Lieutenant General (Retired) Steven L. Basham served more than 36 years in the United States Air Force, holding a series of high-impact leadership roles across the Department of Defense and on the global stage. He brings extensive expertise in strategic planning, large-scale operations management, and risk mitigation, with a proven record of overseeing substantial budgets and diverse government, civilian, and military workforces. He is known for clear communication, collaborative leadership, and driving organizational change while delivering high-impact results.
From July 2022 to July 2024, Lt. Gen. Basham served as Deputy Commander of United States European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, where he led a warfighting headquarters overseeing more than 85,000 U.S. personnel in Europe. In this role, he worked closely with NATO allies and partners to deter Russian aggression, support global operations, and counter transnational threats. Previously, he served as Deputy Commander of United States Air Forces Europe–Air Forces Africa at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Lt. Gen. Basham is recognized for his leadership, extensive operational expertise, and deep understanding of defense policy, legislative affairs, and acquisition processes. He served as the United States Air Force Legislative Director, advocating for the service’s interests on Capitol Hill, and played a key role on the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, shaping defense capability development. His strategic experience also includes work in the Indo-Pacific region, where he focused on operational requirements related to China and North Korea in collaboration with Pacific allies.
Lt. Gen. Basham has accumulated more than 3,400 flying hours in the B-1, B-2, B-52, T-38, and T-37 aircraft. He is among a select group of pilots to have flown all U.S. operational bombers and was one of four pilots to fly the B-2 on its combat debut.
Lt. Gen. Basham holds a degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from Western Kentucky University and was commissioned through Officer Training School in 1989. He has earned multiple master’s degrees in management and strategic studies from institutions such as Webster University, Air Command and Staff College, Army War College, and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. His executive education includes programs at the University of Virginia, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Harvard Kennedy School, and the Center for Creative Leadership.
Lieutenant General Nina M. Armagno established her reputation as an empowering and influential leader throughout an illustrious, 35-year military career. A distinguished leader in national security space operations, Armagno served as the Director of Staff at Headquarters, United States Space Force, from August 2020 to August 2023. In this strategic role, Armagno orchestrated the establishment of the sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces by directing the formulation of service plans, positions, policies, and procedures. This achievement cemented Armagno’s legacy of adept and innovative leadership, as she synchronized a new Headquarters staff to resolve multifaceted cross-functional issues that ensured efficient and cohesive operations for the United States Space Force.
Armagno’s career is underscored by key positions shaping space program operations and development. As the Director of Space Programs for the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisitions, Logistics, and Technology, Armagno crafted comprehensive strategies to coalesce support for space programs across various governmental entities, including the Department of Defense, Congress, and the White House. Armagno’s capacity for analytical and decisive stewardship is further reinforced by her robust experience steering national strategic nuclear war plans, space policies, and international engagements as the Director of Plans and Policy at Headquarters, United States Strategic Command.
Commissioned from the United States Air Force Academy in 1988, Armagno has demonstrated exceptional leadership at various command levels, notably as the only person to have commanded both launch wings in the Air Force. As the first Lieutenant General commissioned in the Space Force, Armagno’s trailblazing military career has progressed into the private sector, where she serves on the Board of Directors and Strategic Advisory Groups for several industry-leading companies, such as Rocket Lab, Intelsat, United Launch Alliance, Lockheed Martin, and VirnetX.
Armagno holds a Master’s degree in National Security Studies from the National War College and in Education Administration and Management from Chapman University, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the United States Air Force Academy. In recognition of her contributions to national security, Armagno has received a series of prestigious awards such as the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the General Jerome F. O’Malley Distinguished Space Leadership Award, Woman of Influence Award, and the Daughters of the American Revolution Patriot Award. Armagno’s commitment to excellence continues today as a selected member of The Council on Foreign Relations, further enhancing her impact on national security policy.
For 3+ decades, Dan served our nation in a variety of positions in the United States and around the world. He has enjoyed leading our men and women, from all military services, in organizations both large and small, in environments that ranged from peaceful settings at home, to the stress and chaos of receiving incoming ballistic missile attacks in war.
An expert in Air and Missile Defense and Space Operations, he has extensive experience in effectively leading large and complex military commands, conducting operations, requirements and capability development, test and evaluation, and budget formulation. Throughout his time, he oversaw changes in Department of Defense strategic missions; he led major mergers, restructuring, and relocation of organizations as directed by the President of the United States. Specifically, he led the mission change and subsequent stand-up of U.S. Space Command as well as the transfer of the global satellite communications and theater early warning missions and the associated 1,000+ soldiers, civilians, and families from the U.S. Army to the U.S. Space Force.
Prior to retiring from the Army as a Lieutenant General, he led the U.S. Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), a globally dispersed organization across 23 locations and 11 time zones. He spearheaded the “16 Star Memo,” coordinating with the commanders from U.S. Space Command, U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Northern Command, and the Chief of Staff of the Army to streamline missile defense command and control, resulting in President-approved changes to the Unified Command Plan (UCP). For the final two years of Dan’s time in command, SMDC has been the #1 Army command in the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) Employee Engagement rankings and was recognized as the Army’s “Best to Place to Work” in 2022 and 2023.
He has a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration from Benedictine College, and a Bachelor’s Degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Dan is a Senior Advisor with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Missile Defense Project, is a member of the TCOM Advisory Board and is a frequent contributor to Merit Street News on various national security topics. Dan has conducted numerous interviews and guest-lectured on the topics of Space, Air and Missile Defense, and strategic leadership at various think-tank, media, and academic venues and is a published author. He was awarded the St. Martin of Tours Award from Benedictine College and was recently selected as a board member for the Military Child Education Coalition.
Air Vice-Marshal (Rtd) Mark Chappell is a highly experienced defense and security consultant having completed over 36 years in the UK Armed Forces in a broad range of international military roles. Through Elara Nova, he supports international clients to resolve solutions for today’s defense and security challenges. He specializes in digitized command and control systems, precision strike, and full spectrum air defense and he has expertise in aircraft procurement and development, weapons integration, and synthetic training.
During his career he has: commanded all levels and deployed on numerous operations across the globe. He is a strategic level crisis and emergency response expert and has worked at the most senior-levels in UK government. In his last military role he was the Senior British Military Adviser to the US 4-star commander of Central Command. He maintains strong links and associations with a broad range of senior industry executives and military officers in the UK, USA, Europe, and the Middle East.
Rear Admiral Tom Druggan, U.S. Navy (Ret.) served in the U.S. Navy for over 33 years with significant experience serving onboard U.S. Navy Destroyers, supporting senior leaders at Navy Headquarters, and leading large technical and acquisition organizations to deliver critical Integrated Air & Missile Defense (IAMD) systems for the Department of Defense.
Tom Druggan delivers deep expertise leading large technical and engineering teams in the design, development, integration, delivery, testing, and deployment of complex (IAMD) systems that are safe, effective, and reliable in arduous operational environments. His experience also includes oversight of complex military construction projects, natural space environment engineering, and over $2 billion of Foreign Military Sales to international allies.
His duties in Defense Technology & Acquisition include serving in the Missile Defense Agency as the Program Executive for Aegis BMD Sea-based Weapon Systems and as Commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). As Commander, Aegis BMD and Program Executive for Sea-based Weapon Systems, he led an annual budget of nearly $2 billion, completed upgrades to Aegis BL 9C, fielded Sea-based Terminal defense with the SM-6 missile, contracted the MDA’s first multi-year procurement for the SM-3 Block IB missile, completed the cooperative development program of the SM-3 Block IIA, fielded space domain awareness capabilities in support of Space Force, demonstrated the SM-3 Block IIA’s capability against an ICBM-class target, advanced the Aegis Ashore Poland project, and initiated the Glide Phase Interceptor program for hypersonic missile defense. As Commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center, led nearly 18,000 government scientists and engineers across eight commands, providing the Navy with critical research and development capabilities to meet national priorities. Additionally, he served as major program manager for Aegis Combat Systems in the Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS 1.0). He also served as major program manager for In-Service Aegis Fleet Readiness (PEO IWS 1.0F) and previously as principal assistant program manager for In-Service Aircraft Carrier Combat System Integration, directly supporting Program Executive Office for Aircraft Carriers.
Druggan’s Pentagon tours include Special Assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Special Assistant to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO), the 2001 Navy Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), and as a founding member of the Navy Operations Group Deep Blue.
He also served on five destroyers, including Commanding Officer of USS O’KANE (DDG 77), conducting strike group operations, BMD taskings, and independent missions world-wide.
Druggan earned a B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, an M.S. in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California, and an M.S. from the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School, formerly the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), in Washington, D.C.
Tom Druggan regularly speaks publicly on Missile Defense, hypersonic missile defense, fire control, Integrated Air & Missile Defense (IAMD), ship design and integration, STEM, digital engineering, artificial intelligence, and talent management.
Lieutenant General Eric Fick (USAF, Retired) most recently served as the Executive Vice President for Federal Programs at Lyten, Inc. and as the President of Lyten Federal Solutions, Inc. In this capacity, General Fick identified and matured opportunities between Lyten, Inc. and the federal government, focusing on the development, integration, and production of solutions that utilize the Lyten 3D Graphene materials platform to solve some of our nation’s toughest challenges. General Fick focused Lyten’s work in support of the priorities of the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Energy, and Transportation, and pursued legislative and regulatory initiatives that move our nation forward effectively in those areas. General Fick led Lyten’s engagements with federal-related customers and was responsible for developing and overseeing projects in areas such as strategic materials, energy storage, composites and sensors.
General Fick is a 31-year veteran of the United States Air Force. He retired in the summer of 2022 after serving as the Program Executive Officer and Director for the F-35 Lightning II Program at the F-35 Joint Program Office in Arlington, Va., from July 2019 thru July 2022, and as the Deputy Program Executive Officer for the two years prior. In this capacity, he led the life-cycle program management of the F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C, the fifth-generation strike fighter air system of choice for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, seven international partners, and seven Foreign Military Sales customers. General Fick’s prior Active-Duty experiences include assignments in Air Force Sustainment, the Air Force Research Laboratory, Flight Test, and as a Legislative Liaison. He also served as the Air Force’s Program Executive Officer for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance and Special Operations Forces, and as the Program Executive Officer for Fighters & Bombers.
General Fick has commanded at the Group level in the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and at the Squadron level in the 46th Test Wing. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the University of Notre Dame’s AFROTC program, the Air Force Institute of Technology, the USAF Test Pilot School, Air Command and Staff College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He and his wife, Christine, have 6 children and live in Stafford, VA.
Heidi Grant is a highly effective business leader with expertise in defense, aerospace, and economic security as well as business transformation and security sales and services. She has extensive experience and excels at developing global strategy, competitive positioning, and generating revenue. With decades of executive leadership across the U.S Department of Defense and Fortune 100 global industry, Heidi Grant brings her unmatched expertise to a select set of government, defense, and aerospace clients through her consulting practice – Heidi Grant Global. She is a trusted advisor for results that matter. She is known for unlocking opportunity at the intersection of diplomacy, defense, and business. Her leadership is grounded in real-world impact, earned over 20 years representing the U.S. at the highest levels.
Grant joined Boeing in November 2021 and served as Vice President of Defense Global Growth & Engagement and Vice President of Business Development, where she led a team of nearly 500 people in 25 states and 16 countries representing the company’s defense, space, and government services portfolios. Her team developed and maintained customer relationships that aligned Boeing’s products and services with customer mission requirements, capturing new business and achieving business growth of over $24B annually.
Before joining Boeing, Grant served in the U.S. Department of Defense, where she was a member of the Senior Executive Service for 19 of her 32 years, with her last appointment as the Director for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, responsible for all DOD security cooperation programs involving defense articles military training and other defense-related services. She oversaw more than 15,000 foreign military sales cases with more than 150 countries valued at over $600 billion. She also managed a certification program for 20,000 civilian and military personnel. Before leading the agency, Grant was director of Defense Technology Security Administration, responsible for developing and implementing global technology security policies for international transfer of defense-related goods, services, and technologies.
From 2010 through 2018, Grant served as deputy undersecretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, providing oversight and guidance for international policy and for programs supporting global national security objectives, technology and information disclosure, security assistance, education and training, and cooperative research and development. She also managed the Air Force Foreign Liaison Office and attaché affairs.
In 2002, Grant was appointed to the Senior Executive Service and assigned as the first civilian director of resources and analysis for USCENTCOM: the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and Northeast Africa. Collaborating with senior representatives from 65 countries, she led resource strategy and analysis for operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. She later helped establish U.S. Africa Command as its first director of resources, leading personnel and financial programming that served as the foundation for successful interagency and international partnerships for global security.
Grant currently serves as a Strategic Advisor for WestExec, Spectrum, New Vista Capital, and Intertec Engineering. She serves as a board member for the Space Force Association (SFA), Foreign Area Officers Association (FAOA) and the Royal Air Force Museum American Foundation (RAFMAF). She is also on the Global Special Operations Forces (GSOF) Advisory Council and the Armed Forces Communication Electronics Association (AFCEA) International Executive Committee. Grant is also a member of the Business Executives for National Security and the Council on Foreign Relations.
C-Suite Executive with a proven track record of success leading a 30K-person global organization responsible for the nation’s most strategic resources worth 10s of billions of dollars. Demonstrated skill in understanding convergence of geopolitical trends, defense acquisition and change management to realize organizational excellence in turbulent times, promoting national security and stability. Highly adept at aerospace modernization, congressional engagement and rebuilding organizational culture for success.
James (Jungwoong) Lee has over 35 years of experience in the South Korean military focused on nuclear strategy, missiles, and joint operations. He has extensive expertise in designing nuclear deterrence, strategy, force structures, and planning joint and combined operations, including 8 years of experience in the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As the Commander of the Strategic Missile Command, he planned CNI (conventional nuclear integration) and strong deterrent measures against North Korea. He served as the Capital Corps Commander, Army Mobilization Commander, and G-3 Director of the Ground Component Command, executing sensor-to-shooter systems and experimental MUM-T in joint environments.
As the Director of J-5 and the Nuclear Center in the ROK JCS, he was a principal architect and planner in the Korea 3-Axes, Military Reform 2.0, and Targeting-based force development. James is known for his ability in ROK force modernization, ROK-US war planning, ballistic missile defense, space capabilities, and mobilizations. He graduated from the Korea Military Academy (’89), was an infantry officer, educated at the Joint Forces Staff College, and has an MA in Diplomacy and Security from Kyung-Gi University.
Lieutenant General (Ret) Bill Liquori served as the first Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Strategy, Plans, Programs, and Analysis for the United States Space Force after a distinguished 30+ year career in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. Before retiring from the military in September 2022, Lieutenant General (Ret) Liquori directed the strategies, requirements, and budget of the United States Space Force.
He entered the Air Force in 1991 as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program at Boston University. His career included numerous operations and staff positions in Air Force Space Command, National Reconnaissance Office, Air Force Secretariat, U.S. European Command, Office of the Secretary of Defense, White House and United States Space Force. He commanded a space operations squadron and the 50th Space Wing. He is a graduate and former instructor of the United States Air Force Weapons School. His operational experiences include operations Southern Watch and Enduring Freedom, and he has received numerous awards from the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and Department of State for distinguished service.
Post retirement, Lt Gen (Ret) Liquori founded Polaris Strategic Insight, LLC, where he provides consulting and mentoring for aerospace organizations and individuals.