joint tactical networking center

Brigadier general
Michael E. Williamson

JPEO

“JTRS is not just about the radios or the waveforms; it is about the networking capability. It is about giving the warfighters a tool that allows them to successfully complete their mission and come home safely.”

BG Michael E. Williamson assumed his duties as Joint Program Executive Officer for the Joint Tactical Radio System in March 2011.

General Williamson was born in Tucson, Arizona. He was commissioned at the University of Maine as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Defense Artillery in 1983.

His assignments include service as the Automation Officer for the 32nd AADCOM in Darmstadt Germany. He then served as a Chaparral Platoon Leader, Vulcan Platoon Leader, Maintenance Officer and Executive Officer in C Battery, 108th Brigade, Hahn Air Force Base, Germany. After attending the Air Defense Artillery Advance Course, he served as the Chief, Forward Area Air Defense Weapons, Development Branch at Fort Bliss, Texas. He then commanded B Battery, 3/1 ADA (Hawk) in the 11th Brigade at Fort Bliss and also in the 31st ADA Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas. After completing command, he served as the Assistant S-3 in the 31st ADA Brigade.

His acquisition experience began as Sr. Military Software Analyst at NATO’s military headquarters in Mons, Belgium. He then served as the Associate Director, Battle Command Battle Lab at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. After attending Command and General Staff College, he served as the Chief of Information Technology, Acquisition Career Management, within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition Logistics and Technology. He was then selected as a Congressional Fellow and served as a legislative assistant to a Member of Congress. After completing the fellowship, General Williamson served as the Product Manager for the Global Command and Control System-Army, and then as the Acquisition Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. He served as Commander of Software Engineering Center-Belvoir (SEC-B). He was then assigned as the Project Manager, Future Combat System (Brigade Combat Team) Network Systems’ Integration within Program Manager, Future Combat System (Brigade Combat Team). He then served as the Director of Systems Integration, within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition Logistics and Technology. Prior to his current assignment, General Williamson served as the Deputy Program Manager, Program Executive Office, Integration.

General Williamson's awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters; the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters; the Joint Service Commendation medal, the Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Superior Unit Award, the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Ribbon and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

General Williamson’s education includes a Bachelor of Science from Husson College in Business Administration, a Master of Science in Systems Management from the Naval Postgraduate School and a PhD in Business Administration from Madison University. He also has graduate certificates in Public Policy from the JFK School of Government, Harvard University and the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University. He is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School and was a Senior Service College Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. He is Level III certified in Program Management and Communications and Computers.
 

Mark A. Compton, Captain USN (Retired)

Deputy JPEO

“JTRS will harness the power of the network, allowing the ubiquitous flow of information between all warfighters, sensors and weapons - that's empowerment at the tactical edge!”

Mr. Compton joined the JPEO JTRS TEAM as Director of Operations in October, 2009 and assumed the duties of Deputy JPEO in July 2010. JPEO JTRS and its five ACAT-1D Program Management Offices develop a family of software defined radios for use in aircraft, ships, command posts, ground vehicles, sensors, and a Soldier’s personal equipment ensemble for all Military Services. He is responsible for organizing the development of and providing leadership in the execution of strategic and tactical plans for the JTRS Enterprise. He directly leads and manages a team of over 120 acquisition, financial, technical, administrative and operations professionals. He ensures fluid communications and coordination among the JPEO Staff and Program Management Offices, consisting of over 600 military, government civilian and contractor support personnel executing an over $800M per year research and development budget (2010).

Before joining JPEO JTRS Mr. Compton served as Vice President for Technology Transition at Trex Enterprises Corporation, a privately-held high-technology company in San Diego, California. He provided expertise in planning for and moving early research and development projects through the technology transition stages into production systems. He led a team in integrating wired-to-wireless network IT systems and served as program manager for developing specialized optical sensors for measuring air turbulence between ground sensors and high-altitude vehicles. He also created a joint business venture with a small business in New Mexico where he was the project execution manager for the installation of a prototype state-of-the-art graphics rendering server farm that employed high-bandwidth network pipes for remote rendering of animation scenes for DreamWorks Animation, SKG.

Mr. Compton joined Trex Enterprises in July of 2007 after a distinguished career as a Naval Flight Officer and Acquisition Professional serving in the U.S. Navy. He flew operationally in P-3 Orion aircraft, held operational command-at-sea, and served in major acquisition command positions developing information technology solutions.

His most recent Navy assignment was in the Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems (PEO-EIS) where he established the startup “Sea Warrior Systems” acquisition program to transform Navy enterprise personnel and training systems into modern, efficient, skills-based management solutions. Prior to that he served in the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) as the Navy Program Manager for the Navy/Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI), the largest corporate intranet in the world, providing secure computer network solutions to over 246,000 government personnel. He also served in SPAWAR as the corporate Chief Information Officer (CIO) and as Executive Assistant to the Commander. And he served in the Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Computers and Communications (PEO-C4I) as the Deputy Program Manager for Navy Satellite Communications, delivering broadband satellite communications solutions with over 600 satellite terminals on over 300 Navy ships and shore facilities throughout the world.

Born and raised in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Mr. Compton graduated with a business degree from Washington State University in 1980. He also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from San Jose State University, San Jose, California and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He is a graduate of Defense Systems Management College and is a certified a Defense (DAWIA) Acquisition Professional, at the highest level (III) in Program Management. He is a member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) and the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA).