Matthew Owens
Montgomery,USA
Summary
Humble, approachable, and credible leader that thrives building and leading elite teams in challenging environments. Experienced in program management, resource management, strategic & tactical radio communications, joint military responses to peer and near-peer adversaries, and military doctrine & employment. Skillful in tactical data-links, dynamic targeting, strategic planning, direct action and reconnaissance missions, cyber warfare, electronic warfare, space based intelligence operations, and small unit training and tactics. Experienced in basic life saving techniques and battlefield care.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
sUAS Program Manager
Civil Air Patrol U.S Air Force Auxiliary
06.2024 - 05.2025
- Acted as the program manager of the entire Civil Air Patrol’s sUAS program. My duties included the procurement, repair, and management of the sUAS platforms used for the Civil Air Patrol’s missions and training activities. Oversaw, directed, and initiated all policies involving sUAS for the company. Directed and led 52 separate wings that included all the states in the United States and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico in policy, mission management, equipment acquisition, and equipment utilization. Was in charge of and inventoried the company's sUAS platforms, which held one of the nation’s largest sUAS fleets. Expanded the company’s footprint into the c-sUAS arena by utilizing doctrine and access points that aided in the training of multiple military bases. Overall, I was able to increase mission cadence for the sUAS program in the fields of c-sUAS, environmental assessment missions, training operations, and disaster relief. Additionally, customer service and relationships with the volunteer members of the organization were improved while under my care. Equipment requests (RFE) before my arrival could take months to occur, but under my leadership, RFEs were approved or denied within a week of the initial request. Finally, while under my leadership, the sUAS communications networks were improved, and the internal organization was reestablished. This resulted in an improvement in information exchange, mission generation, refinements in training operations, and the overall improvement of team morale amongst our pilots.
- Salary: $76,000.00 USD per year
- Hours per week: 40 hours per week
Junior sUAS Evaluator
Chickasaw Nation Industries
09.2022 - 03.2023
- Served as an instructor for the education of United States Air Force Security Forces in the application of Small Unarmed Aerial Systems (SUAS). Served as a team member of instructors who pioneered new course curriculum. Was responsible for the instruction of key material vital for the safety of U.S military personnel in flight as well as property of the U.S military. Developed new means to correlate the impacts of aerial phenomenon that could be better understood with those less familiar with aerodynamics and how those forces impact flight. Mentored young soldiers in battle tactics and how the implementation of aerial reconnaissance can be utilized in multiple avenues of combat. Facilitated the sharpening of target acquisition amongst students. Oversaw the maintenance of training small armed aerial systems which often needed repair in order to facilitate the instruction of future fighting forces. Such maintenance saved the U.S government an untold amount. While an instructor, I advanced my qualifications to include the older generation of fixed wing SUAS qualifications to include the RQ-11 RAVEN. An older model, but still a utilized platform amongst soldiers both apart of the U.S military and those of foreign nations. Galvanized the instruction of weather and how weather concepts affect flight. Expounded on the implementation of special operations tactics in the battles space of wars fought in the past to raise awareness of tactics used as to enhance conventional forces in training and expand their overall aperture of warfare.
- Salary: $85,000.00 USD per year
- Hours per week: 40-50 hours per week
Air Force Special Operation Command Special Reconnaissance Element Leader
United States Air Force 23rd Special Tactics Squadron
01.2018 - 09.2022
- Served as sole reconnaissance team member while on USAF special tactics global access team responsible for the North African battle space. Co-authored 345,000 deployment preparation plan for 15-month joint operation readiness training cycle. Was team leader and author of two training missions. One training mission was global access related and involved the coordination and acquisition of three separate airfields from three different controlling entities. The use of these airfields allowed for the training of 50 team members on proper tactics, techniques, and procedures on properly assaulting an airfield or surveying an airfield. This mission greatly expanded USAF strategic capabilities and enhanced global reach for the USAF, fulfilling one of the core missions of the United States Air Force. The second training mission I led involved the planning and coordinating of a training mission involving reconnaissance skills that would better allow the Global Access Special Tactics Team to enter austere airfields and buildings surrounding austere airfields. The training mission involved the planning, coordination, and utilization of multiple agencies to include finance, travel, and private businesses. While attached to the 23rd Special Tactics Global Access team responsible for North Africa, I deployed to Niger and was the sole Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) operator for Northwest Africa. My duties involved the utilization and maintenance of fixed wing SUAS platforms as well as rotary wing assets. Additionally, while in Niger, I assisted foreign relations with Nigerian troops through the training of partner nation forces in landing zone operations, soldiering skills, and the utilization of weather in combat. Also, while in Niger, I served as the Air Liaison for our global access team. My duties included the co-planning of strategic airfield surveys in multiple locations in the North African battlespace that covered the multiple countries encompassed in the North African battlespace. While acting as liaison, I was responsible for the procurement of flights for the team. This involved the coordination and planning of multiple flights through different squadrons in order to fulfill mission needs. Finally, while in Niger, my team was responsible for the rescue of 20 Nigerian military personnel stranded upon the Nigerian/Mali border. Our duties included the extraction of injured personnel, the coordination of life flight assets, the control of the receiving airfield, the coordination with foreign medical transport, and the medical treatment and transport of those severely injured.
- Salary: $65,000.00 USD per year
- Hours per week: 50-60 hours per week
Special Operations Weather Technician
United States Air Force 23rd Special Tactics Squadron
06.2017 - 01.2018
- Was one of two Special Operations Weather Technicians on a Special Tactics Team charged with the special tactics core mission of personal recovery. While on the personal recovery team my duties included the integration of weather forecasts and environmental assessments and impacts to the planning of training missions and real-time operations. While on the team I got rated in demolition usage and served as the lead breacher for team’s use of explosives during training and active missions. The team I was a part of was filled with a majority of pararescuemen who specialize in medical treatment, extrication, and extraction of injured personnel. While serving with this team, I learned and utilized the techniques specialized by my teammates to better assist in my team’s mission. While serving with this team, I increased my knowledge and utilization of battlefield medicine. While serving with the personal recovery team, my duties for caring for a patient involved the tracking of patient vitals, the controlling of bleeding, the maintenance of the patient’s airway, the assessment of spinal or head trauma, and the controlling of hyperthermia. Additionally, because I was not qualified to administer medicine, I oversaw scribing of the total care provided for the patient. While in service to the personal recovery team, I additionally served as the squadron weather forecaster. In this role, I integrated with the intelligence section, and interpreted weather data, environmental data, and assisted in the planning of training that took place amongst all teams allocated to the 23rd special operation squadron.
- Salary: $65,000.00 USD per year
- Hours per week: 50-60 hours per week
Enabler, 7th Special Forces Group Crisis Response Force
United States Air Force 23rd Special Tactics Squadron
09.2016 - 05.2017
- Was attached to U.S Army 7th special forces as the sole Special Operation Weather Technician. Integrated with sister service team as well as command intelligence section. Forecasted weather and gathered environmental data and integrated such data as in to advance the objectives of the mission needed for the reconnaissance team of 7th special forces group. Additionally, was in charge of enhancing capabilities of team in charge of South American quick contingency operations. While serving on the team was part of personal security detail for the Vice President of the United States during an Executive Office diplomatic mission to Mexico. My duties included the coordination with other government agencies and the implementation of Air Force knowledge in order to enhance all air to ground operations.
- Salary: $50,000.00 USD per year
- Hours per week: 50-60 hours per week
Education
Bachelor of Science - Healthcare Administration
Skills
- Complex Problem-Solving
- Task Prioritization/Scheduling
- Budget Management
- Risk Management
- Communication
- Antiterrorism Operations and Planning
- Joint Force Operational Planning
- Foreign Government Military Interaction
- Large Group Public Speaking
- Unmanned Aerial Systems
- Motivational Leadership
- Program & Project Management
- Combat Weather Observation
- Major Combat Operations
- Battlefield Medicine
SPECIALIZED COURSES & TRAINING
- Puma 2 Small Unmanned Aircraft System Course.
- Black Hornet 3 Small Unmanned Aircraft System Course.
- Aerial Reconnaissance Tactical Edge Mapping and Imagery Course.
- DJI Mavic Air 2 Qualification.
- 24th Special Operations Wing Preparation of The Environment Course.
- Level 1 and 2 Avalanche Course.
- Advanced Marksmanship Course.
- USA Airborne Course.
- Navy Military Freefall.
- Forklift Certification
- T1G Breacher’s Course.
- Water Survival Training.
- USAF Weather School.
- Operational Medical Division Advanced Operators Course.
- STTS Reconnaissance School.
- FAA Part 107 Certification
SPECIALIZED LEADERSHIP EDUCATION & TRAINING
- Airman Leadership School. 2018 (John Levitow Recipient)
- Academic Honors for all semesters of 2023-2025 at the University of West Florida
- President’s Honor Roll 3.9 GPA or Higher
Timeline
sUAS Program Manager
Civil Air Patrol U.S Air Force Auxiliary
06.2024 - 05.2025
Junior sUAS Evaluator
Chickasaw Nation Industries
09.2022 - 03.2023
Air Force Special Operation Command Special Reconnaissance Element Leader
United States Air Force 23rd Special Tactics Squadron
01.2018 - 09.2022
Special Operations Weather Technician
United States Air Force 23rd Special Tactics Squadron
06.2017 - 01.2018
Enabler, 7th Special Forces Group Crisis Response Force
United States Air Force 23rd Special Tactics Squadron
09.2016 - 05.2017