The Nominations Committee has named the following five candidates for the two DEPS Director positions to be filled by election. The slate emphasizes technical, organizational, and geographic diversity. Write-in candidates will also be accepted. DEPS members can cast an electronic ballot by completing this form. Note that member login is required; see our Members Page for details on account information. Voting will remain open until midnight on Friday, 5 February 2016.
Kenneth Billman Background: Dr. Billman began his distinguished career in the 1950s as a chemist at a brewery in Kentucky!
A few years and a few degrees later he was a professor of physics at MIT, teaching and experimenting, including a
classic one done in collaboration with Nobel Laureate Clifford Shull. Eight years later he moved to NASA, Cambridge, MA.
At NASA ERC Ken began his laser experience, working with Townes, Javan, Scully
and many others we all know in our Directed Energy profession, developing new lasers, their diagnostics
and using his 60J, 35ns ~2GW DL laser to break new ground in laser-matter interaction studies.
When NASA closed that center, Ken accepted Honorable Hans Mark’s invitation to come to his NASA Ames Research Center,
Moffett Field, CA. There, as the Chief of the 40-person Laser Branch, Ken directed NASA’s high power laser programs
looking to enable space power transmission and methods to convert the laser beams to propulsion, electric power
or storable electricity and chemistry. He and Hans also performed exploratory x-ray laser experiments and demonstrated
the first multi-photon laser isotope excitation. Heading a new Advanced Space Energy group for the NASA Deputy Admin.,
Ken also designed and engineered his new system concept, SOLARES. This array of lightweight orbiting space mirrors
would supply high noon solar insolation 24/7 to selected ground sites which would supply the world with affordable
renewable electricity and "green" synfuels. Ken then moved to the Renewable Energy division of the Electric Power
Research Institute where he sponsored design and tech roadmaps for possible future inertial fusion power plants.
When, in view of the Three Mile Island incident, EPRI and its utility sponsors decided to devote nearly all of
its funding to nuclear safety, Ken accepted an offer from TITAN Systems to manage its new
San Francisco Bay Area Photonics Office. There he developed a lightweight, ~40% Holographic Full Spectrum Solar
Space Power concept for DARPA and for the NASA Langley LITE program he did the design and space qualification of a
3-color Nd-glass laser transmitter module that on the Shuttle demonstrated the first operational space laser.
Other SETA work supported the Energy Department’s Space Power - 100kW program and its Inertial Fusion Program
as it conceptualized the NIF. In 1989, Ken joined Lockheed where he was Chief Scientist (CS) or Program Manager (PM)
for many of the major DE programs. These included CS of the USSDC/SDIO GBFEL-TIE beam control system and
PM of their CEED charged & neutral particle beam system studies, PM of the USAF ABL Beam Control & Fire
Control (BCS) concept designs, CS of the PDRR ABL test bed BCS program, and PM of many IRAD and classified programs.
His highly ABL innovative BCS designs were first verified in 2002 using Ken’s scaled ("Brassboard") BCS lab demonstrator
and then in early 2010 when the 747-400F aircraft system performed as designed to demonstrate the acquisition,
tracking, and pointing of the adaptive-optics-corrected-focused MW-class laser beam which downed a distant,
fast-moving boosting missile. During the interim, most other laser weapon systems had followed many elements
of this design. Following his 2013 LM retirement, Ken started Energy & Photon Systems Co., located in Mountain View, CA
which specializes in product development and consulting.
Candidate's Statement: It is hard to believe that we have transitioned from designing and assembling
our first lasers in the mid ‘60s to the present when we are close to fielding truly operational military DE systems.
But of course there is still much to be done. I believe that my extensive experience, spanning academia, government,
and commercial employment, with 50 years of DE research and development and excellent coordination with my government
sponsors, would qualify me to serve as a useful DEPS BoD member. My living in the Silicon Valley will also help
DEPS keep in touch with the new DoD Innovation thrust there as well as the waterfall of novel developments that
we see. Also, having as they say, made all the mistakes during my fielding of DE Beam Control and Laser Systems
that qualifies me to be an expert, I can certainly provide important lessons learned in this arena and suggest
how DEPS can emphasize them to avoid making the same mistakes in new programs. I would also like to explore
the use of modern teleconferencing methods to solve some of our needs. Externally, travel restrictions might
be partially solved. And internally at the symposia, we might solve the session overlap issue. Finally,
remembering how important it was to my DE career, I would like to re-examine the sponsoring of mini-conferences
modeled after the Gordon Conference model.
Dan Marker
Background: During a 27 year career with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy
Directorate (a.k.a. Air Force Weapons Laboratory) Dan concentrated on the development of phased array
imaging, phased array beam projection, digital holography, optical quality polymer films, and integrated
fiber/beam control tiled array HEL systems. He has received two master degrees, one in Mechanical
Engineering from the University of New Mexico and the other an MBA in Finance from Webster University.
Technical highlights include the development of the first phased array imaging system to produce
high resolution image of an extended non-cooperative target at 5 kilometers, meter class optical
quality membrane mirrors leading to over $66 million dollars of private sector revenue, the first
ever fielded phased array beam projector impinging on an extended non-cooperative target, and a
scalable coherent integrated laser/beam control system capable of scaling to hundreds of high power
fibers without the need for a high power deformable mirror. The system also corrects for both
laser source and atmospheric aberrations.
Candidate's Statement: The directed energy community is rapidly moving to the development
of fieldable systems. The Navy LaWS is a good example of that movement. The community has done
a good job of developing lasers, beam control devices, turrets, and a myriad of supporting materials
such as glass and coatings. I will work to enhance the contribution of DEPS to the community by
actively promoting support for system level activities such as the Employment of Directed Energy
Systems Conference. Also I will place more emphasis on the need to integrate ancillary functions
such as 3D imaging, vibrometry, and polarimetry into the HEL aperture. I will develop a mutually
beneficial interaction between DEPS and the MSS conference which is a conference commonly attended
by our sensing counterparts.
Howard Meyer
Background: Dr. Howard Meyer is a Senior Lead Scientist on the Global Defense and Science and
Technology Teams at Booz Allen Hamilton. He currently serves as the Science Advisor to the Director for
Electronic Warfare and Countermeasures in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research
and Engineering (ASD(R&E)) where he tracks and advocates directed energy, electronic warfare, aircraft
survivability equipment, advanced sensing and related advanced technologies. He previously supported the
HQ USAF Operational Capability Requirements and Strategic Planning Directorates, advising these
organizations on directed energy and other advanced technologies, and the Army Chief Scientist where
he worked with the Chief Scientists and Chief Engineers of the Army’s Laboratories and Research,
Development and Engineering Centers to identify and develop future Army research thrusts.
Howard retired from the Air Force in 1999 after a 22 year career in a variety of technical,
educational and operational assignments including serving as the Deputy Director of the Airborne
Laser (ABL) System Program Office (SPO) and as the Deputy Chief Scientist and Deputy Director for
Special Programs at the USAF’s Phillips Laboratory (now part of AFRL).
Howard has been actively involved in the directed energy community for over 20 years. In addition
to serving as the Deputy Director of the ABL SPO, he oversaw the inclusion of a wide variety of
directed energy concepts in the 2001-2004 Title X Future Capabilities Wargames, led development
of the Air Force’s 2003 and 2007 Directed Energy Master Plans, and was the lead AF representative
in the 2006 DoD DE Roadmap effort. For the past several years, he has been involved in efforts to
accelerate the fielding of directed energy applications, working with DE staff from the Services’
laboratories and headquarters organizations, industry, operational users, and OSD organizations to
advocate support and funding for a variety of DE R&D efforts. He supported the development of Center
for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments’ (CSBA) "Changing the Game: The Promise of Directed Energy
Weapons" and was one of the key organizers of the Directed Energy Summit sponsored by BAH and CSBA
in July of 2015.
Candidate's Statement: I am proud to be a member of the directed energy community and
especially during this exciting time in our history! Our vision of transitioning DE systems to
operational use is closer than it has ever been because of the significant advances have been made
in all DE technology areas and the Navy’s fielding of the Laser Weapon System (LaWS) aboard the
USS Ponce. Many major challenges still confront our community, though, and to get the requisite
‘buy-in’ and program advocacy for more Ponce-like fielding efforts and DE transitions, we must
develop compelling business cases for DE systems that are backed by rigorous, detailed analytics
showing both the unique and the synergistic force multiplication, logistical and force structure,
and cost-exchange advantages of DE systems. This will necessitate significant analytical and
educational efforts by our community, and our Society can help this process through increased
interactions and work with Congress, defense think tanks, non-DE developmental communities, and
‘military operations’ societies that we have not worked extensively with in the past. Co-hosting
symposia on topics such as addressing the challenges posed by integrated air defense systems (IADS),
integrated air and missile defense (IAMD), and spectrum utilization with some of these other
organizations can help here. Expanding interfaces current and past Board members have helped us
develop with the acquisition community can also help here. These expanded interfaces can enable
DEPS to play a more prominent role in addressing the strategic challenges facing our nation while
also helping to address financial challenges our Society is facing. Helping DEPS grow beyond our
historic conference/meeting and technology-centric focus must, however, be done in a way that does
not compromise our mission or the technical rigor of our efforts. My insights and contacts across
a wide range of strategy, operational, acquisition, developmental, and advocacy communities and
organizations will enable me to help our Society address these issues.
Michael O'Connor
Background: Michael O’Connor served in the US Army Special Forces, 10th Group during the
mid- to late-1980’s. With the help of the GI Bill, he then attended the University of Massachusetts
at Amherst, and completed a B.S. in Physics and a M.S. in Geology/Geophysics. Like most physics
graduates, Mike found work doing something else; initially as an R&D engineer in fiber optics for
Lucent Technologies. Mike then joined Nufern in 2001 where he worked in both engineering and
business development roles. It was then that Mike’s involvement with government contractors and
agencies in the field of Directed Energy began. In early 2008, Mike joined IPG Photonics.
As Director of Business Development for Advanced Laser Applications, he functions as IPG’s
primary POC for US governmental laser business. Mike has been happily married for 21 years
and he enjoys cycling, skiing, yoga, and reading. He has been a DEPS member for approximately 11 years.
Candidate's Statement:I, Michael O’Connor am pleased to offer my candidacy for the Board of Directors of the Directed
Energy Professional Society. Having been an active DEPS member for over a decade, I have seen much
activity in recent Directed Energy development. As a Director or Business Development at both
Nufern and IPG Photonics, I have had direct involvement in numerous fiber laser-based Directed
Energy programs including RELI, LaWS, HELMD, and GBAD, among others. I have both technical and
business backgrounds which I would hope would offer a unique combination of experience to the
benefit of DEPS. I also work in both the commercial and governmental sides of fiber laser business
development, and I would expect that my commercial experience would add some diversity at DEPS.
DEPS is where all of us in Directed Energy come together for technical and business interactions,
and often as old friends. As a Special Forces veteran, DEPS conferences feel like a homecoming for me.
DEPS has always been there for so many of us during our careers; I would be honored to have the
opportunity to try to give back.
Paul Shattuck
Background: Paul has over 41 years of technical and management experience in the development and
operations of space, launch, airborne and ground systems. He has particular technical expertise in the
areas of: guidance, dynamics and control; beam control; acquisition, tracking, and pointing; autonomy
and robotics, object-oriented software; flight software V&V; modeling and simulation; and mission and operations analysis.
A focused area of Shattuck's career has been the development and maturation of technologies for Directed Energy
Systems. He spent most of the 1980's developing and testing beam control technologies for the Strategic
Defense Initiative. In the 1990’s-2010’s he led the team responsible for integration of the
Beam Control/Fire Control system on ABL and flew over 125 sorties on the ABL test aircraft culminating in a
lethal shootdown of a boosting ballistic missile in February 2010, a historical first. Recently Paul has
focused his attention on maturing multi-mission tactical laser weapon systems for transitioning to the
warfighter, including the Athena laser weapon system currently undergoing live fire testing at WSMR.
He has received numerous awards and recognitions from Lockheed Martin, customers, academia, and various
professional organizations during this time.
Candidate's Statement:Directed Energy Systems, and specifically High Energy Laser Systems,
have reached a tipping point in transitioning to the warfighters, due to a convergence of user needs
and technology maturity. I believe that the DEPS Outreach program is critical to this transition and
needs to be strengthened. Activities such as the DE2DC and the DE Caucus are critical to educating
decision makers and warfighters to the unique capabilities of laser weapon systems. We need to sustain
and grow these activities as well as continue with all other aspects of educating the public about
laser weapons. We need to help grow the next generation of Directed Energy scientists, engineers,
policy makers, and users.
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