Speaking Engagements

A selection of interviews, panels, and appearances from Lt. Gen. DeAnna M. Burt’s career leading U.S. Space Force operations.

INTERVIEW

Burt’s Parting Thoughts on the Space Force

A reflective exit interview in which Burt assesses the Space Force’s progress, its budget needs, and the challenges facing its next chapter.

SpaceNews · Aug 2025

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FIRESIDE

Schriever Spacepower Series

A wide-ranging discussion covering GMTI/AMTI targeting, cyber integration, AI adoption across the force, and the Space Force service-dress uniform rollout.

Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies · Virtual · Aug 4, 2025

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PANEL

Ground Moving Target Indicator Panel

Burt outlines how Space Force Guardians will operate new space-based ground moving target tracking satellites in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office.

AFA Warfare Symposium · Aurora, CO · Feb 13, 2024

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OFFICIAL TRAVEL

Allied Engagement Travel to Germany & the U.K.

During a five-day visit to NATO partners, Burt reaffirmed allied space partnerships and multilateral cooperation as Chief Operations Officer of the U.S. Space Force.

U.S. Space Force · Germany & U.K. · May 2023

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PODCAST

Space Force: A New Domain

Burt joins Neil deGrasse Tyson on StarTalk to explain the Space Force’s mission and what it takes to build a military branch from scratch.

StarTalk Radio · 2021 (rebroadcast 2026)

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COMMAND CEREMONY

CFSCC Change-of-Command Ceremony

Assuming command of the Combined Force Space Component Command, then-Maj. Gen. Burt described the unit as the heart of U.S. military space operations.

Vandenberg AFB, CA · Nov 2020

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About DeAnna Burt

DeAnna Burt

DeAnna Burt is the strategic board member who finds where an organization's capability is locked and builds the conditions for it to perform at its ceiling. She is the person you call when the room has everything it needs to solve the problem and nobody has figured out how to unlock it yet. At Red Flag, one of the most demanding large force employment exercises in the United States Air Force, she commanded a room of the finest aviators in the world without being able to fly. Her job was not to out-perform them. It was to build the conditions in which they could perform at their ceiling. She did. That is the move she has been running for thirty-three years. She built the operational space infrastructure America depends on, the satellite networks that run GPS and financial transaction timing, the multinational command architecture coordinating allied space operations across 25 nations. She commanded every level. She ran the Space Force's cyber, nuclear, and operations mission as its Deputy Chief. She did all of this in a domain where the adversary studies your dependencies before you have mapped them, where being wrong is not a bad quarter but an irreversible outcome, and where the question is never "what do I know?" but "what does this team know that we have not yet deployed?" That question is the most valuable thing she brings. Not the record, though the record is there. The specific diagnostic capacity to walk into any organization, find where the capability is locked, and build the conditions for it to perform at its ceiling. In environments where being wrong is not recoverable, that capacity is the difference between the organization that adapts and the one that does not. She now works with boards, C-suites, and senior teams who need someone who has been accountable for that outcome and who can help them find and unlock the capability they already have.

Speaking & Events

Title, Event, Venue, Date, Role, Topic, Links, Description
Title	Event	Venue	Date	Role	Topic	Links	Description
Schriever Spacepower Series	Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies		2025-08-04	Interviewee	Operations, cyber, GMTI/AMTI, and Space Force culture	Recording ↗	Long-form, unscripted interview covering the GMTI/AMTI targeting program, AI adoption, and culture/identity themes.
Burt's Parting Thoughts on the Space Force and Its Next Chapter	SpaceNews Retirement Interview		2025-08	Interviewee	Retirement reflections; budget advocacy; digital literacy		Reflective, first-person interview on budget priorities, AI/ML adoption, and advice to Guardians ahead of her October 2025 retirement.
AFA Warfare Symposium GMTI Panel	AFA Warfare Symposium		2024-02	Panelist	Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) and space-based targeting		Panel discussion on future military target-tracking satellites to be operated by the U.S. Space Force.
AFA Warfare Symposium GMTI Panel		Aurora, Colorado	2024-02
AFA Warfare Symposium GMTI Panel		Aurora, Colorado	2024-02
AFA Warfare Symposium GMTI Panel		Aurora, Colorado	2024-02
AFA Warfare Symposium GMTI Panel		Aurora, Colorado	2024-02
Space Force: A New Domain	StarTalk Radio		2021	Guest	The Space Force as a new military domain	Recording ↗	Discussion with Neil deGrasse Tyson on standing up an entirely new military branch.
Combined Force Space Component Command Change of Command		Vandenberg Air Force Base	2020-11-16T00:00:00+00:00
Combined Force Space Component Command Change of Command		Vandenberg Air Force Base	2020-11-16T00:00:00+00:00
Combined Force Space Component Command Change of Command		Vandenberg Air Force Base	2020-11-16T00:00:00+00:00
Combined Force Space Component Command Change of Command		Vandenberg Air Force Base	2020-11-16T00:00:00+00:00
Combined Force Space Component Command Change of Command	CFSCC Change of Command Ceremony	Vandenberg Air Force Base	2020-11-16	Incoming Commander / Speaker	Assuming command of CFSCC		Burt assumed command of CFSCC from Lt. Gen. John Shaw, remarking that Guardians are warfighters and pledging an innovative, digitally-focused, allied-partnership approach.

Gallery

Primary Headshots

Action Photos

DeAnna Burt: Employment History

Title, Organization, Department, Dates, Description, Authority Links
Title	Organization	Department	Dates	Description	Authority Links
Board Advisor	Albedo Space		2026-06 – Present	DeAnna Burt advises the Board of Directors for Albedo Space on space policy, strategy, and operations.	Albedo Space Google KGMID · Albedo Space Wikidata QID
Board Advisor	Mantis Space		2026-06 – Present	DeAnna Burt advises the Board of Directors for Mantis Space on space policy, strategy, and operation	Mantis Space Google KGMID
Board Member	PLEXSYS		2026-06 – Present	DeAnna Burt acts as the Audit Committee Chair and Member of the PLEXSYS Board of Directors	PLEXSYS Google KGMID
Board Member	Air & Space Forces Association		2026-06 – Present	DeAnna Burt is a Board Member for the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA), a non-profit representing and advocating for Guardians and their families interests	Air & Space Forces Association Google KGMID
Ambassador	Cosmic Girls Foundation		2026-02 – Present	DeAnna Burt is an Ambassador to the non-profit Cosmic Girls Foundation advocating for women in STEM and space.
Board Advisor	Farlie Turner Gilbert & Co., LLC (FTG)		2026-01 – Present	DeAnna Burt is a board advisor to FTG, advising on space related companies for investment, fund-raising and divestment.
Board Advisor	Turion Space		2025-11 – Present	DeAnna Burt advises Turion's Board of Directors on space policy, strategy, and operations.
Advisor to the Board	Kragon Space Inc.		2025-10 – Present	Advises Kragon BoD on space policy, strategy, and operations.
Consultant	Kyl Institute for National Security		2025-10 – Present	DeAnna Burt brings her expertise in space policy, strategy, and operations to The Kyl Institute for National Security
Founder	Be the Patch Consulting LLC		2025 – Present	Leadership and operational advisory services drawn from her military experience.
Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear	United States Space Force	The Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia	2022-12-01 – 2025-10-01	Directed sustainment, operational readiness, and integration of capabilities across operations, cyber, and nuclear domains; advised the Chief of Space Operations on strategic priorities for over 10,000 personnel. Succeeded B. Chance Saltzman. Succeeded by Douglas Schiess.
Special Assistant to the Vice Chief of Space Operations	United States Space Force	The Pentagon	2022-08 – 2022-12	Executed key projects on behalf of the Vice Chief of Space Operations affecting policy, operations, and budgeting for the United States Space Force
Commander	United States Space Force	Combined Force Space Component Command, Vandenberg AFB/SFB, California	2020-11-16 – 2022-08-23	Concurrently served as Vice Commander, Space Operations Command; integrated space operations among U.S. forces and 14 partner nations. Succeeded John E. Shaw; succeeded by Douglas Schiess.
Director of Operations and Communications	United States Air Force	HQ Space Operations Command, Peterson AFB, Colorado	2018-07 – 2020-11	Worked directly for the 4-star Commander, Gen John Hyten at Air Force Space Command. Managed Congressional engagements, Commander's Speechwriter, and special event planning on behalf and in support of the Commander. Succeeded Joseph T. Guastella; succeeded by Douglas Schiess.
Vice Commander	United States Air Force	U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, Nellis AFB, Nevada	2017-07 – 2018-07	Succeeded Paul A. Welch; succeeded by David W. Snoddy.
Commander	United States Air Force	50th Space Wing, Schriever AFB, Colorado	2015-05 – 2017-07	Also served as commander of the Air Expeditionary Wing during Red Flag 16-3 at Nellis AFB. Succeeded William Liquori; succeeded by Jennifer L. Grant.
Director, Commander's Action Group	United States Air Force	Peterson AFB, Colorado	2014-08 – 2015-05
Commander	United States Air Force	460th Operations Group, Buckley AFB, Colorado	2012-06 – 2014-08	Managed space-based infrared systems and cyber operations. Succeeded B. Chance Saltzman; succeeded by Michael Jackson.
Chief, Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Requirements Division	United States Air Force	Air Force Space Command, Peterson AFB, Colorado	2010-08 – 2011-08	Staff Director in the A5 of Air Force Space Command. Led service wide requirements and policy for the GPS constellation.
Commander	United States Air Force	2nd Space Operations Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado	2008-08 – 2010-08	Oversaw satellite control operations. Succeeded Kurt W. Kuntzleman; succeeded by Jennifer L. Grant.
Chief Combat Plans Division	United States Air Force	Joint Space Operations Center, Vandenberg AFB, California	2006-06 – 2008-07	Member of the Joint Space Operations Center leadership team leading the planning and execution of all space assets in support of USSTRATCOM. Led the Combat Plans Division in drafting the Master Space Plan and Space Tasking Order.
Theater Missile Defense Operations Officer / Deputy Chief, Special Technical Operations Branch	United States Air Force	HQ U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany	2001-12 – 2004-07	Started as an action officer in the J36 working Shared Early Warning with Israel and NATO. Selected to be the Deputy STO Chief leading all Special Access Program planning and execution for the Combatant Command.
Assistant Training Flight Commander / Training Flight Commander	United States Air Force	USAF Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nevada	1999-06 – 2001-12	Instructed following graduation from USAF Weapons School Space Division in June 1999.
Executive Officer	United States Air Force	Space Warfare Center, Schriever AFB, Colorado	1997-10 – 1999-01	Managed scheduling, taskers, staff coordination and travel for 1-star Space Warfare Center Commander.
Chief of Space Systems Tactical Warning Operations and Standardization/Training	United States Air Force	76th Space Operations Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colorado	1995-12 – 1997-10	Missile Warning and Missile Defense expert on the Air Force Space Support Team supporting PACOM. Deployed to numerous exercises in multiple Combatant Commands to assist in setting up Missile Warning architectures.
Crew Commander / Deputy Flight Commander / Chief of Current Operations	United States Air Force	4th Space Warning Squadron, Holloman AFB, New Mexico	1993-01 – 1995-12	Managed tactical warning operations.
Undergraduate Space Training Student	United States Air Force	Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado	1992-10 – 1993-01	Completed Undergraduate Space Training.

DeAnna Burt: Education

Degree / Field, Institution, Dates, Honors, Description, Authority Links
Degree / Field	Institution	Dates	Honors	Description	Authority Links
Professional Military Education in National Security Strategy	National War College	2011-08 – 2012-06	Distinguished Graduate	Distinguished Graduate (2012).	National War College Google KGMID
Advanced Studies Certificate in Air and Space Power Strategy	School of Advanced Air and Space Studies	2005-07 – 2006-06
Professional Military Education in Air and Space Studies	Air Command and Staff College	2004-07 – 2005-06	Distinguished Graduate	Distinguished Graduate and Commandant's Leadership Award recipient (2005).
Professional Military Education in Space Warfare	USAF Weapons School (Space Division)	1999-01 – 1999-06	Distinguished Graduate	Distinguished Graduate and Academic Award recipient (1999).	USAF Weapons School (Space Division) Google KGMID · USAF Weapons School (Space Division) Wikidata QID
Master of Science in Human Resources Management	Troy State University	1995			Troy State University Google KGMID · Troy State University Wikidata QID
Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University	1991	Distinguished Graduate	Distinguished graduate; AFROTC cadet wing commander.	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Google KGMID · Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Wikidata QID

DeAnna Burt: Awards & Honors

Award, Issuing Organization, Description
Award	Issuing Organization	Description
Distinguished Service Medal (Air Force)	United States Air Force	Awarded with two oak leaf clusters.
Legion of Merit	United States Air Force	Awarded with two oak leaf clusters.
Defense Meritorious Service Medal	United States Department of Defense
Meritorious Service Medal	United States Air Force	Awarded with two oak leaf clusters.
Joint Service Commendation Medal	United States Department of Defense	Awarded with two oak leaf clusters.
Air and Space Commendation Medal	United States Air Force	Awarded with one oak leaf cluster.
Joint Service Achievement Medal	United States Department of Defense
Air and Space Achievement Medal	United States Air Force
Joint Meritorious Unit Award	United States Department of Defense
Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award	United States Air Force	Awarded with five oak leaf clusters.
Air and Space Organizational Excellence Award	United States Air Force
National Defense Service Medal	United States Air Force
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal	United States Air Force
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal	United States Air Force
Armed Forces Service Medal	United States Air Force
Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal	United States Air Force
Air and Space Campaign Medal	United States Air Force
Air and Space Longevity Service Award	United States Air Force	Awarded with eight oak leaf clusters.
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (Pistol)	United States Air Force
Air Force Training Ribbon	United States Air Force
NATO Medal	North Atlantic Treaty Organization

DeAnna Burt: Skills & Expertise

Skill, Proficiency, Years, Description
Skill	Proficiency	Years	Description
Space Operations Command & Control	Thought leader	33	Career-long specialization in GPS, missile-warning, and space-domain command operations.
Military Leadership & Organizational Command	Thought leader	33	Commanded units ranging from a squadron to a wing and a component command over a 33-year career.
National Security Space Policy	Expert	15	Senior-level advocacy on Space Force budget priorities and force structure.
AI/ML-Enabled Targeting (GMTI/AMTI)	Expert	3	Senior operational voice on the Ground Moving Target Indicator program and its use of AI/ML for processing satellite-collected targeting data.
Cyber and Nuclear Operations Oversight	Expert	3	Held department-wide responsibility for cyber and nuclear operations as Deputy Chief of Space Operations.

DeAnna Burt: External Profiles

Platform, Bio
Platform	Bio
DeAnna Burt Official U.S. Space Force Biography	Authoritative career, education, assignment, and awards record; current as of October 2025.
DeAnna Burt Wikipedia Page	DeAnna Burt's encyclopedia entry covering birth details, education, promotion table, and command history.
DeAnna Burt DAFITC Speaker Bio	Conference speaker biography for DeAnna Burt at her serving DCS role.
DeAnna Burt DefenseScoop Bio	Summary profile of DeAnna Burt emphasizing operations, cyber, and nuclear responsibilities.
DeAnna Burt Contributions to Air and Space Forces Magazine
DeAnna Burt Center for Strategic & International Studies Profile
DeAnna Burt Grokipedia Entry
DeAnna Burt Wikidata Entry
DeAnna Burt LinkedIn Profile
DeAnna Burt Crunchbase Profile
DeAnna Burt IMDb Profile