Colonel Jason (Jaws) Curtis

Colonel Jason “Jaws” Curtis is an active-duty Air Force officer and a career fighter pilot. Presently, he serves as the Chief of Commercial Integration at DARPA, where he leads initiatives focused on the commercial acceleration of disruptive technologies tailored for defense applications. His career includes an assignment as a strategist at the Pentagon, crafting future force design, concepts, and frameworks for the Air Force. As the commander of an F-35 Lightning II fighter squadron, he led a squadron of 45 officers, 9 enlisted, 11 civilians, and 24 F-35 fighter aircraft valued at $3.3B. He has served in combat, flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon and showcased American airpower as a demonstration pilot with the United States Air Force Thunderbirds. Following his assignment with the Thunderbirds, Jason was a Political Advisor at the U.S. Department of State, specializing in East Asia Pacific affairs. Jason’s academic background includes studies at the USAF Academy, Embry-Riddle, Georgetown, Stanford, and Harvard University. He hails from Kalispell, Montana.