Speakers

The Honorable Alan R. Shaffer is the Director of Washington Operations at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where he serves as a senior liaison to the Department of Defense, advancing innovation in national security. He previously served as the Senate-confirmed Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment from 2019 to 2021, overseeing policy and execution for acquisition, logistics, energy, installations, nuclear and chemical defense, and the defense industrial base.

From 2007 to 2015, Mr. Shaffer was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, also serving twice as Acting ASD(R&E), where he acted as the Department’s Chief Technology Officer and managed an annual RDT&E portfolio of over $25 billion. He also led major DoD efforts, including the MRAP Task Force and the DoD Energy Security Task Force.

Earlier, he directed NATO’s Collaboration Support Office in France and served as the inaugural Acting Director for Operational Energy Plans and Programs. A retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, he spent 24 years in command, weather, intelligence, and acquisition oversight roles across multiple global assignments before joining the Senior Executive Service in 2000.

Mr. Shaffer holds degrees in mathematics, meteorology, and national resource strategy from the University of Vermont, the University of Utah, the Naval Postgraduate School, and the Eisenhower School. His awards include the DoD Distinguished Civilian Service Award and Presidential Rank Awards. He serves on several national security advisory boards and is a Distinguished Fellow of NDIA’s Emerging Technologies Institute.