Draft:David Stuckenberg

David James Stuckenberg (born September 7, 1981) is a former U.S. Presidential Candidate and prominent figure in international business, government, and politics and a defense strategist, scientist, and author. Stuckenberg has been called "The George F. Kennan of this century" by senior defense leaders and "A National Treasure," by Ambassador R. James Woolsey, 16th Director of Central Intelligence. A statesmen, like Benjamin Franklin, Stuckenberg is a polymath.

In 2017, Stuckenberg co-founded Genesis Systems, a science and technology company focused on solving global water scarcity. As Co-founder and Chairman of the American Leadership and Policy Foundation (ALPF) (a 501C3), he has advocated for democratic policies that support law, economics, and defense. Stuckenberg has been a voice of leadership in the U.S. Department of Defense and government on critical infrastructure security and key national security strategies. He has served as a military advisor, scientist, and strategist at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Department of State, the National Security Counsel, and the United States Air Force advising Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He has also advised members of the U.S. Congress and Senate on security issues.

In 2023, Stuckenberg was widely quoted by media and U.S. Congressional members after the high-altitude China balloon incident over North America; one of his published works in 2015 described potential uses of such platforms. "In a 2015 report for the American Leadership & Policy Foundation, Air Force Maj David Stuckenberg, one of the nation’s leading EMP experts, wrote extensively about the threat balloons carrying bombs pose to national security. 'Using a balloon as a WMD/WME platform could provide adversaries with a pallet of altitudes and payload options with which to maximize offensive effects against the U.S.,' he wrote in the report." According to media, "NATO leaders have called Stuckenberg a 'young disruptor', others call him a global influencer. He’s also an executive and director of strategy for the Headquarters Texas Air National Guard (one of the largest in the U.S.), who founded and led the Electromagnetic Defense Task Force (EDTF) for two years." Stuckenberg also founded the San Antonio Electromagnetic Defense Initiative (EDI) presently comprised of more than 110 agencies and 720 stakeholders. EDI is currently led by a Brigadier General and is now called San Antonio Electromagnetic Defense (EMD). According to the United States Air Force (USAF), the EDTF and EDI-EMD are White House Benchmarked programs and received government funding.

Stuckenberg is a combat tested aviator and former USAF Special Operations Pilot. He is a decorated veteran and recipient of the Air Medal and six Aerial Achievement Medals, having completed more than 150 combat missions after 9/11, according to the United States Air Force Air University and other U.S. government sources.

David was a 2024 U.S. presidential primary candidate for the Republican Party. His campaign dubbed "Operation Dark Horse" began more than a year after most candidates entered the primary and just two months before the Iowa Caucus. His campaign committee was called Citizens for David Stuckenberg, which secured his name on ballots in IA, NH, S.C. MO, D.C., ND, AL, AR, CA, OK, TN, TX, GA, AZ, and LA (as of April 14, 2024). During his campaign, members of the UK media called Stuckenberg "The One to Watch..."

His unique campaign was covered by English speaking papers around the world, including Times of India for his policy positions on international security and India-U.S. relations: "Highlighting the potential for a mutually beneficial relationship, Stuckenberg added, 'Where cooperation is concerned between India and the United States, there is rich goodwill and opportunity to continue to uplift our societies.'" A thematic of his campaign was that other candidates had little experience in national security and that time was not on America's side to get America's house in order.

Business:
In 2017, Dr. Stuckenberg co-founded Genesis Systems, a company focused on solving global water scarcity at the water, food, and energy nexus. He is the primary inventor and engineer of the technology which is, according to the company, unique for its ability to scale water production from air to utility-scale applications to help stabilize GDPs by islanding water supplies. Stuckenberg is credited with authoring or co-authoring more than 20 U.S. and international patents on technologies, according to USPTO and government sources.

According to Pepperdine University, Genesis Systems was named a U.S. Most Fundable Company in 2022 noting, "Genesis Systems is a global leader in nano-liquid technologies. It is solving global water scarcity by solving energy and scale-up barriers to making mass water from air." Genesis Systems has generated global interest within the investment, technology, and startup communities with media noting the company has "an eye on one day becoming a $1 billion dollar unicorn" and winning Startup of the Year."  As a company, Genesis Systems broke early startup fundraising records for similar companies.

Stuckenberg has been a visible advocate for water scarcity solutions around the world, writing and lecturing at universities and in the business sector at NASDAQ, CES, BP, Citi, Oracle, and international organizations like the United Nations. In 2022, he addressed the United Nations General Assembly and postulated that water in the air should be considered in humanity's wider strategy to solve water and sustainability issues, "Recognize that earth's air contains 37 quadrillion tons of water through vapor - enough to provide humanity with new sustainable fresh water supplies."

Defense Strategies:
Stuckenberg's thesis on gray zone warfare and strategic effects is considered ground breaking and has been briefed to senior leaders across 29 NATO nations. His thesis directly led to the formation of the Electromagnetic Defense Task Force, the first of its kind in the U.S. Department of Defense.

David was the first defense strategist to design a program to protect all critical infrastructure within a major metropolitan area. His defense program in San Antonio, Texas, EDI/EMD, has become an exemplar for how to test and develop wholistic city-wide defense systems (food, water, sanitation, telecom, and energy). The program is ongoing and is led by USAF Brigadier General Michael J. Lovell.

As an aviator, his research work was some of the earliest published to address the changing nature of war from drones. In fact, he predicted that drones would change life both on the battlefield and in urban areas. Stuckenberg and his co-author note, "Congress inadvertently failed to examine many of the potential problems relating to domestic drone integration."

During his time at Whiteman, AFB, in 2007, as a Second Lt, Stuckenberg was mentored by Phil Sumrall. During this time, he published a ground breaking work called: The Coming Age of Cis-lunar and Deep Space Power. The work correctly predicted the U.S.-China competition that would develop in space and for future lunar resources and recommended redoubling space program development efforts.

Scientist:
As a scientist, David Stuckenberg led programs at the Joint Chiefs of Staff and during his post-doctoral fellowship at John's Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. During his tenure at the lab, "...Dr. Stuckenberg’s research on understanding asymmetric use of water as an instrument of societal control and the development of emerging and federated supply-side water technologies was highlighted by the U.S. government as 'transformative."

His work at the nexus of technology and strategy has been lauded both as visionary and disruptive. Leaders in NASA, including Phil Sumrall, a member of Wernher von Braun's engineering team and the former Manager of Artemis (formerly Ares V ), said of David's research at Genesis Systems, "As a member of the NASA Apollo engineering team that put man on the moon, I have seen many important technical efforts... However, when I learned about Genesis [Systems] fundamental technology, I knew it was going to be as important as the Apollo Program. Genesis [Systems] will better our future by making the water in the atmosphere available to all people wherever they live." Sumrall is listed on Genesis Systems' company web page as a Director (current member of the Board of Directors).

As a manager and scientist at Genesis Systems, Dr. Stuckenberg continues to author and co-author scientific work in the field of water and materials sciences. The company recently began a special partnership to develop military water systems with the Air Force Research Labs (AFRL).

Authorship:
This chronological list of writings does not include Stuckenberg's published scientific journal articles and patents:


 * "Spirituality in the Battlespace: Who’s in Charge," Aspects of Leadership: Ethics, Law, and Spirituality; USMC Press (contributor), 2012
 * "Drones in the US National Airspace System." International Journal of Aviation Systems, Operations and Training 1, no. 2 (Co-author) (July–December 2014): 1–22. https://www.igi-global.com
 * "What’s your CQ?," USAFE and USAF Africa Public Affairs, May 2013
 * "The Coming Age of Cis-lunar and Deep Space Power," American Leadership & Policy Foundation, February 2015
 * "Wing Innovation," White Paper, Air University (Co-author), July 2014 (no longer available)
 * "Drones in the U.S. National Airspace: A Safety and Security Assessment," Harvard Law National Security Journal (Co-author), February 2015
 * "Novel High-Altitude Delivery Platforms for Weapons of Mass Destruction/Weapons of Mass Effect", American Leadership & Policy Foundation, July 2015
 * "The Strategic Threat to America’s Nuclear Power Stations from Electromagnetic Pulse & Space Weather," American Leadership & Policy Foundation (Co-author), July 2015
 * "Selling the Apocalypse," The Hill, May 2016
 * "Don’t Forget Drones Started as Military Weapons," Tampa Bay Times (Co-author), October 2016
 * "North Korea Won the battle against America’s EMP Commission," The Hill, October 2017
 * "We Need a Plan to Protect The Grid," Tampa Bay Times (Co-author), June 2017
 * "The Dangers of Realistic RPA Training," Combat Edge, Air Combat Command, Winter 2017
 * "Air University Electromagnetic Defense Task Force I," Air University, Lemay Center for Doctrine, 2018
 * "Water Scarcity: The Most Understated National Security Threat," Harvard Law National Security Journal (Co-Author), May 2018
 * "Defense Against Misinformation Begins at the Individual Level," The Hill, March 2018
 * "Air University Electromagnetic Defense Task Force II," Air University, Lemay Center for Doctrine, 2019
 * "Updating the Laws of War for the 21st Century: Banning Nation Killing Weapons," Mitchell Institute for Air and Spacepower, April 2019
 * "Re-orienting NATO Deterrence: the Reality of Strategic Gray Zone Threats," NATO Science & Tech, January 2019. NATO Science and Technology Organization Deterrence and Assurance within an Alliance Framework Symposium, King’s College London, 18 January 2019. Meeting Proceedings Paper MP-SAS-141-16, 25 March 2019. https://www.sto.nato.int
 * "The Failing of Strategic Deterrence and Resilience: Contemporary Implications for NATO." NATO Science and Technology Organization Deterrence and Assurance within an Alliance Framework Symposium, King’s College London, 18 January 2019. Presentation, MP-SAS-141-16P, 17 April 2019. https://www.sto.nato.int
 * "Executive Order 13865, Coordinating National Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses". 26 March 2019. (Contributor) https://www.federalregister.gov
 * "Evaluating Programmatic Failures in African Peacekeeping," U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C., November 2020 (unpublished)
 * "What Can We Learn from Defence Policy to Tackle Global Water Scarcity?" King’s College London (website), (Co-author) 10 July 2020.
 * "Deterrence in the Gray Zone, Understanding NATO’s Strategic Efficiency," Ph.D. dissertation, Maughan Library, King’s College London, UK, publication pending 2021(unpublished)
 * "Can America Still Win a Major War?," Joint Staff J-7, Pentagon, 2021(unpublished)
 * "The Opening Salvo in the Ideological Clash of the Ages", Mitchell Institute for Air and Spacepower, September 2021
 * "Communism Reduced to Ashes During the Cold-War: Now Threatens to Overcome America". (December 15, 2024). Veteran's Reporter News, p.12.

Early life
Although born in Santa Yenez, California, Stuckenberg grew up in Missouri and Oklahoma. His parents Jim and Patricia Stuckenberg moved from California to Oklahoma in the 1980s. After their divorce, according to his biography, Stuckenberg never attended primary school (past the second grade), and worked selling his father's western art (Jim Stuckenberg) from 11 years old until he joined military service in 2003.

Public Service and Military Career:
Dr. Stuckenberg entered the United States Air Force as an enlisted member in 2003. After a short time as a Crew Chief, he attended the USAF-ROTC and received an officer's commission at the University of Missouri-Columbia (Detachment 440).

He has flown more than 150 combat missions as a USAF Special Operations Pilot. Stuckenberg presently holds the title of Acting Director of Strategy, HQ Texas Air National Guard (part of the U.S. National Guard Bureau). Because of this status, under Title 32 of the U.S. code, he can legally run and hold public office. After commissioning, Maj Stuckenberg earned his pilot wings and served in several leadership and staff positions including: Director of the 6th Air Mobility Wing (now 6th Air Refueling Wing), Commanders Action Group (CAG), and Chief of Wing Conventional Plans and Programs (XP) during which he was programmatically responsible for bi-lateral U.S. treaty compliance (for the Eastern United States), $1.0 trillion in Department of Defense assets, and 33 tenet units (including two Combatant Commands). Before serving in his current position, Maj Stuckenberg served as a scientist and strategist at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he conducted planning and war gaming evaluations at the nexus of emerging strategies and technologies (with a focus on space, quantum, and A.I.).

Prior to this assignment, he was a Military Advisor and USAF Strategic Policy Fellow assigned to the U.S. Department of State where he led the largest aviation peacekeeping and capacity building portfolio in the State Department’s history and regularly advised the White House, National Security Council, and NATO.

Prior to assignment in Washington D.C., Maj Stuckenberg served as Aide-de-camp to the Commander of Air Education & Training Command. In this capacity, he also served as the MAJCOM’s lead strategist and subject matter expert on technology.

Politics:
While running in a crowded field, "Stuckenberg’s presidential bid [was] focused on economic reform, national security, and border control policies," rather than wider social issues. Stuckenberg is a moderate Republican whose message focused on visible outcomes and uniting the nation's diverse voters under shared goals (healthy national security, economy, and immigration). During campaign interviews, Stuckenberg emphasized the need to rapidly get the United States and its alliances on footing to win a Great Power Competition underway with Russia and China.

Stuckenberg argued that the western order established by the treaty of Westphalia is in rapid decline and that Western nations must rapidly correct course and adopt a new strategy called "Prevention" to help them win. According to Stuckenberg, a failure to win represents the likelihood of living under tyranny and even war, "Hope is not a strategy. And as the U.S. marches to the drumbeat of indifference and folly, the avoidable cost will be the lives of an entire generation of young - your children and mine. This loss must be prevented. We must ensure Peace Through Strength."

One political commentator wrote of his policies and positions: "You’re probably wondering why a reporter from the town farthest north and west in Massachusetts travelled diagonally across the Commonwealth as far as one can go without getting his socks wet. To cover a presidential campaign launch. Of a Republican. Easy.

It’s good to know what all sides are thinking. And from the press release I’d received the week before, I sensed that this primary challenger from Florida was more than capable of some high-level thought. The research I did on Mr. Stuckenberg (Dr. Stuckenberg, to be accurate) left me with mixed emotions. Where his positions diverged with my leftist outlook, such as the answer to America’s immigration challenges for example, or U.S. involvement in the Israel/Palestine conflict, the gap was wide enough to drive a truck through.

The ideological overlap, however, surprised me. His views on natural resources, agriculture, and fresh water protection were based in science. The America First rhetoric [characteristic of the GOP under Trump] was not a cynical jingoistic play — long-range calculations have clearly been brought to bear on the question of who the beneficiaries of the nation’s productivity and prosperity should be.

And let’s be clear, this candidate making a bid for Trump’s long-cooled seat cushion has bona fides any candidate would envy..." According to Stuckenberg's Official 2024 California Candidate Statement, Key Policy Positions during his 2024 campaign were outlined as:


 * Reforming Immigration: "Our priorities lie in preserving America's integrity. We will solve illegal immigration promptly by deploying federal troops to our borders within 72 hours [of being elected]."
 * Reducing Taxes: "Additionally, we will implement 33% tax cuts for all incomes [levels] to revitalize our economy."
 * Strengthening the U.S. Military: "Restoring our military's strength will enable us to maintain an all-volunteer force and promote Peace Through Strength."
 * Balancing the Budget and Reducing Debt: "Once achieved, we will focus on balancing the national budget, reducing debt, cutting regulations, ensuring Social Security's solvency, and fixing our healthcare system."
 * Restoring Trust in Government: "To restore trust in government, we will prioritize honesty and fairness. As a native Californian, I believe our government should represent the interests of all citizens, not just special interests or extremes. We will approach governance with reason and common sense."
 * Renewing Vision, Rebuilding Protections for Families and the Constitution: "...[W]e will foster hope, forgiveness, and work towards rebuilding families and a sense of national unity, grounded in our commitment to the [U.S. Constitution ].

Education:
David Stuckenberg "...earned his bachelor’s degree from Central Missouri State in Warrensburg, Missouri, and went on to receive [sic] a master’s from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and doctorate from King’s College..."


 * 2008 Bachelor of Science, aviation technology, Summa Cum-Laude, The University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO
 * 2008 Air and Space Basic Course, Outstanding Performer, Maxwell Air Force Base (AFB), AL 2010 Joint Firepower Course, Air Ground Operations School, Outstanding Performer, Nellis AFB, NV
 * 2012 Squadron Officer Schoo l, by correspondence
 * 2012 NATO Tactical Leadership Program, Albacete Air Base, Spain
 * 2014 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL
 * 2014 Combat Survival School, Fairchild AFB, WA
 * 2014 Masters, political management and policy, Summa Cum-Laude, The George Washington University, D.C. (Salutatorian)
 * 2015 USAF Treaty Officers Course, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Arlington, VA
 * 2020 Ph.D., international affairs and strategy, Kings College London (UK)
 * 2020 USAF Strategic Policy Fellow; Intermediate Developmental Education, Air War College, Washington, D.C.
 * 2020 – 2021, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD
 * 2021 Air Command and Staff College, by correspondence

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