In this role, Galer will lead Aerospace’s government relations activities, providing strategic vision and execution of a growing portfolio of educational and outreach efforts to Congress, Executive Branch, and state/local government officials.

“We are excited to have John joining the Aerospace team to help us communicate with and serve as a trusted partner to key leaders in the executive and legislative branches,” said Jamie Morin, vice president at Aerospace. “John’s strategic vision, past experience in uniform, and the credibility he has won working across industry, will be great assets as Aerospace continues to work to advance national interests and shape the future in space.”

Prior to joining Aerospace, Galer served as the assistant vice president for National Security Space at the Aerospace Industries Association, where he provided policy leadership and represented industry consensus on national security space matters. Galer is a former active-duty Air Force space operations officer with experience leading dynamic teams in strategy, policy, communications, government relations, and operations. During his career, he has served as a satellite operator and integrator and as a trusted advisor and strategic communicator for chief executives in the Department of Defense, intelligence community, and U.S. Congress.

Galer is currently pursuing a doctorate of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from Florida State University.

Galer succeeded Dr. John Plumb, who was recently appointed as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy.