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Leveraging Opportunities: Modernizing Our National Airspace System in an Evolving Environment

Edward L. Bolton Jr.

Assistant Administrator for NextGen, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. DOT

We have the safest, largest, and most efficient airspace in the world. Modernizing it with the Next Generation Air Transportation System is preparing us to handle higher traffic, cutting down on environmental impacts and taking advantage of improved technologies and procedures.

During this event, NextGen Assistant Administrator Edward L. Bolton Jr. talked about related challenges and opportunities, including cybersecurity, commercial space, and unmanned aircraft.

This event is part of Volpe's newest thought leadership series, Reimagining Transportation.

About the Speaker

Edward L. Bolton Jr.Edward L. Bolton Jr. is the assistant administrator for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Office of NextGen is responsible for leading the modernization of the National Airspace System, the move to a smarter, satellite-based system with digital technologies and advanced procedures that will ensure safe and efficient air travel for decades to come.

Bolton leads a federal workforce of more than 900 employees and manages NextGen’s $1 billion annual budget. A major initiative under Bolton’s leadership has been collaborative work with FAA counterparts and the aviation industry to identify early-benefit, high-readiness NextGen capabilities. These are already being delivered to airspace users in the near timeframe with specific milestones and delivery locations.

Bolton joined the FAA in September 2013 after a career with the U.S. Air Force, retiring with the rank of Major General. He is a Level III program manager and has had extensive experience managing multi-billion-dollar Air Force space programs. He also served as director for defense policy at the White House National Security Council, and was deputy director of systems engineering and integration at the National Reconnaissance Office.

Read more about Edward L. Bolton Jr.

News and Video

Read the news story and view the video from the event.