General Michael Guetlein
U.S. Space Force, Vice Chief of Space Operations
Michael Anthony Guetlein was born in November 1967 in Oklahoma. He earned an undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University and joined the U.S. Air Force through ROTC upon graduation. He received an M.B.A. from Wright State University and a master’s in organizational management from George Washington University. He earned a master’s in national security and policy making from the Naval War College. He attended the Air War College as well.
Guetlein served in the U.S. Air Force in the Special Operations Program Office at Wright Patterson Air Force Base before serving at the B-2 Program Office. He later became executive officer of the Engineering Directorate. He served as an AC-140U gunship sortie generation flight commander, then an AC-130H gunship flight commander. He interned at the Pentagon while studying at George Washington University. He was a program manager, director, and then executive officer of various programs at Los Angeles Air Force Base
Guetlein later served in the Pentagon as the counterspace program element monitor, then as military assistant to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. He became commander of Peterson Air Force Base’s Rapid Reaction Squadron. He was a fellow at SpaceX and led the Space-Based Infrared System Production Division. He served as Remote Sensing Systems Directorate director then program officer in the Missile Defense Agency. He served as deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office NRO, simultaneously commanding the Air Force element.
Guetlein transferred to the U.S. Space Force in 2021 and was appointed commander of Space Systems Command. He was nominated to vice chief of space operations in July 2023 and confirmed in December. President Trump appointed General Guetlein as program manager of the Golden Dome initiative in May 2025.
Guetlein is married to Rachel, with whom he has four children.
In the News…
Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations General Michael Guetlein spoke about the rise in the estimated cost to build the Golden Dome space-based missile defense system to $185 billion.
General Guetlein said at a recent defense conference, “We were asked to accelerate some space capabilities.”
The general explained, “They gave us $10 billion extra to accelerate those capabilities with the United States Space Force.”
He added, “We’re working really closely with the national labs and with the Director of Research and Engineering to bring to bear some of that next-generation tech to drive down that cost per kill and drive up the magazine.”
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