U.S. Air Force major and 2004 Ƶ graduate Mikita R. Brown has been named as Director of Defense for the . While pursuing a chemistry degree at Tuskegee, Brown earned her commission through the university’s historic Air Force ROTC Detachment 015.
Brown is highly decorated and experienced in air defense and counter unmanned aviation systems (CUAS) within the Air Force. She serves within the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s as its senior air battle manager, providing integration expertise of multi-domain C2 warfighter analysis. The JDAT analyzes current and future warfighter systems in austere field conditions to address Joint integration and interoperability issues and to improve combat effectiveness, reduce fratricide, and minimize collateral damage.
Brown leads a joint and coalition team of warfighters and analysts to develop innovative command, control, communications and cyber/intelligence (C4I) solutions for Integrated Air Missile Defense (tactical ballistic missile and short-range air defense threats), while specializing in the emerging command, control and battle management (C2BM) of small and counter unmanned aviation systems (sUAS and CUAS) drone defense.
She is a senior air battle manager with more than 1,340 flying hours (U.S. & NATO E-3) and 720 hours of Ground Control Intercepts (GCI) via BC3-Qatar, BC3-Korea, JADGE Japan and Korea-AOC. Her air battle management experience includes key tactical and operational roles such as chief of weapons and tactics, 623rd Air Control Flight’s (LIGHT SWORD); chief of operational analysis, U.S. Air Forces Central Command (PYRAMID); chief of operations group standardization and evaluation for Command, Control and Joint Air Defense, OGV (SHOGUN); and senior director for the “world’s busiest airspace,” 621st Air Control Squadron (COBRA).
Brown is also an experienced staff officer who has led progress for some of the Department of Defense’s toughest joint and combined command and control (C2) positions — notably, Korea’s chief of C2 Plan’s Architecture, Communication Team; SPINS coordinator; and the executive officer to the Commander of the Air Operations Center (AOC). From there she became a distinguished mission crew commander (MCC) for NATO’s AWACS (E-3A) Component while serving on the HQ-FHR (A5) Staff as the program manager for Mode 5/EHS and the 2035 Concept of Operations.
Brown was promoted to the rank of major in March 2014. Among her numerous military honors are personal awards and commendations that include the Meritorious Service Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, and Army Achievement Medal.
Prior to earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Tuskegee, Brown earned an associate’s degree in biology from the Georgia Military College. She went on to complete a master’s in human relations at the University of Oklahoma and a master’s of military studies and USMC Command and Staff College at the Marine Corps University. She has also completed the Squadron Officer School, and the Air Command and Staff College, at the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base.
Read more about Brown’s appointment and service record at .
© 2018, Ƶ