Description
Ravi Chaudhary previously served as a senior executive at the US Department of Transportation. The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed Indian-American Ravi Chaudhary as Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Air Force, one of the highest civilian leadership positions in the Pentagon. The Senate voted 65-29 to confirm the former Air Force officer's nomination with more than a dozen votes from the opposition Republican Party.
Mr. Chaudhary previously served as a senior executive at the US Department of Transportation, where he was Director of Advanced Programs and Innovation, Office of Commercial Space at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
He was responsible for executing advanced research and development programs in support of the FAA's commercial space transportation mission. In the transportation department, he also served as executive director of regional and central operations, where he oversaw the integration and support of air operations in nine regions.
During his service with the US Air Force from 1993 to 2015, Chaudhary performed a variety of operational, engineering, and senior personnel duties. As a C-17 pilot, he led global air operations, including numerous combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as ground deployments as director of the Multinational Corps Personnel Recovery Center in Iraq.
As a flight test engineer, he was responsible for flight certification of military avionics and hardware for force modernization programs that support flight safety.
Earlier in his career, he supported Global Positioning System (GPS) space launch operations and led third stage and flight safety activities to ensure the full operational capability of the first GPS constellation.
As a systems engineer, Chaudhary supported NASA International Space Station protection activities to ensure the safety of NASA astronauts. He was also a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders during the Obama administration. In this role, he advised the president on executive branch efforts to improve veteran support for the AAPI community.
Mr. Chaudhary holds a Ph.D. in Executive Leadership and Innovation from Georgetown University's DLS program, an M.S. in Industrial Engineering from St. Mary's University as a NASA Graduate Scholar, an M.S. in Operational Arts and Military Sciences from Aire University and a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from the US Air Force Academy.
He is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute and has Department of Defense acquisition certifications in program management, test and evaluation, and systems engineering.
