Werner Dahm, Air Force chief scientist for the past two years, is returning to academia, USAF officials announced Thursday. To replace him, the Air Force leadership has assigned Mark Maybury, who is currently executive director of Mitre Corporation’s information technology division in Bedford, Mass. Dahm came on as chief scientist in October 2008 after taking a leave of absence from the aerospace engineering faculty of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, to which he is now returning. During his two-year tenure, Dahm was the leading figure behind the Air Force’s recently issued Technology Horizons vision document that laid out the service’s science and technology priorities over the next decade.
While the Pentagon has signaled its intent to scale technology, field new systems faster, and work more with nontraditional vendors, a new report identifies persistent manufacturing capacity, resourcing, workforce, and modernization challenges that could hinder its ability to deliver on those goals.