Colonel John G. Dayton is the is the Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) and Special Operations Forces (SOF), Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He is responsible for more than 3,400 personnel nationwide and acquisition execution of a $33 billion portfolio developing, producing, testing, modifying, fielding, and supporting Air Force ISR and SOF platforms, and related sub-systems.
Colonel Dayton is a 2003 Distinguished Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He is a Program Manager and Developmental Engineer with broad leadership experience at both Air Force and DoD levels across acquisition, sustainment, scientific, test, and operational intelligence assignments. Colonel Dayton served as a program manager in the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office; Materiel Leader for the High Speed Vehicle Technology Program in the Air Force Research Laboratory; Executive Officer to the Commander, Air Force Materiel Command; Chief of Staff for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategic, Space, and Intelligence Portfolio Management, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; and Deputy Director for Information Dominance Programs, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. He holds a Master of Engineering in Thermal Science and Fluid Dynamics from the University of Florida with engineering experience in weapon integration; turbine engine test, and hypersonic technology development. Colonel Dayton also completed the Air Force Intelligence Officer Course in 2008 followed by an operational tour in F-15E unit-level intelligence and served as the Air Force’s deployed Senior Intelligence Officer at Bagram Air Base in 2011.
Prior to this assignment, Colonel Dayton served as the Senior Materiel Leader for the Mission Systems Architecture and Systems Engineering Group, Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. In that role, he was responsible for developing and maintaining advanced mission systems, digital infrastructure, government reference architectures, standards, and interoperability design requirements for all Air Force aircraft and weapon programs in support of the Integrating PEO for Mission Systems.
EDUCATION:
2003 Distinguished Graduate, Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering, United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
2005 Air and Space Basic School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Master of Engineering in Thermal Science and Fluid Dynamics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
2008 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2010 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2013 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 Distinguished Graduate, Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Air Command & Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2018 Program Manager’s Course (PMT 401), Defense Acquisition University, Dayton, Ohio
2021 Distinguished Graduate, Master of Science in National Resource Strategy, Eisenhower School, Ft McNair, District of Columbia
2021 Senior Acquisition Course (ACQ 401), Eisenhower School, Ft McNair, District of Columbia
2024 Executive Program Manager’s Course (PMT 4020), Defense Acquisition University, Ft Belvoir, Virginia
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. May 2003 – May 2004, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, 479th Operational Support Squadron, Moody AFB, Georgia
2. May 2004 – June 2007, F-15E Store Separation Engineer, Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office, Eglin AFB, Florida
3. June 2007 – June 2008, Student, Intelligence Officer Training, 315th Training Squadron, Goodfellow AFB, Texas
4. June 2008 – January 2010, Chief of Operations Intelligence, 366th Operations Support Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho (June 2009 – January 2010, Chief, Combat Intelligence Cell, 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, Balad Air Base, Iraq)
5. January 2010 – January 2012, Chief of Intelligence Standardization and Evaluation, 366th Operations Group, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho (June 2011 – November 2011, Intelligence Flight Commander, Senior Intelligence Officer, 455 Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan)
6. January 2012 – July 2014, Operations Officer, Aeropropulsion Ground Test, Test Operations Division, Arnold Engineering Development Complex, Tennessee
7. July 2014 – June 2015, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
8. June 2015 – June 2017, Operations Branch Chief, Tactical Combat Systems, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.
9. June 2017 – June 2019, Materiel Leader, High Speed Vehicle Technology, Aerospace Systems Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
10. July 2019 – July 2020, Executive Officer to the Commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Headquarters Air Force Material Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
11. July 2020 – June 2021, Student, Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C.
12. June 2021 – December 2021, Deputy Division Chief for Airborne Strategic Systems; Strategic, Space, and Intelligence Portfolio Management, Office of the Assistance Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
13. December 2021 – June 2023, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Assistance Secretary of Defense for Strategic, Space, and Intelligence Portfolio Management (SSIPM), Office of the Assistance Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
14. June 2023 – July 2024, Deputy Director, Information Dominance Programs, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
15. July 2024 – December 2025, Senior Materiel Leader, Mission Systems Architecture and System Engineering Group, Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
16. December 2025 – Present, PEO, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) and Special Operations Forces (SOF), Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS:
1. June 2021 – December 2021, Deputy Division Chief for Airborne Strategic Systems; Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)), Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
2. December 2021 – June 2023, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Assistance Secretary of Defense for Strategic, Space, and Intelligence Portfolio Management, OUSD(A&S), Washington, D.C. as a lieutenant colonel and colonel
ACQUISITION RATINGS:
Level III Program Management Acquisition Certification, October 2017
Level III Systems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering Acquisition Certification, August 2013
Level II Test & Evaluation Acquisition Certification, January 2014
Level II Science and Technology Management Acquisition Certification, October 2017
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:
Defense Superior Service Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:
Second Lieutenant May 28, 2003
First Lieutenant May 28, 2005
Captain May 28, 2007
Major May 01, 2013
Lieutenant Colonel October 01, 2017
Colonel April 01, 2023
(Current as of December 2025)