John Shaw

Lt. Gen. John Shaw (US Space Force, Ret.) has 35+ years of experience in national security space and aerospace engineering with a focus on leading large-scale technical, global organizations. His unique proven strengths in executive decision-making, strategic risk management, and combat operations at all levels have made him a leader in organizational transformation, strategic culture transformation, and the innovative integration of allied/international and commercial capabilities into national security missions. He was among the first general officers to accept a commission in the US Space Force, resigning his US Air Force commission to do so. 

General Shaw’s last active duty assignment, as a 3-star general in the US Space Force, was Deputy Commander of United States Space Command, where he directed 12,000+ personnel worldwide and oversaw a $525M budget to defend the nation’s critical space capabilities and to deliver space effects to terrestrial warfighters and human society. In this role, he regularly interacted with leaders across the U.S. government, including NASA, Dept of State, Dept of Commerce, and the Intelligence Community. Before joining U.S. Space Command, John was the last commander of 14th Air Force (US Air Force) and the first commander of Space Operations Command (US Space Force) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, leading 10,000+ personnel across the globe that organized, trained, and equipped military space forces and executed global space operations, in teamwork with international partners. 

Prior to commanding 14th Air Force, John spent 30 years as a leader of large, complex, and highly technical organizations responsible for some of the world’s most critical space capabilities within both the Department of Defense and the National Reconnaissance Office. He also served as a senior policy advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and co-led a delegation to Vienna to discuss space security issues with Russia during the first Trump administration. 

John holds multiple academic degrees in technical and strategic management fields, including a B.S in Astronautical Engineering with Russian Language minor from the US Air Force Academy, an M.S. in Aeronautics & Astronautics from the University of Washington and an M.S. in Organizational Management from The George Washington University. He is a noted public speaker and has delivered dozens of keynotes at various conferences and interviews to the media, has testified often before Congress, and has also authored many works on space-focused strategy, security, and policy. He currently serves on the corporate Board of Directors for SES Satellite, Draper Laboratory, Auria Space, Stoke Space Technologies, and ThinkOrbital. John is an avid runner, skier, hiker, fly fisher, reader, wine enthusiast, chessplayer, and musician.