Professor Jeffrey R. LaFleur is a Professor of Practice in Acquisition and Resource Strategy at The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the National Defense University faculty as a professor, Professor LaFleur served in a variety of acquisition, flight test and staff assignments in the United States Air Force. He served in acquisition command as the Materiel Leader, Integrated Strike Programs, United States Special Operations Command, where he led a $3.6 billion strike portfolio of low density, high demand AC-130 Gunships and special operations peculiar, precision-guided munitions. Prior to acquisition command, Prof LaFleur served as the Developmental Program Manager and Test Manager at the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, for a classified, Secretary of Defense-directed, $7 billion national security program. As a Flight Test Engineer, he served as Director, Dragon Spear Combined Test Force, where he led four squadrons to conduct rapid testing of the AC-130W Dragon Spear in support of a United States Special Operations Command, urgent Combat Mission Needs Statement. Additionally, he performed Flight Test Director and Test Aircrew duties supporting weapon development, integration and avionics testing for the F-15, F-16 and a variety of Special Operations aircraft. Prof LaFleur has served in several staff positions including the Joint Staff, Combatant Commands and Headquarters Air Force. Prior to joining the National Defense University faculty, Prof LaFleur was the Chief Evaluator of Naval, Cyber and Nuclear Enterprise Programs, Capability Acquisition Division, J8, Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he oversaw a $213 billion annual portfolio of Major Defense Acquisition Programs and was a Joint Staff lead for the major rewrite of the DoD 5000 series to the Adaptive Acquisition Framework. As an Air Force Strategic Policy Fellow in the Air Force Fellows Program, Prof LaFleur was assigned to senior leader rotations in the Joint Staff and Air Staff. He has deployed in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in the Strategy Division, Combined Air Operations Center, Qatar.
Prof LaFleur is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Operations Research. He earned a Master’s degree in Systems Engineering from George Mason University, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Boston University, a Master’s degree in Flight Test Engineering from the United States Air Force Test Pilot School and was a Distinguished Graduate of the Dwight D. Eisenhower School, earning a Master’s degree in National Resource Strategy and completing the Senior Acquisition Course. Prof LaFleur has led programs and test teams that were awarded the David Packard Acquisition Excellent Award three times and when in acquisition command was awarded the Lisa Wilusz Program Management Excellence Award from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Executive Office of the President of the United States. Prof LaFleur is an Experimental Flight Test Engineer with over 350 hours in more than 35 types of aircraft. He is married to Charisma LaFleur and they have four children, Eliana, Benjamin, Isabella and Hope.