Dr. Bryan Dorland serves as the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies’ principal director for Space Technology under the authority of the Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. 

In this role, he is the chief technology officer for the Department of Defense on space and space-related capabilities, working across the department, with the intelligence community, NASA, commercial entities, and international allies and partners to ensure development of critical space capabilities.

Prior to assuming his current duties, Dorland served as a senior project leader supporting requirements, cost, and effectiveness assessments for space missions under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, director of the Celestial Reference Frame Department at the United States Naval Observatory (USNO), and astronomer and astrophysicist at USNO and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), respectively. During his time at USNO and NRL, Dorland primarily focused on development and maintenance of the Celestial Reference Frame across multiple wavelengths, high accuracy astrometry, the development of space missions and space technology, and missile defense research and development. He also led international partnering efforts with the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Japan.

Dorland holds Master of Science and doctorate degrees in physics from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts from St. John’s College.

Before attending college, Dorland served 4 years in the Marine Corps infantry. He completed his tour of duty as a sergeant and was stationed in Guam and at Camp Pendleton, with deployments to Okinawa, Panama, and at sea.