John Huntsman
Olympia,WA
Summary
Accomplished leader with expertise in strategic planning, risk management, and resilience. Adept at building high-performing teams and driving operational efficiency to achieve excellence in dynamic environments.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Deputy Commander (Assistant Vice President)
Space Base Delta 3, USAF
06.2024 - Current
- Oversees 5 squadrons, 11 staff agencies, and a $61.4M operations and maintenance budget, supporting over 7,000 base personnel.
- Manages 351 facilities and $50M in contracts and services, enabling Space Systems Command to execute its $15.6B acquisition budget, accelerating innovation and outpacing emerging threats.
- Chairs 5 base level working groups on base security, family advocacy, medical, civil engineering and quality of life activities for 205K beneficiaries.
Chief of Staff
353d Special Operations Wing, USAF
12.2023 - 06.2024
- Synchronized 208 staff members and advised the Wing Commander of the theater’s only Special Operations Wing, 8 units, 1.1K personnel, $1.9B in air assets.
- Orchestrated command and control functions for 460 mission requests, managed a $58M flying hour program and $21.3M budget, and led the integration of 26 augmentation personnel supporting a 44-day, 46 aircraft, and 60 km grid search, repatriating 7 fallen heroes and 30,000 lbs. of sunken debris following a CV-22 mishap.
- Led the wing headquarters move for 186 personnel amid high-risk conditions, achieved initial operating capability of its new Joint Operations Center, and excelled in the wing’s 1st MAJCOM Readiness Exercise Validation.
Commander (Chief Operating Officer)
353d Special Operations Support Squadron, USAF
12.2022 - 12.2023
- Commanded 227-member squadron, managed $440K budget, and directed personnel recovery, force protection, tactical communications, and medical casualty care capabilities in support of 6 squadrons and 1.1K personnel.
- Executed 12 flexible deterrence operations and 24 joint exercises, and led transformational change to the wing's organizational structure, adapting for great power competition, ready to fight tonight.
- Reduced agile combat employment logistical requirements by 87%, repurposed a 5K square foot facility for human performance, and secured $25K in funding for innovative cargo loading solutions to champion a Headquarters Air Force “Spark Tank” finalist.
Operations Officer
1st Special Operations Squadron, USAF
05.2021 - 12.2022
- Directed the operational training, development, and deployment of 80 specialized aircrew members, a $798M, 7-aircraft MC-130J fleet, and $15M, 3,400 flying hour program, driving excellence in meeting national response thresholds and executing Indo-Pacific theater objectives.
- Spearheaded rapid support to joint operations, including an open-ocean humanitarian evacuation and a historic special operations engagement with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force US-2 amphibious aircraft rescue unit.
- Achieved a record-setting 470 flight hours in a single month, a 60% increase over program goals, demonstrating surge capabilities to higher headquarter leadership.
Student Pilot
MC-130J Requalification Course, USAF
08.2020 - 05.2021
- Displayed tactical expertise in all MC-130J mission events, including airdrop, helicopter and tiltrotor air refueling, night vision goggle mountainous low level, receiver air refueling, formation & maximum effort airland operations.
Division Chief (Senior Manager)
Special Operations Command Europe, USAF
07.2018 - 08.2020
- Led SOCEUR's requirements and shortfall program, implementing improvements that accelerated staff synchronization, resulting in a 56% reduction in process time. This enabled the validation of 98 requirement shortfalls and the successful integration of emerging technologies, such as AI and encrypted cloud-based communications, to enhance tactical capabilities.
- Chaired a critical posture initiative, culminating in a 2-star recommendation to a 4-star general to re-phase $57M in military construction by 2 years. This effort synchronized combatant command priorities with service programs, driving strategic alignment and resource optimization.
- Played a key role in shaping SOCEUR's Program Objective Memorandum efforts, securing $371M to counter Russian aggression and $91M for security cooperation initiatives in 33 nations. Additionally, championed a solution for the mid-pandemic transfer of authority for Naval Special Warfare, supporting operations across 5 stations and 4 nations.
Graduate Student
Naval Postgraduate School, USAF
01.2017 - 07.2018
- Demonstrated mastery of literature on imminence in the context of preemptive self-defense. Earned a 3.93 GPA and NPS "Outstanding Thesis Award," a distinction awarded to less than 10% of all graduates.
- Served as Conduct of War Panelist during the 2018 International Society for Military Ethics Conference, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Led discussions surrounding diversity and cultural integration in the context of a growing global culture of conflict.
- Served as Asymmetric Threat Panelist during the NATO Special Operations Forces and Law Symposium, Oslo, Norway. Leveraged expertise to differentiate between the Laws of Armed Conflict and wartime rules of engagement with respect to impacts on combat decision-making.
Chief of Flight Safety
353d Special Operations Group, USAF
04.2015 - 01.2017
- Developed and instructed a 3-day aviation risk management course to 37 Royal Malaysian Air Force units, enhancing Malaysian and international flight safety.
- Successfully led a 336-person, 14-aircraft, combined force for a large-scale US-Australian joint exercise, US Pacific Command's first joint air refueling formation of 5 US Marine V-22s with 2 MC-130 variants during a long-range airfield seizure exercise, and four MC-130s postured with the Crisis Response Force poised to conduct a rescue of American citizens after attacks in Bangladesh.
- As Deployed Operations Director for a 39-member joint air Command and Control center, managed 18.5K flight hours of ISR and 12 kinetic strike events against adversarial targets, and implemented Geographic Combatant Commander delegated authorities to expand the force's ISR operating area, increasing on-station time by 200%.
Education
Defense Analysis: Irregular Warfare
Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey
Human Resource Management
California Coast University, Santa Ana
Philosophy
University of Washington, Seattle
Skills
- Aviation & Occupational Safety
- Community Outreach
- Design Thinking
- Ethical Readiness
- Inclusive Leadership
- Lifelong Learning
- Team Problem Solving
Certification
- Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program
- ATP Multi-Engine (ATM) Written
- Commercial Rating: AMEL / ASEL
- FCC Restricted Radio Operator's Permit
- Current US Passport
- Current First Class FAA Medical Certificate
Flight Time (Turbine)
- Total: 2,940.5
- Multi-Engine: 2,837
- Pilot in Command (PIC): 837.6
- Night: 757.8
- Instructor: 755.4
- Evaluator: 153.8
- Aircraft Flown: MC-130J, HC-130J, C-130E/H/J, T-44A, T-6A
Special Experience
- Advanced Instrument School
- Aircraft Mishap Investigation Course
- Initial Instructor Cadre, HC/MC-130J Formal Training Unit
- Intermediate Education, Air Command & Staff College
- Joint Forces Staff College, Joint PME II
- Safety and Accident Investigation Board President Course
- Senior Education, Air War College
- Worldwide Flying Experience: 13 years, 11 months
Values
- Care- recognizing the infinite possibility and value of others; helping others to pursue their personal and career goals.
- Discipline- a professional commitment to uphold the highest of standards, while demonstrating character, good will, and excellence.
- Grit- physical and mental toughness with a positive attitude; a patient and indomitable spirit, despite hardship.
Publications
- 2021 - “Getting to Ethical Readiness.” War on the Rocks, February 8, 2021. https://warontherocks.com/2021/02/getting-to-ethical-readiness/.
- 2018 - “Just Strike: A Commander’s Guide to Preemptive Self-Defense.” Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School, 2018. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/trecms/pdf/AD1059953.pdf.
- 2018 - “Book Review: Warrior Geeks: How 21st-Century Technology Is Changing the Way We Fight and Think About War and The Code of the Warrior: Exploring Warrior Values Past and Present.” Media, War & Conflict 11, no. 1 (March 1, 2018): 174–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635218759394.
Military Decorations
- Defense Meritorious Service Medal
- Meritorious Service Medal
- Air Force Commendation Medal
- Air Force Achievement Medal
- Combat Readiness Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
- Humanitarian Service Medal
Timeline
Deputy Commander (Assistant Vice President)
Space Base Delta 3, USAF
06.2024 - Current
Chief of Staff
353d Special Operations Wing, USAF
12.2023 - 06.2024
Commander (Chief Operating Officer)
353d Special Operations Support Squadron, USAF
12.2022 - 12.2023
Operations Officer
1st Special Operations Squadron, USAF
05.2021 - 12.2022
Student Pilot
MC-130J Requalification Course, USAF
08.2020 - 05.2021
Division Chief (Senior Manager)
Special Operations Command Europe, USAF
07.2018 - 08.2020
Graduate Student
Naval Postgraduate School, USAF
01.2017 - 07.2018
Chief of Flight Safety
353d Special Operations Group, USAF
04.2015 - 01.2017
Defense Analysis: Irregular Warfare
Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey
Human Resource Management
California Coast University, Santa Ana
Philosophy
University of Washington, Seattle