Lt. Gen. Michael A. Guetlein is Commander, Space Systems Command, headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. He is responsible for approximately 15,000 employees nationwide and an annual budget of $11 billion, managing the research, design, development, acquisition, launch and sustainment of satellites and their associated command and control systems across 20+ geographically dispersed units. His extensive portfolio includes military satellite communication, missile warning, navigation and timing, space-based weather, space launch and test ranges, space superiority, responsive space and other emerging domestic and international evolutionary space programs
Lt. Gen. Guetlein was commissioned through the ROTC program at Oklahoma State University in 1991. His acquisition experience spans air and space capabilities and systems across special operations, global power projection, missile warning and detection, and counterspace mission areas. The general has commanded and led at the flight, squadron, division, directorate, Program Executive Officer, and field command levels. Notable assignments include serving as the Director, Remote Sensing Systems; Commander, Rapid Reaction Squadron; the Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition; a Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow; and the Program Executive for Programs and Integration at the Missile Defense Agency.
Prior to his current position, Lt. Gen. Guetlein was the Deputy Director, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Virginia, where he acted as the Senior Advisor to the Director on all military matters, and in managing strategic and tactical operations of the NRO. In this position, he was dual-hatted as the Commander of the Space Force Element, responsible for managing all Air Force personnel and resources assigned to the NRO.
