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.
Tim Solms is the CEO of Slingshot Aerospace, appointed to the role in February 2024. Solms served in the Army for 18 years before moving into private industry for a 20-year career with executive leadership. He previously worked in the defense and government divisions of corporations including Microsoft, VMWare Federal and Dun & Bradsteeet’s public sector business. At Slingshot Aerospace he leads the company’s mission to provide AI-powered solutions for satellite tracking, space traffic coordination and space modeling and simulation for government and commercial partners.
How did you get involved in the defense industry or community?
Growing up in a multi-generation military family, I’ve had the opportunity to live all over the world, so I consider the defense community my “hometown.” Watching family members serve in the armed forces to protect and defend American democracy sparked my own passion for service at a very early age.
When I was 17, I joined the U.S. Army, where I remained in the Reserves throughout my college tenure. Following graduation and commissioning into Regular Army, I served in command and staff positions in the U.S. and overseas as an officer and Apache attack helicopter pilot. After nearly 20 years of active duty, I am now continuing my commitment to defending our country by providing the technology needed to protect our nation and its allies.
My 25-year career journey has led me to the role of CEO at Slingshot Aerospace, a leader in space domain awareness and space traffic coordination, where we are directly supporting mission-critical training, planning and operations for the defense community.
What are some challenges you faced working through your career?
My transition from the Army into the corporate world was a challenge early on in my career. I learned the things that made me successful in the Army and as an attack pilot didn’t immediately translate to business or government.
One of the big gaps I initially faced was understanding the importance of metrics and KPIs. In the business world, it wasn’t enough to just do the work; I needed to quantify what I was doing and measure it in a way that made sense to others. I remember someone pulling me aside and telling me that if you can’t measure what you do, you’ll always be searching for a job. I took that advice to heart, and it fundamentally changed the way I approached my work.
How do you work to be a mentor yourself to younger counterparts?
I’ve had four mentors who made a big impact on my life in the military and tech industry. From each, I’ve learned vital lessons that helped me to evolve in my professional and personal life. Their mentorship allowed me to develop at an exponential rate, simply because they were willing to teach me.
With decades of experience now under my belt, I’m committed to turning my experience into valuable wisdom to empower both my organization and those I mentor. When mentoring others, I’ve found that the most effective mentorship comes from an organic, cultural and personality fit between mentor and mentee. When there’s a genuine connection, that’s when you can do something truly extraordinary together in support of the mission.
What does it mean to be successful in your career field?
Success boils down to three key factors—culture, innovation and empowerment.
Building a strong company culture is a key component of success. I believe the saying “culture beats strategy every time.” Company culture develops organically, but everyone is a creator—not just a consumer of the culture.
Second, innovation and disruption are crucial. In our field, success is tied to doing something groundbreaking and different. At Slingshot, we’re fortunate to be working on something truly novel and transformative with our Agatha AI platform. Developed in partnership with DARPA, Agatha produces space domain awareness insights and detects anomalous spacecraft in large satellite constellations. We have an opportunity to tackle issues like space congestion that impact our entire planet.
Finally, success means empowering people to make an impact. This can be challenging in a fast-growing organization, but it’s essential that everyone has the autonomy and guidance to contribute. My focus is on being direct and providing both the right support and the freedom to make decisions and drive results. When people are empowered, they bring their best to the table, and that’s how we achieve success.
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?
Three positions I see as unsung heroes of the defense industry are contracting officers, legal teams and the professionals in the human resources department. These less visible roles are critical to the mission.
In the defense sector, the contracting officer role is very demanding, with high-risk and low reward. Contracting officers can do their job exceptionally without any recognition, but their role of balancing the mission with industry standards while ensuring fairness and integrity is critically important.
The legal department of any organization is also an essential component of day-to-day operations, playing an indispensable role in negotiating terms and conditions of multi-million dollar agreements, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring federal and defense industry compliance.
Finally, HR professionals receive little recognition but possess brilliant business minds. Given the highly specialized and regulated nature of the defense industry, the HR function is critical to manage talent, employee relations and organizational culture. They play a pivotal role building the DoD workforce and preparing top talent for mission success.
How can the industry improve in promoting these individuals?
Internal development and creating pathways for professional growth is critically important. Today’s dynamic media platforms provide great potential to recognize and publicly acknowledge unsung heroes and prepare these individuals for leadership roles.
Moreover, organizations must ensure that budgets, promotions and development programs can support these roles. Investing in people, providing recognition and growth opportunities, and ensuring they have the necessary tools to succeed can elevate individuals and strengthen the entire organization.
What is your advice for new entrants to the defense/military community?
Three things – first, understand the mission. A deep understanding and appreciation for the role your organization plays in supporting our country, interests and allies is paramount.
Second, impact the mission. Find ways that you can contribute effectively to the mission’s success by leveraging your unique skills and strengths.
Lastly, prioritize efficiency. Always look for ways to operate more effectively, use resources responsibly and support government partners.
What do you see as the future of your sector in national defense?
The space sector is growing exponentially, and successfully navigating this change is vital to maintaining national security. With over 80 nations with space activity—up from just 22 in 2017—it is becoming more congested and complex to navigate.
Additionally, the shift toward autonomous operations will be a key trend to look out for in the coming years, with self-aware satellites becoming more common. These satellites will not only be aware of their position and function, but will also monitor surrounding activities, paving the way for autonomous space operations powered by reliable, shared data.
Space will continue to play a critical role in our nation’s defense. I’m proud that Slingshot is leading the way providing cutting-edge technologies that equip U.S. space operators with comprehensive, accurate and actionable data to defend our country in increasingly crowded and contested space environments.
Who are the Force Multipliers in your community? Let us know at [email protected].