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Dennis Dabney

Colonel, United States Air Force & Industry Executive (Ret)

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Expertise

Acquisition Logistics, Fleet Sustainment, Life Cycle Logistics, Product Support, Process Improvement, Policy Development, Organizational Leadership, Weapon System Maintenance, Executive Coaching

Profile

Mr. Dennis Dabney is a senior aerospace and defense executive and retired United States Air Force (USAF) Colonel with subject matter expertise across aircraft acquisition logistics, sustainment, missile defense, and depot-level maintenance operations. He possesses a proven record of driving readiness, cost efficiency, and industrial-base resilience for complex defense systems and combines deep technical credibility with strategic judgment in government and industry. He is the former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Maintenance Policy and Programs.

Significant Career Accomplishments

  • As Acting Deputy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Maintenance Policy & Programs (DASD MPP), led maintenance oversight and governance on 33 programs valued at $450M and operations and sustainment (O&S) costs over $1.38T.

  • Handpicked to serve as Deputy Director of the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment (ALGS) Design Team and led a DoD/Joint Program Office (JPO) 12-week study to achieve a 30 percent O&S reduction.

  • Brokered an agreement aligning F-35 depot requirements with US and international partners while preserving Title 10 core workload rules. Re-energized previously stalled JPO–OSD discussions and codified formal logistics and materiel readiness guidance for the global parts pool, depot strategy, and FIAR compliance.

  • As Operating Unit Director at Northrop Grumman, led a $884M profit and loss (P&L) portfolio for ground-based interceptor booster production in support of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) mission of defense of the homeland; delivered multiple orbital boosters valued at $5.2M each on schedule and under budget.

  • Managed 300+ employees across E-8C Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), Customs & Border Protection (CBP) P-3, and US Navy (USN) E-6B depot operations and integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP), engineering, manufacturing, and logistics teams to accelerate throughput.

  • Oversaw $45M P&L for modification and upgrade operations on 32 F-35 B/C aircraft at four sites. Improved line-replacable unit (LRU) reliability by ~30% via process control and engineering feedback loops.

Key Positions

  • Defense and Aerospace Expert, Strive4ward Coaching and Consulting

  • Vice President, Equipment Programs | Sagent LLC

  • Operating Unit Director, Northrop Grumman

  • Site Director, Operations, Northrop Grumman

  • Director of Programs, Northrop Grumman

  • Director, Strategic Planning, Northrop Grumman

  • Acting Deputy, DASD MPP

  • Military Deputy, DASD MPP

Education

  • MA, National Security and Strategic Studies, US Naval War College

  • MS, Management, Troy University

  • BS, General Studies, United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)

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