Steven Van Dyk
Stafford
Summary
Accomplished Chief Engineer at Strategic Systems Programs with expertise in missile systems integration and technical oversight. Proven track record in radiation hardening and strategic planning, successfully leading multi-million dollar projects. Demonstrated leadership in enhancing system certification processes, ensuring the effectiveness and survivability of the TRIDENT II D5 missile system.
Overview
45
45
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief Engineer
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
Washington Navy Yard
01.2022 - 06.2025
- Senior technical authority within the organization and responsible to the Director, SSP for the technical processes and rigor to execute the Command’s mission. Defines and enforces the engineering disciplines, sets the quality standards, and audits compliance to ensure the performance, safety and quality of the Navy’s strategic nuclear deterrent capability provided by the Trident II (D5) Strategic Weapon System (SWS). Manages weapon system technical documentation, fleet maintenance, calibration programs. Responsible for the SSP technical evaluation program and oversees civilian Technical Qualifications and engineering workforce competencies. Senior SES and deputy program officer for the Polaris Sales Agreement (PSA) with the United Kingdom.
- Focus Areas:
- Reinvigorating a research and development culture that had atrophied. Establishing a program derived from top down guidance and requirements in order to determine capability needs/gaps that can be closed or mitigated by identified technology plans. The strategy focuses on three major areas: Survivability, Effectiveness, and Sustainability to ensure the sea launched nuclear deterrent remains effective, relevant, and survivable.
- As SSP Technical Warrant Holder for Radiation Hardening, providing technical assistance to the Missile Defense Agency in the area of radiation hardening to Natural Space environments.
Chief Deterrence Technology Officer
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
09.2017 - 01.2022
- Responsible to the Director on SSP business lines of Emerging Missions, Strategic Treaty Implementation and Compliance, Research and Development, and managing the command’s external Nuclear Policy and Requirements interactions. I was actively involved during the development of the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review and its implementation guidance, ensuring SSP understood its roles and responsibilities. Ensured SSP completed all implementation actions SSP was the lead on within required timeframe. I serve as the principal point of contact for SSP with the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command. As such, I participate in the Commander’s Nuclear Command and Control Study, Warheads Working Group, annual planning factors meeting and coordinate all technical issues and questions originating from USSTRATCOM. Additionally, I coordinate SSP’s technical responses to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and with various offices within the Chief of Naval Operations organization. I serve as the Senior Navy civilian on the Navy, Air Force, Missile Defense Agency Overarching Integrated Product Team (OIPT), responsible for providing technical oversight for all Navy working groups and assessments to the OIPT leadership. I directly supervise eight civilians and am responsible for a budget in excess of $10M annually. I provide annual certification and assess changes to the TRIDENT II D5 Weapons System’s radiation hardness in my role as SSP’s Technical Warrant Holder for Radiation Hardening. Member of the Senior Executive Service since October 2018.
- Significant Accomplishment:
- Based on my previous experience collaborating with the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program office it was important to me that these types of interactions continued. The current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), dated 2012, was in need of an update. After discussing the situation with SSP’s Director and Technical Director, I took the action to lead and coordinate the effort to update the MOU. SSP, the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Air Force Program Executive Office for Strategic Systems and, for the first time, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) signed an update to the existing MOU that established a framework for how all parties would collaborate on strategic ballistic missile systems.
Acting Assistant to the Chief Engineer for Missile Engineering Systems (an SES position)
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
03.2015 - 09.2017
- Responsible for all matters pertaining to missile system design, development, flight-testing, data acquisition, production, fleet support, and integration of flight hardware system components into the TRIDENT II D5 Missile including oversight for technical decisions associated with the missile, guidance, and reentry subsystems. During this period, I oversaw the fleet introduction of the TRIDENT II D5 Life Extension Missile. This was a significant accomplishment and personally rewarding for me, since I was responsible to the development and qualification of the missile hardware and the establishment of a common electronics parts program. Additionally, I provided solutions and implementation alternatives for various technical issues to SSP’s Technical Director and Chief Engineer. This included evaluation of several major material changes that were necessary due to vendors leaving the market place. Material changes are significant since they can significantly affect the system’s performance and must be fully understood and characterized. These activities involved multiple technical disciplines executed by government, military, and contractor personnel and an annual budget in excess of $1B. Provided annual certification and assessed changes to the TRIDENT II D5 Weapons System’s radiation hardness in my role as SSP’s Technical Warrant Holder for Radiation Hardening.
- Significant accomplishments:
- Looked for cost drivers and affordability measures in an effort to reduce the overall cost of maintaining the submarine leg of the Nation’s strategic triad. Results incorporated into SSP’s program planning.
- Served as the Navy’s Lead for the Flight Systems and Test Commonality Working Group as part of a joint Air Force/Navy study to determine if increased commonality between the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) and Trident II D5 would improve affordability while ensuring a safe, secure, effective and credible nuclear deterrent. Results were utilized as part of the contracting strategy to reduce the cost, schedule, and risks associated with the acquisition of GBSD and established coordination discussions between the GBSD program office and SSP and eventually the Missile Defense Agency.
Missile Subsystem Unit Head for Structures, Controls, and Flight
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
05.2004 - 03.2015
- Responsible for a large complex portfolio of projects involving multiple technical disciplines executed by government, military, and contractor personnel for the design, development, test, documentation, and evaluation of the ballistic shell subsystem, electrical power and distribution subsystem, initiation subsystem, flight control subsystem, preset subsystem, and instrumentation subsystem within the TRIDENT II D5 Missile. During this decade-long assignment, I was responsible for projects involving every missile package flown on the TRIDENT II D5 missile. This required a detailed understand of electrical, mechanical, aerospace, and materials engineering. The TRIDENT II D5 missile’s environmental and flight profiles are extremely demanding and require proper materials engineering before expending resources to conduct a flight test. These activities involved multiple technical disciplines executed by government, military, and contractor personnel of which I directly supervised six government engineers and a budget of over $200M annually. Provided annual certification and assessed changes to the TRIDENT II D5 Weapons System’s radiation hardness in my role as SSP’s Technical Warrant Holder for Radiation Hardening.
- Significant accomplishments:
- Successfully designed, developed, qualified, and demonstrated production readiness for the TRIDENT II D5 Life Extension’s missile packages.
- Championed and emphasized the importance of mechanical and materials engineering during TRIDENT II D5 Life Extension. Errors in mechanical and materials characterization were causing testing failures. I established a back to basics mentality that significantly reduced errors in calculating thermal expansion mismatches, shock and vibration deflections, and mechanical worst-case analysis.
- As the Technical Warrant for Radiation Hardness, I certified to the Director SSP, by my approval signature on the TRIDENT II D5 Life Extension Survivability Compliance Assessment Reports that the TRIDENT II D5 Life extension packages were survivable and met their strategic and natural space radiation requirements. My certification was part of the overall Certification provided to the Commander, USSTRATCOM by SSP’s Director.
Guidance Engineer
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
11.2000 - 05.2004
- Responsible for the design, development and strategic radiation hardening evaluation of the Mk6 Life Extension Strategic Guidance System’s electronics. As the guidance system’s radiation hardened parts engineer, developed and institutionalized a common strategic radiation hardened parts program across the missile and guidance branches. The vision and effort to establish a common electronic parts program would significantly reduce the cost of parts utilized in the TRIDENT II D5 Life Extension Programs.
Reentry Engineer
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
04.1998 - 11.2000
- Responsible for the research, design, development, test, and radiation hardness evaluation of reentry systems used in the TRIDENT II D5 missile. Responsible for the initial design analysis and program planning of the W76-1/Mk4A’s Arming, Firing, and Fuzing electronics.
Senior Engineer
Kaman Sciences Corporation
Crystal City
12.1996 - 04.1998
- Applied in-depth knowledge and experience to solve complex and diverse engineering problems and demonstrated advanced technical expertise in the areas of strategic radiation and space radiation hardening. Responsible for training SSP’s Engineering Duty Officers and civilian engineers on Transient Effects of Radiation on Electronic Systems.
Naval Officer
United States Navy
10.1980 - 12.1996
- Retired at the rank of Lieutenant Commander, Submarine Qualified, proven sub-specialty rating in Strategic Weapons and Electrical Engineering
Education
Ph.D. - Interdisciplinary Studies
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN, United States01.2009
Master's - Electrical Engineering
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, CA, United States01.1995
Bachelor's - Electrical Engineering
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA, United States01.1980
Skills
- Technical oversight
- Radiation hardening
- Missile systems integration
- Strategic planning
- System certification
- Budget management
Affiliations
- Superior Civilian Service Award (2012)
- Distinguished Civilian Service Award (2025)
- Navy Technical Warrant Holder for Survivability (Strategic and Natural Space Environments) (2004 – 2025)
- DAWIA Level III Certifications: Program Management and Engineering
- Acquisition Professional Community Member
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Survivability Oversight Group Nuclear (CSOG-N) Test & Evaluation (T&E) Subgroup Member (2008-present)
- Test and Evaluation Executive Agent, Test Resource Advisory Group
- Strategic Warfare Reliance Panel Chairperson (2017-2018)
- Navy Representative for Pulse Neutron Panel (2013-2014)
- AIAA Defense Forum
- Strategic Missiles Technical Session Chair (2018, 2019)
- NAVSEA Microelectronics Integrity Meeting
- Guest Speaker (2018, 2019)
- Department of Defense Nuclear Weapon Effects Users Group (DNUG)
- Member (2015-present)
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency Cost to Harden Study Navy Subject Matter Expert (2014)
- Hardened Electronics and Radiation Technology (HEART) Conference:
- Local Arrangements Coordinator (1998)
- Session Chair (2000)
- Finance Chair (2002)
- Short Course Presenter (2002) – “Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile Hardening & Certification”
- DoD Representative (2003-present)
- Defense Science Board Task Force on High Performance Microchip Supply (Feb 2005), Government Advisor
- Radiation Hardened Electronics Oversight Council (RHOC) Technology and Development Working Group
- Navy Representative (1999-2002)
- Navy Lead (2002-2007)
Publications
[1] D. J. Fouts, et al., "Single event upsets in gallium arsenide pseudo-complementary MESFET logic," in IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, vol. 42, no. 6, pp. 1829-1836, Dec. 1995.
Timeline
Chief Engineer
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
01.2022 - 06.2025
Chief Deterrence Technology Officer
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
09.2017 - 01.2022
Acting Assistant to the Chief Engineer for Missile Engineering Systems (an SES position)
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
03.2015 - 09.2017
Missile Subsystem Unit Head for Structures, Controls, and Flight
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
05.2004 - 03.2015
Guidance Engineer
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
11.2000 - 05.2004
Reentry Engineer
Strategic Systems Programs (SSP)
04.1998 - 11.2000
Senior Engineer
Kaman Sciences Corporation
12.1996 - 04.1998
Naval Officer
United States Navy
10.1980 - 12.1996
Ph.D. - Interdisciplinary Studies
Vanderbilt University
Master's - Electrical Engineering
Naval Postgraduate School
Bachelor's - Electrical Engineering
University of Southern California