Major General Edward L. Vaughan

Executive Director, JRAC/ JPAC/ Executive Secretary, Munitions Acceleration Council and Task Force, Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition & Sustainment

Maj. Gen. Edward L. "Hertz" Vaughan, IV serves simultaneously as the acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for Acquisition Integration and Interoperability (AI2), Director of Special National Programs, and Executive Director of both the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell and Joint Production Accelerator Cell within the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. Notably, he is the first military flag officer to hold any of these four executive positions, let alone all four at once. In these capacities, he leads efforts to deliver rapid solutions for urgent warfighter needs, accelerate munitions production, and strengthen the defense industrial base.

He also serves as Executive Secretary for the Munitions Acceleration Task Force and Warfighter Senior Integration Group, executing Rapid Acquisition Authorities for urgent operational needs, advancing non-traditional acquisition strategies alongside the intelligence community, and leading the interagency Defense Assisted Acquisition process. Maj. Gen. Vaughan completed Reserve Officer Training Corps at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and later earned his commission as top graduate from Air National Guard officer training. He held numerous operational, command and staff leadership positions at the squadron, group, wing, and joint task force levels, including command of a flying wing.

His career spans combat, contingency, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and security cooperation operations, as well as private sector experience in manufacturing, engineering, and technology ventures, providing a unique perspective bridging military operations, industry and global partnerships. Maj. Gen. Vaughan is a command fighter pilot and polar airlifter with more than 2,700 flying hours, including 205 combat hours fighting in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and Southern Watch, and executed over 100 polar ski landings in Operation Deep Freeze. He holds a master's degree from Air War College, where he was a fellow and later faculty with the Blue Horizons futures program. He was the first Reserve officer inducted in the U.S. Air Force Safety Hall of Fame for creating the Disruptive Solutions Process.