About this site

“Fini flight“ in the WC-130 as wing commander of the 156th Airlift Wing and installation commander of Base Muñiz in Carolina, Puerto Rico. My colleagues and friends joined me to ensure I was properly soaked and help celebrate the end of an era.

Relentless Wingman is an independent publication launched in July 2025 by Ed Vaughan. If you subscribe today, you'll get full access to the website as well as email newsletters about new content when it's available. Your subscription makes this site possible, and allows Relentless Wingman to continue to exist. All views are my own.

I choose the path of a Relentless Wingman—show up, do the work, serve others. That mindset has carried me from the flight line to the boardroom, from welding shops to polar skies, and from combat missions to Pentagon strategy sessions.

As a Major General in the U.S. Air Force and Executive Director of the Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell (JRAC), I lead urgent efforts to deliver critical capabilities to Warfighters—fast. We cut through bureaucracy to accelerate outcomes that win wars and save lives. The mission is urgent—and personal.

With nearly 30 years on active duty and another decade on reserve status while working full-time in the private sector, I bring a rare blend of combat-tested leadership, industrial execution, and disruptive innovation. I’ve flown F-16s in combat, brrrrrt’d the A-10, piloted LC-130 skiplanes in polar missions, commanded a flying wing, and stood up new acquisition pathways. Transformation isn’t theory—it’s something I’ve done.

I’ve led in combat zones, disaster relief operations, Arctic expeditions, science missions, startups, and factory floors. Each shaped my belief: serve boldly, act with urgency, and never leave your people behind.

My career began with early jobs—fish monger, gas pumper, burger flipper, electronics shops—culminating as a night-shift welder at Troy-Bilt Rototillers to fund college. These launched me into roles as a turbine test engineer, production manager, commander, entrepreneur, tree farmer, celestial navigator, instructor pilot, and eventually senior military leader.

I’ve taught strategy, innovation, and joint operations at the Air War College and Joint Forces Staff College, and continue to speak on combat logistics, Arctic ops, and emerging tech. I’ve made payroll—and made hard calls when I couldn’t.

As the first reservist fellow at USAF Blue Horizons—and later its faculty—I helped shape the strategic minds our future demands. I was the first Reserve Component officer inducted into the USAF Safety Hall of Fame for pioneering the Disruptive Solutions Process and risk frameworks now used across the force.

I champion a Warfighter-first (customer first!) mindset, push past inertia, and lead transformation rooted in experience, driven by urgency, and measured by impact. Because that’s what a Relentless Wingman does.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions presented here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the DoD or its Components. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute DoD endorsement of the linked websites or their content.

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