In this monthly column, Defense Daily highlights individuals from across the government, industry and academia whose efforts contribute daily to national defense, from the program managers to the human resource leaders, to the engineers and logistics officers.
Brian Hill, Colonel, USAF (Retired), is the Director of Business Development for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Portfolio, Enterprise Command and Control Line of Business, at Research Innovations, Inc. (RII). Hill assumed this position in 2024 and leads RII’s efforts developing strategic partnerships and advancing technological capability to increase the effectiveness of joint planning, targeting, and operations within the Indo-Pacific operations environment. Previously, he was the Chief of Information Operations, Headquarters U.S. Indo-Pacific Command at Camp H.M. Smith in Hawaii.
How did you get involved in the defense industry or community?
I come from a family with a long tradition of military service. It started with my grandfather, who served in World War II. He laid the foundation for a legacy of service that my father, who served as a medical corpsman in the Army during the Vietnam War, carried on. Following in their footsteps, I attended the United States Air Force Academy, and I then spent 33 years in active military service with the Air Force. As I made the move from DoD to industry, I saw an incredible gap in existing technology that helped to meet mission needs, which brought me to RII. I’ve always felt it important to contribute to something bigger than myself and to do what I could to positively impact the lives of others, and this community has provided that tenfold. Now, I am proud to continue this legacy through my son, who is serving in the military in the Indo-Pacific region.
What are some challenges you faced working through your career?
Looking back, one of the most significant challenges in my career was completing pilot training amid limited flying opportunities in the military. After my training wrapped, I didn’t have the opportunity to fly for two and a half years. This was one of the first times I’ve been trained, equipped, and ready to do one task and then asked to pivot to do something totally different. While disheartening at first, I began to look at this as an opportunity—one to learn how to be agile to best support my teams and the missions we are tasked to execute. During that time, I served in Air Force Recruiting in the Pacific Northwest. I learned a lot from the job, particularly from the leaders I worked with, and it opened doors to opportunities in Information Operations that I wouldn’t have otherwise had access to later in my career. Not only were these experiences beneficial in developing my professional skills beyond flying, but I also met my wife, and we started our family during that time.
Did you feel like you always had sufficient mentors and leaders to help guide you? Why/why not?
I have been enormously lucky to be surrounded by fantastic mentors throughout my life, and that starts with my parents who set a great example for me and instilled values that I lean on to this day. Then, at the Air Force Academy, my head coach, Fisher DeBerry, was a tremendous mentor for me, my teammates and the assistant coaches and support staff. He was committed to developing us not just as football players, but as upstanding Airmen and future Air Force leaders. At the Academy, we were truly encouraged to do our best militarily, academically, and spiritually in order to find and fulfill our deeper purpose in life.
Beyond that, I have had great commanders who trusted me to execute missions and lead Airmen. Having mentors who trust your abilities and training empowers you to build confidence and learn through your own experiences on the job. One leader who exemplified this approach was ADM Tim Keating, USN (Ret.), the commander of the United States Pacific Command from 2007-2009. He brought me onto his staff, and in just two years, I gained more knowledge and insight from him than I could have ever accumulated in 10 years elsewhere. Not a day goes by that I don’t reflect on the lessons from these pivotal mentors – whether it’s my parents, Coach DeBerry, or Admiral Keating.
What does it mean to be successful in your career field?
I believe true success lies in leaving a place, a thing, an organization, or a team better than how you found it when you joined. Success for me is creating and implementing solutions that make the world safer – whatever that may look like.
As Chief of Information Operations at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, I noticed a gap in technology that could help information professionals achieve their goals. Over the past five years, there has been growing attention and need for more effective operations in the information environment. However, high demand coupled with limited numbers of trained personnel make it difficult to fulfill the mission. Technology can help bridge this gap and increase the volume and scale at which operations are planned and executed in the information environment. This is ultimately what led me to join RII.
I believe that the solutions we’re working to deliver help prevent the worst-case scenario: crisis and conflict with adversaries.
What are some of the under-appreciated positions in the defense field, the unsung heroes or essential cogs in the machine that help the job get done with less recognition?
In my 33+ years in this industry, I have encountered an insanely long list of folks who go unrecognized for their mission-critical work, from civil affairs personnel to information professionals. Especially during my time at RII, I’ve been amazed at the number of technical experts, software developers, and truly brilliant engineers. They catch lightning in a bottle, marrying top-notch capabilities with the shared commitment to making a positive impact. These folks are harnessing technology to make the world safer and unfortunately, are often unseen.
How can the industry improve in promoting these individuals and building them up?
We must better emphasize and promote the critical work that happens “left of bang.” As a whole, the defense industry is in a constant loop of preparing for worst-case scenarios. The people streamlining capabilities, maximizing speed, and preparing service members to safeguard the nation must be given greater visibility for their critical work.
How has the culture changed around diversity within your career?
Throughout my career, I have witnessed a significant amount of effort put toward advancing diversity initiatives, but more substantial progress still needs to be made in increasing representation, especially among African Americans in defense. Despite decades of initiatives to improve diversity, hiring efforts for positions such as aviators and pilots remain stagnant. I wrote about these very issues as a young lieutenant, and 30 years later, the numbers have not dramatically improved.
That said, I’m committed to being a positive change agent, advocating for more awareness of the lack of diversity in our field and more resources dedicated to ensuring individuals from all backgrounds and demographics have opportunities in the defense field.
What is your advice for new entrants to the defense/military community?
Some of the best advice I’ve heard and continue to pass on to newcomers in the industry came from my late uncle, who said, “shut up and do your best.” It’s not meant to be crass, and it doesn’t literally mean staying quiet—it’s about putting your head down, getting your work done, listening and learning from those around and above you to master your craft, and slowly growing your voice and influence. In those first few years, working as hard as you can, and absorbing as much knowledge as possible from those you trust with experience, influence and strategic insights is essential to laying a solid foundation for success.
What do you see as the future of your sector in national defense?
We’ve recently seen strides in innovation through the Defense Intelligence Unit and other initiatives that Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks champions to enable industry to expedite integration of impactful new technologies. As we continue to carve new paths toward innovation, it is essential that we accommodate new mission-critical capabilities without needing to set up special projects. I’d like to see us get to a point where it all happens inherently, and I think we’ll get to that point soon.
Furthermore, as momentum around interoperability builds, we’ll see more avenues for all the combatant commands to collaborate on a greater scale. We’ll also see more standardization around this joint collaboration, allowing organizations to move more efficiently and effectively when working alongside allies and partners on a broad scale
Who are the Force Multipliers in your community? Let us know at [email protected].