Professor of the Practice

Systems Engineering

Phone: (831) 656-3886

Email: joel.hagan@nps.edu

Professor Joel Hagan is a 30-Year veteran of the Department of Defense Acquisition Community. He started his career in the U.S. Air Force serving as an aeronautical engineer conducting aircraft performance analysis and aircraft accident investigation. In 1997 he graduated from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and subsequently served multiple assignments in various flight test roles including the initial envelope expansion testing and avionics development of the F-22 and F-35 fighter aircraft. He also served in leadership roles as a Test Squadron Commander and Deputy Operations Group Commander. He progressed in his Air Force career holding multiple program management positions supporting the Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center and the Missile Defense Agency. His career culminated as the Commander of the Defense Contract Management Agency in Palmdale California overseeing multiple Defense contractor operations to include Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Skunkworks (now Advanced Development Programs), and General Atomics. Upon retiring from the U.S. Air Force in 2016 as a Colonel, Mr. Hagan served as a DoD support contractor conducting F-22 flight test operations for the F-22 Combined Test Force and Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (CUAS) testing for the Defense Innovation Unit. As a Naval Postgraduate School instructor, Professor Hagan teaches a wide range of courses to include Program Management, Test & Evaluation, and courses related to Combat Systems covering topics such as aerodynamics, propulsion, guidance & control, radar and electrooptical sensors. Professor Hagan has a master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Flight Test
Combat systems
Program Management