The Galaxy Program is seeking Leaders

Published May 31, 2022
By Kevin Gonzalez, SSC Public Affairs

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The Galaxy Program is a joint Space Systems Command/National Reconnaissance Office (SSC/NRO) junior force rapid professional development program that provides a fast, flexible, rapid capability delivery experience that advances solutions to operational capability gaps in under six months.

Capt. Casey Moninghoff, an engineer from SSC graduated with Galaxy Cohort V in October 2021. “Leadership doesn’t know rank. A leader is just someone who is a dealer in hope and leads with their vision,” he said, “You can lead right now if you wanted to.”

Prior to starting the program, students have six weeks of travel, gaining industry and strategic insight from our partners throughout the space, technology, and innovation community. “We've gleaned incredible perspective through the extremely diverse set of organizations we've met with,” said 1st Lt. Brian Huntley of Cohort VII. “There is no other program that will send you to Special Operations Command for a day then to meet with Disney Imagineers the next. Each experience is valuable in learning how to move fast."

The program consists of two core phases: professional development and rapid capability delivery, where students can choose their own specific line of effort. Recent Galaxy graduates have worked in a variety of different organizations such as 1st JSOAC, Kobayashi Maru, SpaceWERX, and the Deep-Space Advanced Radar Concept (DARC).

Another Galaxy Cohort V graduate, Capt. Ryan Sans, an acquisition support section lead from SSC, sought out a Product Manager position at Kobayashi Maru, a fast-paced software factory within SSC. “I worked side-by-side with members from two industry-leading software companies implementing ‘DevSecOps’ and ‘Agile’ best practices, to deliver operational software to users at the Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC) at Vandenberg, Space Force Base,” said Sans. “Within four months, we had already built, tested and delivered enough code for them to use our software operationally – effectively completing my rapid capability delivery.”

In addition to the vast amounts of required reading and on-site travel experiences, there are periodic mentoring sessions with senior leaders throughout the program. Recent cohorts have had the opportunity to learn from engagements with the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Charles Brown, the Secretary of the Air Force, Secretary Frank Kendall, U.S. Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations, Gen. David Thompson, and the past two Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force for Acquisitions, Dr. Will Roper and Mr. Andrew Hunter.

The program is open to SSC and NRO Guardians and civilians and runs two cohorts a year with each cohort spanning six months, from March-October and October-March. Call for nominations occurs in early October and selections are announced at the end of the year. The Galaxy Program is very challenging but immensely rewarding for leaders seeking a rapid professional development experience. Keep an eye out for announcements about future courses.

Galaxy Program Cohort V