Thomas Clemons

Tom Clemons joins Mason after a 36-year career in military and federal service with significant experience in missile defense, space operations, autonomous systems, and war gaming and experimentation. As the Deputy Division Chief and Chief Technical Officer for Space and Missile Defense Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff he provided space and missile defense subject matter expertise for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, senior Department of Defense leadership, and Combatant Commanders. He optimized space and missile defense operations and applied systems engineering approaches to strengthen joint war-fighting capability. Clemons completed a distinguished career as a Surface Warfare Officer in the US Navy and served in a variety of combat ships including Command of Minesweepers in the Persian Gulf.

At Mason, Tom Clemons brings this experience into the classroom and into his research. In addition to teaching, Tom Clemons is interested in space and missile defense system architecture, cyber and electronic warfare integration, and command and control swarms of autonomous systems in combat, on the highway, and in our skies. As unmanned systems become more prevalent, the ability to multi-task these systems and make sense of the data they provide will challenge our cognitive abilities.