Maj Gen Stephen Purdy, USSF
U.S. Space Force
Program Executive Officer
Program Executive Officer
UPCOMING EVENT
Space Division Breakfast
Space Division Breakfast
Bio
Major General Stephen G. Purdy, Jr., is quad hatted as Program Executive Officer for Assured Access to Space; Commander, Space Launch Delta 45; Director of Launch and Range Operations, Space Systems Command; and Director of the Eastern Range, Patrick Space Force Base, Florida. He also serves as the Space Force University Partnership Program Champion for the University of Texas Austin.General Purdy as PEO is responsible to organize train equip over 10,000 government and contractor personnel at Space Launch Delta 45 at Patrick SFB, Space launch Delta 30 at Vandenberg SFB and the Launch Enterprise Directorate at Los Angeles AFB and Kirtland AFB. Additionally, he leads the acquisition, integration, development, production, operation, and sustainment of the $13.5B National Security Space Launch Program, Rocket System Launch Program, and Launch and Test Range System Programs. As SLD45 commander he is responsible for base infrastructure for more than 16,000 military, civilian, contractors and dependents at Patrick Space Force Base, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Ascension Island. He leads the safe and secure processing and launching of U.S. government and commercial satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. As range director he is final approval authority for all launches, landings and DOD testing to include Kennedy Space Center satellites and human crew on the Eastern Range, a 15-million- square-mile area that supported 36 launches in 2021 and 49 so far in 2022; aboard Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Atlas V, Delta IV Heavy, USN SLBMs, and Astra while onboarding Vulcan, Starship, Blue Origin, Relativity Terran I and others. Finally, as Director of Launch and Range Operations he provides policy guidance and resources for the Space Force spacelift and range portfolio as well as other systems across Space Systems Center.
In addition to managing the rapid increase of U.S. space launches and launch providers, he is driving practical innovation implementation with USSF’s first SparkCell, base Pitch Day, digital tool/digital HQ/data viz/IL4 chat, zero trust, supracoders, thin client/cloud patches, while exploring air/sea/ground robotics, hack-a-thons, code jams and building a gaming lounge.
General Purdy entered the Air Force as a Distinguished Graduate of the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Baylor University in 1993. He has served in a variety of engineering, acquisition and policy capacities, including assignments at the Air Force Laboratory, Pentagon, Congress, Space and Missile Systems Center and Headquarters United States Space Force. He has served as an Air Force Intern, Space/Nuclear/Cyber Congressional Appropriations Liaison, Materiel Leader in the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program Manager and as the Director Special Programs, Space and Missile Systems Center. Prior to his current assignment, General Purdy was dual-hatted as Space Operations Command’s Director, Requirements, Architectures and Analysis and the Director, Plans, Programs and Financial Management.
EDUCATION
1993 Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Computer Emphasis), Baylor University, Texas 1995 Masters of Science in Computer Science, Baylor University, Texas
1999 Distinguished Graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL.
2001 Master of Arts, Organizational Management, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 2006 Congressional Fellow, Air Force Legislative Fellows Program, US Senate, Washington, D.C.
2010 Certificate in Legislative Studies, Georgetown University, Government Affairs Institute, Washington, D.C. 2010 Program Managers Course (PMT 401), Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, VA.
2014 Masters of Science, National Security Strategy, National War College, National Defense University, Washington, D.C. 2014 Executive Program Manager’s Course (PMT 402), Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, VA.
2017 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC. 2019 Executive Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1995 – December 1997, Simulation Systems Engineer, Wright Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.
2. January 1998 - July 1999, Executive Officer, Air Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.
3. August 1999 - May 2001, Air Force Intern, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. (January 2000 - June 2000, Intern, Nuclear Matters, Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington D.C.; June 2000 - December 2000, Intern, Space Programs, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.).
4. June 2001 - December 2001, Chief, Atlas V Booster, Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Prog, Los Angeles AFB, CA.
5. January 2002 - May 2003, Chief, Atlas V Avionics, Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program, Los Angeles AFB, CA.
6. June 2003 – March 2004, Chief Engineer, Atlas V, Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program, Los Angeles AFB, CA.
7. March 2004 - July 2005, Joint Counterair Manager, Global Power Programs, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
8. August 2005 - December 2006, Fellow, Air Force Congressional Legislative Fellows Program, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. (Defense Fellow for United States Senator Pete V. Domenici, State of New Mexico).
9. January 2007 - December 2007, Deputy, Congressional Appropriations Strategy and Engagement Division, Congressional Budget and Appropriations Office, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Budget), Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
10. January 2008 - August 2008, Chief, Congressional Appropriations Strategy and Engagement Division, Congressional Budget and Appropriations Office, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Budget), Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
11. August 2008 - June 2009, Space and Nuclear Congressional Liaison, Congressional Budget and Appropriations Office, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Budget), Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
12. June 2009 - May 2010, Space, Nuclear and Cyber Congressional Liaison, Congressional Budget and Appropriations Office, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Budget), Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
13. June 2010 - June 2011, Senior Military Assistant/Executive Officer, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force (Space Programs), Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
14. July 2011 - April 2012, Materiel Leader (Squadron Commander equivalent)/Chief, Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Strategic Planning Branch, Launch and Range Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, CA.
15. April 2012 - January 2013, Materiel Leader (Squadron Commander equivalent)/Chief, Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program Management Branch, Launch and Range Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, CA.
16. February 2013 - June 2013, Materiel Leader (Squadron Commander equivalent)/Chief, Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program Management Branch, and Acting Branch Chief, Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle New Entrant Acquisitions, Launch and Range Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, CA.
17. July 2013 - June 2014, Student, National War College, National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
18. June 2014 – June 2017, Senior Materiel Leader (Group Commander equivalent) and Division Chief, Protected Satellite Communications (Advanced Extremely High Frequency [AEHF] Satellite Program), Military Satellite Communications Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, CA.
19. June 2017 – March 2020, Senior Materiel Leader (Wing Commander equivalent) and Director, Space Superiority Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, CA.
20. March 2020 – June 2020, Acting Director, Plans, Programs, Financial Management, Headquarters United States Space Force, Peterson AFB, CO.
21. June 2020 – August 2020, Director, Plans, Programs, Financial Management, Headquarters United States Space Force, Peterson AFB, CO.
22. August 2020 – October 2020, Dual Hatted, Director, Strategic Requirements, Architectures and Analysis and Director, Plans, Programs and Financial Management, Headquarters United States Space Force, Peterson AFB, CO.
23. October 2020 – January 2021, Dual Hatted, Director, Strategic Requirements, Architectures and Analysis and Director, Plans, Programs and Financial Management, Headquarters Space Operations Command, Peterson AFB, CO.
24. January 2021 – May 2021, Commander, 45th Space Wing; and Director, Eastern Range, Patrick SFB, FL.
25. May 2021 – Aug 2021, Commander, Space Launch Delta 45; and Director, Eastern Range, Patrick SFB, FL.
26. August 2021 – Present, Commander, Space Launch Delta 45; and Director, Eastern Range; and Director of Launch and Range Operations for Space Systems Command, Patrick SFB, FL.
27. February 2022 – Present, Commander, Space Launch Delta 45; and Program Executive Officer for Assured Access to Space; and Director, Eastern Range; and Director of Launch and Range Operations for Space Systems Command, Patrick SFB, FL.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leave cluster Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leave clusters
Air Force Organization Excellence Award with seven oak leave clusters
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Lt Gen John W. O’Neill Award for Outstanding Program Director, 2019 FCW’s, The Federal 100 for Exceptional Federal IT Contributions, 2022
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Dec. 18, 1993
First Lieutenant Nov. 2, 1996
Captain Nov. 1, 1998
Major April 1, 2005
Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2009
Colonel Oct. 1, 2014
Brigadier General Aug. 6, 2020
Major General Dec. 1, 2022