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Vayl Oxford

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vayl Oxford in May 2017

Vayl Stanley Oxford[1] (born March 1, 1952)[2] is a national security policy adviser who was selected by Secretary James Mattis in 2017 to head the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Oxford was previously a security adviser at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.[3]

Education

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Born in New Mexico and raised in Tennessee, Oxford graduated in 1974 with a B.S. degree in general engineering from the United States Military Academy, and then in 1976 with an M.S. degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology.[2][3][4][5][6]

Career

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During his Air Force tenure, Oxford held several positions associated with aircraft and weapons development, and war plans analysis in Europe and the Pacific.

Oxford was an assistant professor of aeronautics at the Air Force Academy from 1982 to 1986.[5][7]

Oxford became director for counterproliferation at the Defense Nuclear Agency and the Defense Special Weapons Agency, from 1993 until 1998.[5][8]

Oxford was director for counterproliferation on the United States National Security Council.[5][9]

In 2004, President George W. Bush appointed Oxford to head the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA).[9] Subsequent to that appointment, Oxford was Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, following its creation in 2005.[9][10] During his tenure, the DNDO invested heavily in Radiation Portal Monitor technology to scan cargo entering the United States for radiological weapons, technology Oxford strongly promoted.[4][9]

In later years, Oxford served as head of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Vayl Stanley Oxford". West Point Association of Graduates. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Register of Graduates and Former Cadets, United States Military Academy. West Point, New York: Association of Graduates U.S.M.A. 1986. p. 801. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Kheel, Rebecca (May 18, 2017). "Defense chief appoints three senior officials". The Hill. Retrieved May 5, 2022. Oxford has for five years been a national security executive policy advisor at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a Department of Energy-managed research laboratory. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology, according to the Pentagon.
  4. ^ a b Coll, Steve (March 12, 2007). "The Unthinkable". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d Richelson, Jeffrey T. (2009). Defusing Armageddon: Inside NEST, America's Secret Nuclear Bomb Squad. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 223. ISBN 9780393244069.
  6. ^ "Vayl S. Oxford". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  7. ^ "The Department of Homeland Security's R&D Budget Priorities for Fiscal Year 2008". United States House of Representatives. March 8, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2017. During his Air force tenure, Mr. Oxford held several positions associated with aircraft and weapons development, and war plans analysis in Europe and the Pacific. He also served as an Assistant Professor of Aeronautics at the United States Air Force Academy from 1982 to 1986.
  8. ^ "Countering the Proliferation and Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction". Defense Technical Information Center. July 30, 1997. p. 82. Mr. Vayl Oxford, Defense Special Weapons Agency, Chief, Counterproliferation Division
  9. ^ a b c d Voosen, Paul (July 24, 2009). "Rushed, Costly Nuke Security Venture at Ports Failed to Live Up to Hype". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017.
  10. ^ "Opening Statement Of Mr. Vayl S. Oxford, Director Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, Department of Homeland Security Before the House Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight" (PDF). United States House Science Subcommittee on Oversight. May 3, 2007. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017. I am Vayl Oxford, the Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO)
  11. ^ OXFORD, VAYL (2 October 2020). "STATEMENT OF VAYL OXFORD DIRECTOR DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY BEFORE THE INTELLIGENCE AND EMERGING THREATS AND CAPABILITIES SUBCOMMITTEE" (PDF). HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE.