Seventy-two years ago (1954), a University of Southern California (USC) Engineering Graduate and a young USAF Colonel created the solid fuel ICBM (Minuteman) for the United States of America down the street from USC in a Catholic School (St John Chrysostom) in Inglewood, CA. The “School House Gang,” 30 of the best of the best men and women led by Trevor Gardner and Col Bernard Schriever, were hand selected by General Hap Arnold to compete against the Russians, the Strategic Bombing fleet of USAF General Curtis Lemay, and against the liquid fuel rockets of Werner Von Braun in Huntsville, Alabama. Close to 72 years later, with similar strategic challenges and in the same spirit of Col Schriever and Mr. Gardner, in 2021 we created and founded the SHIELD Executive Program in Global Space and Deterrence Program. We did this in partnership with USC and with support from the newly formed U.S. Space Force’s Partnership Program and its Commander of Space Systems Command at the time, Lt Gen (then) Mike Guetlein, at LA Space Force Base. Gen Mike Guetlien is now the DRPM for Golden Dome for America.
Our 5th SHIELD Executive Program in Global Space and Deterrence focused on the Golden Dome for America. SHIELD 5 with its 19 graduates and 5 teams delivered mission impactful Capstone presentations at the USC campus this past Saturday in Los Angeles. This fifth cohort group graduation makes a total of 107 graduates of SHIELD and 33 Capstone projects since SHIELD’s inception.
This cohort group is composed of 19 of America’s best and brightest from across Department of War (DoW) offices and agencies, combatant and component commands, and the military services. Military officers and civilian officials worked to provide solutions to the most complex problems within the DoW. Throughout the graduation week, students engaged with Senior Leaders and MDAA board members by presenting policy-rich, analytically sound Capstone project findings.
For their final graduation on Saturday April 25, the SHIELD 5 cohort briefed a distinguished panel of national security leaders with deep operational, policy, and technical experience. Panel members included:
- Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, USSF, Commander of Space Systems Command;
- LTG Brian Gibson, USA, Deputy Commander to the Direct Reporting Program Manager for Golden Dome for America;
- Brig Gen Jason Rueschhoff, USAF, Director of Operations (J3), USNORTHCOM;
- BG Donald Brooks, USA, Deputy Commanding General for Operations of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command;
- CMS John C Burgess, USAF, Joint Senior Operations Chief for Directorate of Operations, Headquarters NORAD and U.S. NORTHCOM and Combatant Command Air Force Element Senior Enlisted Leader, Peterson Air Force Base
- Honorable John Rood, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy;
- Lt Gen Jon Thomas (Ret.), USAF, former Deputy Commander, Pacific Air Forces;
- Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, USN, former Director of Operations at U.S. Pacific Command;
- Rear Admiral (Ret.) Victorino Mercado, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities; and,
- MDAA Chairman and Founder Riki Ellison.
These leaders didn’t just listen—they engaged, questioned, and provoked academic and military operational thinking to enhance these capstone presentations. The academic critical thinking developed over 8 months of research are captured in the following five Capstone presentations:
- Examining the Role of U.S. Declaratory Space Policy to Protect Civilian, Commercial, and Military Space Capabilities [Cohort 5 members Anthony Jackson, MAJ Michael Tobey, USA and MAJ Seth Kadavy, USA (USNORTHCOM); Lt Col Kaitlin Mueller, USAF (NGB)]
- Space-Based Interceptors and Terrestrial Defense: Capability, Cost, and Policy in a New Space Environment [Cohort 5 members Lt Col Timothy Kniefel, USAF (NORAD), Michaelangelo Leon, USSF (ASW(EI&E)), and John Wood, Missile Defense Agency (MDA)]
- Golden Dome Critical Infrastructure – A Blueprint for Rapidly Implementable Resilience Using Existing Commercial Solutions and Novel Acquisition Pathways [Cohort 5 members Wynn Sanders & Major Rachael Nutting, USSF, and Col Joseph Sundy, USAF (NGB)]
- Optimizing Existing Systems to Develop an Operationally Feasible Command and Control System for Golden Dome [Cohort 5 members Jonathan (Jon) Cardenas (MDA), Lt Col Joshua Lee Jessup, USAF (ANG), Lt Col Brian Kesler, USSF (SSC), and Colonel Jennifer King, USAF (ANG)]
- Global Golden Dome: A Strategic Framework for U.S.-First, Alliance Supported Defense Architecture [Cohort 5 members COL Edmund Guy, USA (INDOPACOM), Laura Hemming (OSW/A&S), Col Ashley Nowak, USAF (ANG), LCDR Noah Valero, USN (Pacific Fleet), and Lt Col Nicholas Yeung, USSF (SSC)]
This event serves as a reminder that the SHIELD program—now completing its fifth year—continues to bridge the gap between defense policy, academia, engineering, acquisition, allies, and operations. It’s not just an academic experience—it’s a leadership development cauldron for tomorrow’s national security!
Congratulations to the SHIELD 5 class:
Jonathan Cardenas, MDA
COL Edmund Guy, USA
Laura Hemming (OSW/A&S)
Anthony Jackson, USNORTHCOM
Lt Col Joshua Lee Jessup, USAF
MAJ Seth Kadavy, USA
Lt Col Brian Kesler, USSF
Colonel Jennifer King, USAF
Lt Col Timothy Kniefel, USAF
Michaelangelo Leon, USSF
Lt Col Kaitlin Mueller, USAF
Col Ashley Nowak, USAF
Major Rachael Nutting, USSF
Wynn Sanders, USSF
Col Joseph Sundy, USAF
MAJ Michael Tobey, USA
LCDR Noah Valero, USN
John Wood, Missile Defense Agency
Lt Col Nicholas Yeung, USSF
Dream Big, Be Big, Live Your Dreams
Winners associate with Winners to Win.
Fight On!
Riki Ellison
Founder & Chairman, MDAA