Former USAF Col. Steve Pennington. The man wears many hats:
DoD Director, Bases, Ranges, and Airspace
Assesses the needs of the various branches of the Armed Forces to accomplish their missions, particularly regarding airspace.
Executive Director, DoD Defense Policy Board on Federal Aviation
Collates the airspace needs of the DoD, and liaises with the FAA on accommodating those needs.
DoD Representative, NextGen UAS R&D Executive Committee
Represents the DoD's interests on the development of the NextGen Air Transportation system, as it pertains to military UAS operations.
DoD Representative, RTCA Policy Board
Represents the DoD's interests on the technical standards committees that the FAA draws guidance from.
Member, Board of Directors, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI)
Works with UAS manufacturers to advance their interests.
In short, he's the guy at the tip of the effort to open US National Airspace to military unmanned aerial vehicles.
Sidebar: Col. Pennington was also the Department of Defense participant at the workshop which launched North Carolina's NGAT program for testing drones, July 24th, 2013.
