Richard J McDermott

Col. (ret.) Richard, J. McDermott, Esq., is the Assistant Deputy of the Division of Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics of the Office of General Counsel of the Air Force, located at the Pentagon. He supervises a team of acquisition professionals providing acquisition law counsel to the Secretary of the Air Force, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Secretariat Staff, and Air Force Program Executive Officers regarding the Air Force’s most complex, high-value and high-visibility programs.

A 1984 graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce of the University of Virginia and a 1995 graduate of the William & Mary School of Law, Mr. McDermott joined the Air Force as an active duty JAG officer just after graduating and passing the Virginia bar. After base-level assignments including those as a prosecutor and defense counsel, he received his Master of Laws degree in Environmental Law and Government Procurement Law from the George Washington University. He was then assigned as program counsel at the Air Force Material Command Law Office, responsible for acquisition law support to the Reconnaissance Systems Wing and other programs at Wright-Patterson AFB. Mr. McDermott deployed as the Contracts attorney for the Project & Contracting Office in Iraq, and later he deployed as the Fiscal Law attorney for JTF-435 in Afghanistan. He subsequently served in various leadership positions including serving as Staff Judge Advocate at the Space & Missile Systems Command, Los Angeles AFV, and the 66th Air Base Wing at Hanscom AFB.

Mr. McDermott retired from the Air Force at the rank of colonel in 2018 after almost 23 years of active duty service. He was appointed to this current position in the Office of General Counsel that same year. He and his wife Chong have two daughters, Jennie and Megan. rmcdermo123@hotmail.com.