Heather Cohea

Colonel (select) Heather J. Cohea is a Harvard National Security Fellow. She is recognized by both the aerospace industry and the US Air Force (USAF) as an expert in space power application and integration for military operations, having maintained concurrent civilian and military careers as an aerospace engineer and an Air Force Reserve (USAFR) officer for 26 years. During this tenure, Col (sel) Cohea earned both pilot and space wings and used her insights as an engineer, a pilot, a space operations officer, and an engineering
executive to guide air and space development efforts toward assuring decisive combat capability for the United States and allied forces.

Ms. Cohea is an engineering executive at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (LM). In her most recent role as Chief of Staff for Engineering and Technology (E&T) at Aero, she directed the execution of engineering business operations, shaped strategy to deliver on warfighter needs, and elevated the 10,000 strong technical work force. Specifically, Heather authored a technical strategy describing engineering actions to achieve informational superiority in multi-domain operations and she spearheaded efforts which democratized technical development opportunities and increased the number of women and people of color in developmental pipelines to levels more in line with their representation in the available population.

In her most recent military position, Col (sel) Cohea served as a space operations expert as Chief of Special Projects for the Future Operations Division at Headquarters, United States Space Force at the Pentagon, developing concepts for future space operations, and generating ‘best military advice’ for the Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Space Operations, and Deputy Chief of Space Operations. She authored influential papers, including one in which she urged USSF senior leaders to first define the strategic need and necessity before designing a Space Force Reserve. She also wrote a concept, which shaped the DoD and USSF’s Commercial Space Strategy, and offered remarks on the future design of space-based sensing and tracking.

In prior civilian engineering positions, Cohea was Director, Integrated Fighter Group at LM, responsible for daily engineering execution for F-22, F-16, and other fighter programs. She previously led multiple managers and their teams in specialty engineering development for the F-16 and F-22. As an early career engineer, Ms. Cohea and the rest of the team developed a new ground system to support the first geosynchronous (GEO) satellite in the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS), which provides missile warning for the President of the United States and Combatant Commanders. Eventually, she led engineering verification for customer delivery. Cohea has conducted research for NASA, Lockheed Martin Space, and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

In previous military roles, Col (sel) Cohea served as Commander of the 8th Space Warning Squadron (8 SWS), where she brought the SBIRS ground system she helped develop into final operational capability. USAF leaders hand-selected her to shape a new operational concept for the squadrons operating SBIRS. Under her leadership, the team developed a model the United States Space Force (USSF) implemented across the force as “combat squadrons.” Further, she led the team in implementing a mobilization process with military orders necessary to present Reserve forces to Combatant Commanders as “deployed-in-place”. The USAF adopted this unprecedented process into other weapons systems (MQ-9), and the USSF instituted it as “Space Force Generation”. As a C-17 pilot at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, she flew in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and Operation NOBLE EAGLE/HOMELAND DEFENSE. Later, an instructor at the Headquarters National Security Space Institute (HQ RNSSI), Cohea taught space science and engineering courses to multi-national and joint partners, and the Commandant appointed her Course Director for an executive level course covering space policy and acquisition strategy.

Ms. Cohea holds a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University. Colonel (select) Cohea commissioned as a Distinguished Graduate from Officer Training School and earned multiple academic honors from Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, Squadron Officer School, the International Junior Officer Leadership Development Program, and several graduate-level Space Professional Development courses.

She also serves as executive champion for the LM strategic partnership with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and as a member of the Purdue University Aerospace Engineering Industry Advisory Committee.