John Wagner

John Wagner is Vice President, Strategy and Business Development at Sierra Space. John leads our company’s team engaged in strategically expanding our future capability development and alignment to exceed customer expectations.
John has over thirty years of experience leading people and programs involved in global mission operations, engineering, and program execution for National Security Space missions.
Prior to joining Sierra Space, John was the Executive Director for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems and Advanced Programs for Raytheon. Prior to that role he was the Vice President for National Security Space Systems at Sierra Nevada Corporation.
A retired Air Force Colonel, John was the Commander of award- winning space units that included the 45th Launch Support Squadron in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Joint Space Operations Center and 614th Air and Space Operations Center in Lompoc, California, and the 460th Space Wing in Aurora, Colorado.
John has an extensive background in national security and defense strategy, joint force design, campaign and contingency planning, and wargaming strategic force options in positions that include the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Strategic Planner for Iran, the Air Force Chief of Staff’s Chair at the National Defense University Dwight D. Eisenhower School, and at the Space Warfare Center developing the Schriever Space Wargame Series.
John graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in Astronautical Engineering and he holds graduate degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology, Bowie State University, the Air Command and Staff College, the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, and the National War College.
A native of Michigan, John and his wife now reside in Alexandria, Virginia.