In Memoriam
The Honorable Martin C. Faga was co-founder and served as Chairman of the Board for the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation from 2013 until his passing in 2023. He had a fascinating career including serving as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space, and President and CEO of the MITRE Corporation. Marty was greatly dismayed when the federal government failed to execute on the President’s 2004 mandate to establish a national backup and alternative PNT system to GPS. He was an ardent advocate to correct that error.
As of 2025, The RNT Foundation’s most ardent supporters are recognized as being members of the Martin C. Faga Society.
Marty’s fascinating career included including serving as:
- An R&D officer in the U.S. Air Force
- An engineer with the CIA
- Staff for the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for the House of Representatives
- Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space
- Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (where he declassified and made public that organization’s existence)
- President and Chief Executive Officer of the MITRE Corporation.
Marty also served on:
- The President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board as Chairman
- The Public Interest Declassification Board as Chairman
- The President’s National Space-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board
- Boards of Directors for:
- Alliant Techsystems
- Orbital ATK
- Electronic Data Systems
- DigitalGlobe
- GeoEye
- Association of Former Intelligence Officers
- Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation
His honors included:
- National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal
- DOD Distinguished Public Service Medal
- Air Force Exceptional Civilian Service Medal
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- Intelligence Community Seal Medallion
- Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration
- National Security Space Association Lifetime Achievement Award. A video of the event is available here.