Air Force Space Command

John, welcome.

the 11th vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former STRATCOM commander, Air Force Space Command leader, and an incredible leader with an amazing career.

But one of the things that has distinguished your career was your understanding of the value and sometimes limitations of technology.

And I want to make that as part of the conversation today because I want to get your thoughts on where we are with space technology.

So I've done some time at the, uh, at the NRO, the N-National Reconnaissance, uh, Office, um, which kinda does the intel satellites.

And I've done, of course, Air Force Space Command, DOD space.

So I've seen both sides of the house from a space perspective.

But I also got a little bit of cyber, uh, time on me as well.

Adam's experience spans military leadership, organizational development, consulting, and program management.

Beyond his time commanding soldiers in the Army, he has supported teams within the Air Force Special Operations Command, AFSOC, headquarters Air Force Space Command, and the Navy's nuclear program, gaining a unique perspective on leadership, performance, and organizational effectiveness in some of the military's most demanding environments.

Drawing from these experiences and his own personal journey, Adam developed practical leadership and resiliency frameworks that help high-performing individuals recognize drift, reclaim their purpose, and lead more effectively at work and at home.

Through his signature Drift Happens program, Adam and his team have trained thousands of service members and leaders across the US military, including engagements with the Army's Command and General Staff College, the First Armored Division, and other major military organizations.

And so then how did it translate to the operational and tactical level? And I saw Operation Desert Storm as really that turning point.

So I looked at who was the leadership at that point at Desert Storm and, and that led me to General Moorman Jr., 'cause he was the commander of Air Force Space Command during that time.

And then he actually subsequently rose to be the vice chief of staff of the Air Force as a non-rated officer, as an intel officer with a space background, which was huge in the early '90s.

Um, and so I really just kinda started digging deep into, you know, his story.

1961, the first Corona reconnaissance mission, working with the National Reconnaissance Office.

And the commands! Air Force Space Command in 1982.

which is the first real attempt to pull scattered space forces into one place.

Joint U.S. Space Command in 1985.

So the one that used to be down in Florida, it's now in Colorado.

Willie Shelton was the head of Air Force Space Command at the time, which is as big as the space world got back then.

And he was up there with a presentation and he was just going through his slides and he casually mentions GSAP, this thing, and it keeps going.

And I'm sitting there with a couple of reporters.