Sign In

Nathan P. Diller

Chief Strategy Officer: Previous Congressional Staffer (HAC-D PSM) * AFWERX Director * Fighter Pilot * Test Pilot * Program Manager

Nathan P. Diller is an experienced aerospace and defense professional who recently joined Divergent Technologies as their first Chief Strategy Officer for Aerospace and Defense in June 2024.23 Here's an overview of his background and career:

Military Career

Nathan Diller served as a Colonel in the United States Air Force for 23 years, from 2000 to 2023.1 During his military career, he held various positions including:

  • F-16 instructor pilot
  • Test pilot for multiple aircraft including F-16, F-22, and F-35
  • Flight Test Squadron Commander
  • Program Manager at the Space & Missile Center

Leadership Roles

Some of Diller's notable leadership positions include:

  • Director of AFWERX (2020-2023), where he led strategy and execution of a $1 billion annual budget across the Air Force and Space Force1
  • Team Lead for Agility Prime (2019-2023)
  • Assistant Director of Aeronautics at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (2019-2020)

Education

Diller has an impressive educational background:

  • BS in Physics & Philosophy from the United States Air Force Academy
  • MPP in International Security Policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government
  • MS in Aerospace Engineering from MIT
  • MS in Flight Test Engineering from ISAE-SUPAERO in France
  • MS in National Resource Strategy from National Defense University1

Current Position

As of June 18, 2024, Nathan P. Diller joined Divergent Technologies as their inaugural Chief Strategy Officer for Aerospace and Defense.3 In this role, he is expected to lead Divergent's growing aerospace and defense manufacturing business, leveraging his extensive experience in the field.

Nathan Diller is known for his expertise in aerospace technology, program management, and strategic leadership in both military and civilian contexts.

Highlights

Jun 18 · linkedin

#NewJob & now #hiring at Divergent! * https://lnkd.in/eMUf8R7A

✈ In flying, speed is life! Competing in aerospace and defense is no different.

✈🚗✈ Flying jets at Mach 2+ was amazing – even more exciting is joining a company that, with record speed, designed, prototyped, tested, and is now manufacturing the record-breaking 253 mph Czinger Vehicles 21C.

🌎 “The Most Power-Dense Production Engine In The World Comes From America” => specifically from Divergent https://lnkd.in/egkwYQS8

🚀🚛🛩 ⛴ 🛰 Even more impressive is the speed that Kevin Czinger and Lukas Czinger are mobilizing this world-class engineering and production #dualuse #advancedmanufacturing technology to #build for #nationalsecurity. The Divergent Adaptive Production System is already supporting partners across air, land, sea, and space and across the entire life cycle from R&D to procurement and sustainment.

😎 💪 The only thing more thrilling than Divergent's speed and tech, is the high-speed team that Divergent is building. Have a #needforspeed? Join the team today: https://lnkd.in/euYvANZs * While most of the company is #building in LA, l am #buildingtheteam in DC, and we will be hiring across many other locations.

🙏 Finally, I want to reiterate my deep gratitude to the phenomenal companies (Divergent among them) who gave me the opportunity to support their teams following my departure from government.

Time to build!

#nationalsecurity #defenseinnovation #reindustrialize #preindustrialize #digitalengineering #additivemanufacturing

Mar 26 · linkedin

How much is needed??? Fiscal Year 2024: $2.4B of defense innovation funding || $1B of innovative procurement funding || $984M in DoD OSC loans to scale private investment in critical technologies || $589M in flexible fielding funding || FY25???

While many of the reforms started by Ash Carter, beginning with the establishment of DIU, have begun to attract significant private capital in support of national security to mobilize new sources of talent and technology for defense, the journey has just begun.

Over the weekend, the FY24 funding bill was finally passed and demonstrated that the congressional appropriators were intentionally taking calculated risks to incentivize positive, deliberate, accelerated change in the DoD acquisition system. https://lnkd.in/eXTPY9gx

Besides new funding and tools for OSC, DIU, APFIT, Replicator, and combatant commands, one of the most notable initiatives is one that might accelerate trust:

“The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Fielding Line 281A ($589M) … may be used for expenses for agile research, development, test and evaluation, procurement, production, modification, and operation and maintenance requirements, including the initial acquisition of end-items for operational use.” This provides multiple “colors of funding” in one program element, recognizing that software AND hardware must evolve much faster than the budget processes to create strategic uncertainty to deter adversaries.

By offering greater flexibility in exchange for greater transparency, there is recognition that innovation moves in uncertain ways and at a pace that legacy models do not sufficiently support. While this is a key #PPBE reform, it has massive implications for flexible program management and agile requirements processes, enabling a model of “acquire to require.”

No one likes the misery of a continuing resolution, but take comfort in knowing that during the political turbulence, innovators led by Chairman Ken Calvert, Johnnie K., and Rebecca Keightley were working to ensure that America had the tools to create strategic uncertainty to deter adversaries through agile approaches to capability development, providing meaningful funding for concepts like a hedge force. (https://lnkd.in/enD-Ga7j Dan Patt | Bryan Clark)

While it was terribly disappointing to leave Capitol Hill, I am thrilled to have had the chance to spend time with amazing public servants working tirelessly to ensure the security of the nation. Jackie Ripke | John Forbes | Bill Adkins | Hayden Milberg | David Bortnick | Ariana Sarar | Matthew Bower | Maxwell Morgan | Bryn Woollacott | Michael W. MacKay, MBA | Paul D. | Matthew Atwood | Maxwell Wright

United States Department of Defense | PPBE Reform Commission | Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) | Office of Strategic Capital | Defense Innovation Board | AFWERX | SpaceWERX | Army Futures Command | Army Applications Laboratory | NavalX

Related Questions

What are Nathan P. Diller's main responsibilities at Divergent?
How did Nathan P. Diller's experience at AFWERX influence his role at Divergent?
What projects has Nathan P. Diller led at Divergent?
How did Nathan P. Diller's military career prepare him for his role at Divergent?
What is Nathan P. Diller's educational background?
Nathan P. Diller
Nathan P. Diller, photo 1
Nathan P. Diller, photo 2
Add to my network

Location

Washington DC-Baltimore Area