Ryan Jacobs is a defense acquisition leader who specializes in turning ambitious technology and urgent operational needs into fielded capability. Across military and civilian roles, his focus has remained consistent: build high-performing teams, move fast, and deliver for the people who need it most.

 

His career has taken him from special operations to some of the Department of Defense's most consequential modernization programs. Deployed with U.S. Special Operations Command and Special Operations Command Europe, Jacobs was a founding leader of Task Force Unmanned Systems, a 500-person organization that accelerated the adoption of unmanned systems across special operations and drove the largest drone procurement in SOCOM history, delivering more than 2,100 drones to operators worldwide. He also served as Aide-de-Camp to the Commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center — the organization responsible for acquiring and sustaining the Air Force's weapon systems — and held leadership roles across billions of dollars in precision-strike, electronic-warfare, and fighter-integration programs.

 

Today, Jacobs leads executive initiatives at USNDA, working across operators, emerging technology, and private-sector innovators to identify, evaluate, implement, and accelerate the capabilities shaping the future of special operations and US drone warfare.