Speakers

As Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T), Major General Robert M. Collins guides a workforce of more than 1,600 personnel who acquire, field and support the communications networks, radios, satellite systems and other hardware and software Soldiers require for information dominance on the battlefield. MG Collins
took command of PEO C3T on June 1, 2020.

MG Collins comes to PEO C3T after serving as the PEO for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors (IEW&S) since May 2019. As the PEO IEW&S, he provided technical and managerial oversight of the development, acquisition, fielding, and life cycle support of the Army’s portfolio of intelligence; electronic warfare; cyber; integrated base defense; force protection; position, navigation, and timing; biometrics; and target acquisition programs.

MG Collins was commissioned through ROTC in 1992 into Armor with a Bachelor of Science from Shippensburg University. As a junior officer, he served at Fort Carson as a Tank Platoon Leader in 2-77th Armor Battalion, 4th Infantry Division. Following his branch detail to the Signal Corps, he served in Fort Gordon as a Communications Platoon Leader in the 124rd Signal Battalion, and in Germany as a Battalion Signal Officer and Company Commander with the 1st Infantry Division.

He was then selected into the Acquisition Corps in 2000 and was assigned to U.S. Army Signal Center in Fort Gordon as a Training and Doctrine Command Systems Manager and Combat Developer. MG Collins went on to serve at Fort Monmouth as an Assistant Product Manager (APM) for Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T), and an APM of Software Integration with Future Combat Systems. MG Collins then served in the Pentagon as a Department of the Army Systems Coordinator for Tactical Army Communications systems, and later selected as the Executive Officer for the Army Acquisition Executive and Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology).

From April 2010 to July 2013, MG Collins served as the Product Manager for the WIN-T Increments 2 and 3 ACAT 1D programs within PEO C3T. Following War College, he was selected to serve as the Army’s Project Manager for Distributed Common Ground System-Army, PEO IEW&S, from June 2014 to July 2018. Prior to becoming the PEO IEW&S, MG Collins served as the Assistant PEO IEW&S from August 2018 to April 2019.

MG Collins holds Masters Degrees from Webster University, Oklahoma University, and the National Defense University. He completed the Combined Arms Services Staff School and Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, as well as the Armor Officer Basic Course, Signal Branch Qualification, Signal Advanced Course, and Systems Automation Course. He is a graduate of Eisenhower School of Strategic Studies at Fort McNair, where he received a Master’s Degree in National Resource Strategy. MG Collins is a member of the Acquisition Corps and is Level III certified in Program Management.

Mr. Joseph Welch is the Director of the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center. As Director, he is responsible for establishing the C5ISR Center’s comprehensive Science and Technology (S&T) Portfolio providing strategic program formulation guidance involving short-and long-range goals utilizing existing and
anticipated state-of-the art advances in communications,
mission command, sensors, electronic warfare, intelligence
and countermeasure equipment and services. Programs encompass technology thrusts in Mission Command, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance technologies and systems in various stages of the life cycle model. In addition to the center's Science and Technology mission, he oversees its engineering support and services provided to the acquisition Program Executive Offices, Life Cycle Management Commands, and other DOD and Federal customers.

Mr. Welch, who was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in January 2019, previously
served as the Deputy Program Executive Officer, Command, Control and Communications-
Tactical (PEO C3T), where he guided a workforce of more than 1,600 personnel supporting
over 50 Army acquisition programs and efforts. His responsibilities include the development,
acquisition, fielding and support of the Army’s tactical network, a critical Army priority that
provides information dominance to current and future Soldiers in challenging environments
worldwide.

Mr. Welch holds a master of engineering in systems engineering from Stevens Institute of
Technology and a bachelor of science in electrical engineering and economics from Tufts
University. He is also a graduate of the Aberdeen Proving Ground Senior Leadership Cohort
program. Mr. Welch is a two-time recipient of the Department of the Army Superior Civilian
Service Award and has been awarded the Army Signal Corps Association Bronze Order of Mercury. He holds Level III acquisition certification in both program management and
engineering.

Mr. Paul B. Puckett III was appointed to the Senior Executive Service and assumed his duties as the Director of the Enterprise Cloud Management Office at the Headquarters, Department of the Army, Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6 in November 2019.

As the Enterprise Cloud Management Office Director, Mr. Puckett serves as the principal advisor to the CIO/G-6 and other Senior Army Leaders on the Army's Cloud strategy. He is responsible for assisting in the development of strategy, use, and optimization of Cloud resources, including the areas of cybersecurity, data protection, commercial capabilities, and ensuring network support to the current and future Army force. He will also develop Armywide planning and assist with execution of Cloud planning, migration, operation, and

incorporation of advanced services and capabilities across the Army’s four information mission areas ofArtificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Analytics, and Data Protection.

Just prior to joining the Senior Executive Service, Mr. Puckett was the Federal Chief Technology Officer at a cloud native services provider where he focused on advising Department of Defense and other Federal Agencies on how to enhance their mission effectiveness through the adoption of leading-edge open source technology and modern software automation capabilities.

Prior to that experience, Mr. Puckett performed in a number of roles as a civil servant with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). As the NGA’s cloud integration lead, he helped design, build and accredit the agency’s Unclassified Cloud environment. He was the advisor to senior leadership for technical enhancements and agency priorities related to infrastructure and application modernization, and led the agency in developing an enhanced ability to accept and deploy new applications and services, while simultaneously incorporating high levels of security.

Before his service with NGA, Mr. Puckett again was in a support role with private industry, providing lead engineering expertise for servers and network systems, and systems administrator training for the Joint IED Defeat Office, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Department of State.

Mr. Puckett holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Management Information Systems from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, and a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Craig Miller serves as President, Government Systems at Viasat, Inc. In this role, he is responsible for leading the Company’s global defense business, which exceeds $1 billion in annual revenues by delivering cost-effective, innovative solutions to challenging defense
requirements in satellite networks, tactical data links, information
assurance, and cyber security.

Craig joined Viasat in 1995, and has held numerous technology, business and strategic leadership roles. Prior to serving as President of Government Systems, he was the segment’s Chief Technology Officer where he was responsible for establishing and communicating
the technical strategy and roadmaps for a diverse portfolio of defense products and services: including satellite communications, tactical networks, information assurance, cyber/network security and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance.

Craig also launched the Viasat Government Systems Space Business, which created XVI, the first Link 16-enabled LEO satellite; Viasat’s mobile satellite communications gateway systems; and Viasat’s Hybrid Adaptive Network capabilities. In addition to his role within Viasat’s Government Systems business, Craig also worked with the design team of Viasat’s Space and Commercial Networks group, which developed the ViaSat-3 satellite constellation. In this
role, he contributed to the design of Viasat’s next-generation satellite communications constellation and served as a liaison between Viasat’s commercial and government business segments.

Prior to Viasat, Craig worked at Hughes Missile Systems Group in Tucson, Arizona, where he was responsible for implementation of Electronic Counter Measures for the AAMRAM Missile System.

Craig holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, with emphasis on Communications and Signal Processing from the University of Arizona.

Director of Events, GovExec Media