Mr. Stephen L. Kitay, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy. In this role he is responsible for establishing policy and guidance to assure U.S. and allied warfighters the benefits of space capabilities and to help guide the Department’s strategy for addressing space-related issues. He also leads Departmental activities in international space cooperation.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Kitay most recently served as a Professional Staff Member on the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Service Committee. In this position, he was responsible for advising the Chairman and members of the committee regarding oversight of national security space programs, policy, and budget within the Department of Defense. Mr. Kitay previously supported the committee on oversight of intelligence policy, programs, and budgets within the Department of Defense.

Before joining the House Armed Services Committee, Mr. Kitay served as a government civilian in the Intelligence Community working on a variety of national intelligence programs, to include space systems at the National Reconnaissance Office.

Join Matt Jolley and retired USAF Col. Jack David Fischer (born January 23, 1974) in their discussion of the birth of the Space Force. Jack is an American engineer, test pilot and a former NASA astronaut. Fischer was selected in June 2009 as a member of the NASA Astronaut Group 20 and qualified as an astronaut in 2011. He made his first spaceflight in April 2017, as a flight engineer for Expedition 51/52 on the International Space Station.

Col. Fischer was an integral part of Taskforce "Tango" and the ground level creation of the Nation's youngest military service--the US Space Force.