FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA, May 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vayl S. Oxford, a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) has been named Director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) located on Ft. Belvoir, Virginia.
“I am both honored and humbled to be back at DTRA. As a combat support agency, we must focus on the mission outcomes needed to confront the most complex and dynamic threat environment we have faced as a nation,” said Oxford. “It is a mission imperative to work with U.S. SOCOM in its new role as the Global Coordinator to counter the threats posed by weapons of mass destruction and to work in collaboration with the warfighters globally. Moreover, this effort requires close collaboration with interagency and international partners to leverage our respective authorities and responsibilities. To do this, we must empower the DTRA leadership and staff to focus on these mission priorities.”
“I had great fortune to serve at DTRA and its legacy agencies DSWA (Defense Special Weapons Agency) and DNA (defense Nuclear Agency) and in doing so I have worked through the transition from the Cold War to the post-9/11 environments,” said Oxford. “My opportunity to address and confront the national security issues in other parts of the U.S. government since I left DTRA has provided insights into the future direction of DTRA and the obligation we have in our operational and research and development responsibilities. It is a privilege to lead this agency.”
Oxford is coming to DTRA from the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), where he was the National Security Executive Policy Advisor, providing strategic policy advice to the PNNL leadership and staff. As DTRA Director, he will lead over 2,000 uniformed service members and DoD civilians working on the full spectrum of counter WMD and improvised threat efforts.
DTRA’s Deputy Director, Rear Adm. Scott Jerabek said, “We are incredibly lucky to have someone with Mr. Oxford’s experience at the helm of DTRA. His intimate knowledge of DTRA, combined with national security experience gained in the White House and departments of Homeland Security and Energy, meaning he will hit the ground running. With all the threats we face around the world that is incredibly important.”
Oxford also served as Director for Counterproliferation at the National Security Council before moving over to the Department of Homeland Security, where President George W. Bush appointed him as the first director of the newly created Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.
“Mr. Oxford is an incredible public servant, and I don’t know if you could find anyone better qualified,” said Michael Bruhn, DTRA’s Executive Director. “Having worked his way up through the organization, he knows that our most valuable resources at DTRA are the men and women that are working around the clock and around the world to counter WMD and improvised threats.”
Oxford is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and has multiple degrees in engineering. He received the Presidential Meritorious Rank Award and the Distinguished Public Service Award for his contributions to Homeland Security.
END#
DTRA is the U.S. Department of Defense’s Combat Support Agency for countering weapons of mass destruction, addressing the entire spectrum of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high yield explosive threats and countering improvised threats. DTRA’s programs include scientific research and development, operational support to U.S. warfighters on the front line, and an expertise that spans the full WMD threat spectrum. We work with the military services, other elements of the United States government, and partner countries to prevent acquisition, contain and reduce threats and respond to crises with a singular goal in mind: Making the World Safer.
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/Attachm...9c6b3b4335
Defense Threat Reduction Agency 703-767-5870 dtra-PA@mail.mil
