Professional Achievement II- Military

Miguel Rivera is the Director of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Technical Authority, representing the Missile Defense Agency as the technical authority for air and missile defense engineering and integration activities across the entire Department of Defense.

Mr. Rivera leads over one hundred government, contract support, and industry personnel of various disciplines to enable joint capabilities that span a number of functional areas at the Authority.  These areas include engineering analysis, modeling and simulation, testing, interface definition and control, and technical requirements allocation.

The critical importance of this work cannot be overstated as it focuses on addressing advanced and emerging air and missile threats, including the ability to detect, filter and track current emerging missile technologies, including next generation hypersonic weapons currently in development by multiple potential adversaries that can lead to strategic imbalances of military power.

Due to the expansive scope and impact of his work, Mr. Rivera interfaces with various organizations within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, Services, Combatant Commands, academia and industry to leverage research and development in leading edge technologies and to develop strategies to close air and missile defense gaps.

Mr. Rivera joined the Missile Defense Agency after 26 years with the Navy where he led Combat and Weapon Control Systems Integration within the Naval Sea Systems Command, among numerous other leadership positions. He has amassed nearly 30 combined years of experience working within the Defense Department in various Systems Engineering, Acquisition and Program Management positions.

The author or co-author of multiple professional engineering papers, Mr. Rivera has been tasked with delivering numerous technical presentations to senior officials in all of the United States Armed Forces service divisions.

A graduate of Tennessee Technological University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Mr. Rivera has completed multiple graduate level courses at both Virginia Tech and at National Technological University.

He gives back to his community through his participation in the Hispanic Employment Program - Hispanic Association at the Missile Defense Agency, supporting various fundraising events and STEM recruitment activities.

Having received numerous awards for his work in helping protect our nation, Mr. Rivera has been recognized for his substantial technological contributions and advancement impacts across the Department of Defense, academia and industry. He has been awarded numerous certificates and letters of appreciation, commendation, and merit by the various Armed Services.

In 2000 Rear Admiral Michael Mullen, who later became the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented Mr. Rivera with the CNO Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award. The honor was a fitting complement to the Air Force Exemplary Civilian Service Award that he received from Colonel Michael Heil in 1997.