenant colonel
4. April 2012 - August 2016, Director, Joint Reserve, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a colonel
5. January 2019 – June 2021, Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, 24th and 16th Air Force; Commander Air Forces Cyber; Commander, Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, as a brigadier general
6. September 2019 – present, Airborne Emergency Action Officer, Looking Glass Airborne Nuclear Command Post, United States Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb., as a major general
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal (Air Force)
Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
NASA Distinguished Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with seven oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Organizational Excellence Award
National Defense Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Nuclear Deterrence Operations Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
Air and Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border
Air and Space Longevity Service Award with five oak leaf clusters
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” device
Small Arms Expert Medal (pistol)
Air and Space Training Ribbon
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 27, 1992
First Lieutenant May 27, 1994
Captain May 27, 1996
Major Nov. 1, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel Aug. 2, 2007
Colonel May 1, 2012
Brigadier General Dec. 12, 2018
Major General Aug. 1, 2022
(Current as of October 2023)