Travis Langster
Principal Director, Space and Missile Defense Policy
United States Department of Defense
Travis B. Langster was sworn in as Principal Director of Space and Missile Defense Policy in the Office of Under Secretary of Defense, Space Policy on April 18, 2022.
In this role, his responsibilities include the review and development of space policies aligned with Department of Defense priorities and strategic guidance. These responsibilities span across international and commercial engagement, strategy & plans, integration and missile defense.
Mr. Langster’s prior experience and engagements span across many sectors within the National Security Space community. Mr. Langster’s contributions within this community includes work and support to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) HQ and mission ground stations, the National Military Command Center (NMCC), the National Air and Space Center (NASIC), the National Security Agency (NSA) and other organizations. Mr. Langster has also participated in many international engagements on behalf of U.S. Government trade missions and direct engagements across several countries including Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, Australia, Canada and India. In additional to his technical and operational experiences, Mr. Langster has been an invited speaker to on many national and international Space Security and Policy speaking engagements globally. His dialogue and discourse on space security, space safety and international cooperation has been recognized as a participant for many speaking engagements globally.
Previous to his role in the Department of Defense, Mr. Langster served as the Vice President and General Manager at COMSPOC Corp, a global leader in space situational awareness, space domain awareness, and space traffic coordination and management. In this role, he managed the transition and start-up of the company from its former parent company. Mr. Langster was responsible for establishing and managing the organizational design and business operations. Prior to his leadership of COMSPOC, Mr. Langster was a Business Unit Vice President at Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI). Mr. Langster began his aerospace career as a satellite engineer focused on spacecraft integration & test, satellite subsystems, launch and early orbit operations for Air Force satellite systems.
Mr. Langster received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical engineering from Purdue University and was inducted as a 2021 Purdue Alumni Outstanding Aerospace Engineer. He is an active supporter of community organizations, foundations, youth mentoring and STEM awareness. Mr. Langster is a Board member for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington DC.