Dr. Mark A. Bucknam joined the faculty of the National War College in June 2010, after nearly 4 years on the staff of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, where he served as the Director for Campaign and Contingency Plans. In the spring of 2012, after 30 years of active duty service, Dr. Bucknam retired as a colonel from the U.S. Air Force, was hired as a civilian member of the faculty, and was named Chairman of the Department of Security Studies. During his military career, he flew fighters (A-10s, AT-38s, and F-16s) in Europe, the United States, and the Pacific, culminating in command of the 51st Operations Group, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea. He also served in staff assignments on the Air Staff, the Joint Staff, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In the early 1980s, he attended college at Virginia Tech, where he earned a bachelors in physics and a master of science degree in materials science and engineering. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Airpower Studies, and in 1999 he was awarded a PhD in War Studies from King's College, University of London. Dr. Bucknam is a graduate of the National War College and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He teaches courses on nuclear weapons and airpower, and is also very interested in science, energy, and South Asia.
EMAIL: mark.bucknam@ndu.edu
