Speakers: T

Gary Testut

Gary Testut leads a team supporting critical intelligence missions within the national customer community. He is responsible for strategy, customer engagement, program execution and personnel development in his business area.

Testut returned to Ball Aerospace in August 2017 after spending the previous five years working for BAE Systems as vice president, Government Relations. Prior to that, he worked at Ball in Washington, D.C. as the director for defense and space programs.

Gary is a veteran United States Air Force officer who served 20 years as a program manager, staff officer, and legislative liaison in the space career field, retiring as a Lt Colonel.

Gary remains active in the national space community as a board member and past president of the National Space Club and Foundation as well as vice chairman of the National Defense Industrial Association Space Division.

Testut holds a master’s degree in Engineering Management from Western New England College and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts.

Maj. Gen. David D. Thompson

Maj. Gen. David D. Thompson is currently serving as Special Assistant Headquarters, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. He assists the commander in organizing, training, equipping, and maintaining mission-ready space and cyberspace forces and providing missile warning, positioning, navigation and timing, communications and cyber capabilities for North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Strategic Command and the other functional and geographic combatant commands. The command oversees Air Force network operations; manages a global network of satellite command and control, communications, missile warning and space launch facilities; and is responsible for space system development and acquisition. The command comprises approximately 38,000 space and cyberspace professionals assigned to 134 locations worldwide.  General Thompson also directs and coordinates the activities of the headquarters staff.

General Thompson was commissioned in 1985 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is a career space officer with assignments in operations, acquisition, research and development, and academia. He has commanded operational space units at the squadron, group and wing levels. The general is also an Olmsted Scholar, graduate of the Senior Acquisition Course and Level III-certified Program Manager. Prior to his Special Assistant assignment, General Thompson was Vice Commander, Air Force Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. 

Peter Trainer

Pete Trainer is the Vice President and Operations Manager for Air Force Operations of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).  His responsibilities encompass business development, profit and loss, and the strategic direction of a $210M per annum business unit of 400 national security professionals at over 18 locations worldwide.  The key areas of expertise of the operation include Space Operations, Enterprise IT, Airborne ISR, intelligence, force protection, cyber, training and logistics.  Formerly, he led Scitor’s Defense Services Sector, which served major DoD, Unified Commands, Army and Air Force clients, as well as the National Services Sector, which supported the National Security Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. 

Pete served in a variety of space and intelligence assignments during his 30 years of service in the Air Force on active duty and in the Reserve.  He began his career as a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Satellite System Controller at Offutt AFB, NE.  He later served as the Chief of Satellite Operations at the DMSP System Program Office, Los Angeles, AFB, CA.  After a tour as a Commander of the Space Surveillance Center and Deputy Space Control Director at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, he became Chief of the Space Surveillance Section at the former US Space Command.  Transitioning to the reserve, Mr. Trainer served as a Joint Tactical Operations Officer as well as part of the cadre (Crew Commander) that stood up the nation’s Joint Blue Force Situational Awareness Mission Management Center in response to the events of September 11, 2001.  From 2004 to 2009, he served on the USAF’s Legislative Liaison staff in Washington, DC, advocating for military space, intelligence, and missile program to Congress.  He culminated his career in the rank of Colonel as the Senior Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA) to the Director, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).  In this capacity, he was a member of the Senior Board of the NRO and led a Reserve Force of 60 IMA’s.

In 2010, he was appointed by the Governor of Virginia as a trustee of the Commonwealth’s Veterans Services Foundation where he served as the 1^st Vice Chairman.  He is also a Past President of the National Space Club.  Currently, he is the Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board of The Citadel’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Space Foundation.   Pete is a Life Member several professional groups including the Air Force Association, the Military Officers Association of America and the Reserve Officers Association.  His significant military and intelligence honors include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and the NRO Silver Medal for Distinguished Service. 

Pete graduated from the Citadel in 1982 earning a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.  He has done master’s degree work at Central Michigan University and is a graduate of the Air War College. 

SAIC is a premier technology integrator providing full life cycle services and solutions in the technical, engineering, intelligence, and enterprise information technology markets. SAIC is Redefining Ingenuity through its deep customer and domain knowledge to enable the delivery of systems engineering and integration offerings for large, complex projects. SAIC’s approximately 15,000 employees are driven by integrity and mission focus to serve customers in the U.S. federal government. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $4.3 billion. For more information, visit saic.com.