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    HomeAbout UsBiographiesDisplay      This is the official portrait of Maj. Gen. Heath A. Collins.EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
                
                Second Lieutenant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                July 20, 1993First Lieutenant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 July 20, 1995Captain                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          July 20, 1997Major                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            December 01, 2003Lieutenant Colonel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               June 01, 2008Colonel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          October 01, 2013Brigadier General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                October 02, 2018Major General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    June 26, 2022Lieutenant General                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               December 05, 2023Engage OnFacebook PostsYour browser is incompatible with this widget.
                        
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        This is the official portrait of Maj. Gen. Heath A. Collins.Lieutenant General HEATH A. COLLINSLt. Gen. Heath Collins is the Director, Missile Defense Agency and advises the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering on Missile Defense programmatic policy, requirements, priorities, systems, resources and programs. MDA's global mission is to develop, test, field and sustain integrated, layered missile defense capabilities to defend the United States, its deployed forces, allies and friends against missile attacks in all phases of flight. Collins directs the $11 billion global organization with more than 9,000 military, civilian and contract personnel. He exercises management oversight for the Missile Defense System to include program management of missile defense resources which he synchronizes with the services in support of Combatant Command requirements.
Prior to assuming his current position, Lt. Gen. Collins was the Program Executive for Ground-Based Weapon Systems for the Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Programs in Lt. Gen. Collins' portfolio included Ground-Based Midcourse Defense, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, four Joint U.S. and Israeli programs and several classified programs collectively valued at over $3.4 billion annually.
Lt. Gen. Collins entered the Air Force in 1993, receiving his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Clarkson University. His acquisition, space, test, operations and staff assignments encompass weapons, electronic countermeasures, space, radar, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, nuclear, fighter, bomber and missile defense systems. He has served in numerous program management and senior leader positions including Air Force Program Executive Officer for Weapons, Air Force Program Executive Officer for Fighters and Bombers, System Program Director for the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (Sentinel) program, Deputy Director for the Infrared Space Systems Directorate and the Remote Sensing Systems Directorate, Deputy Group Commander, Wideband Satellite Communications Systems and Commander, Space Based Infrared System Space Squadron. Lt. Gen. Collins has also served in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, overseeing the department's Airborne ISR; Space; and Special Programs. He is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He holds master’s degrees from Florida State University, Air University and National Defense University.**EDUCATION**
1993 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Clarkson University, Potsdam, N.Y.
1996 Master of Science, Electrical Engineering, Florida State University, Panama City.
1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2004 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2006 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2008 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2009 The Program Manager's Course, Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, Va.
2011 Master of Science, National Resource Strategy, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2011 Senior Acquisition Course, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2013 The Executive Program Manager's Course, Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, Va.
2015 Enterprise Perspective Seminar, Alan L. Freed Associates, Washington, D.C.
2016 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, San Diego, Calif.**ASSIGNMENTS**
1. September 1993–January 1994, Missile Analyst, 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.
2. January 1994–August 1997, Advanced Missile Flight Test Engineer, 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
3. August 1997–July 1998, Student, Education with Industry, Sanders, A Lockheed Martin Company, Nashua, N.H.
4. July 1998–December 1998, Command and Control Engineer, 4th Space Operations Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colo.
5. December 1998–November 1999, Chief, Command and Control Engineering, 4th SOS, Schriever AFB, Colo.
6. December 1999–October 2000, Chief, Engineering, 4th SOS, Schriever AFB, Colo.
7. November 2000–June 2001, Ops Support Flight Commander, 4th SOS, Schriever AFB, Colo.
8. June 2001–July 2003, Manager, Advanced Satellite Payloads, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va.
9. July 2003–August 2005, Chief, Vehicle Engineering, NRO, Chantilly, Va.
10. August 2005–June 2006, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
11. June 2006–April 2007, Chief Engineer, Wideband Satellite Communications, Wideband Satellite Communications Group, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
12. April 2007–January 2008, Program Manager, Wideband Global Satellite Communications Block I Program, Wideband Satellite Communications Group, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
13. January 2008–April 2008, Deputy Commander, Wideband Satellite Communications Group, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
14. April 2008–June 2010, Commander, Space-based Infrared Systems Space Squadron, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
15. July 2010–June 2011, Student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
16. June 2011–June 2012, Deputy Director, Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Programs, ISR Programs, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Washington, D.C.
17. June 2012–June 2013, Deputy Director, Space and Special Programs, Battlespace Awareness and Program Assessment, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Washington, D.C.
18. July 2013–November 2014, Deputy Director, Senior Materiel Leader, Infrared Space Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
19. November 2014–February 2016, Deputy Director, Senior Materiel Leader, Remote Sensing Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
20. February 2016–March 2018, System Program Manager, Senior Materiel Leader-Upper, Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB, Utah
21. March 2018–July 2020, Program Executive Officer for Fighters and Bombers, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
22. July 2020–July 2022, Program Executive Officer for Weapons and Director, Armament Directorate, Eglin AFB, Fla.
23. July 2022–December 2023, Program Executive for Ground-Based Weapon Systems, Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
24. December 2023–present, Director, Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, Ala.**SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS**
1. June 2011–June 2012, Deputy Director, Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Programs, ISR Programs, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Washington, D.C.
2. June 2012–June 2013, Deputy Director, Space and Special Programs, Battlespace Awareness and Program Assessment, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Washington, D.C.
3. July 2022–December 2023, Program Executive for Ground-based Weapon Systems, Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
4. December 2023–present, Director, Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, Ala.**MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS**
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal
Air and Space Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Organizational Excellence Award with four oak leaf clusters**OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS**
2006 Distinguished Graduate, Air Command and Staff College
2016 Air Force ACAT I Program Manager of the Year
2017 Air Force Nuclear Deterrence Operations Professional Team of the Year
(Current as of December 2023)
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