Mark Van Horn Email & Phone Number

Huntsville, Alabama, United States

Working to build a realistic electronic warfare simulation range for the U.S. Army.

Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom

Under the DoD's Skill Bridge program, I created a unique three-month internship as a business consultant to a non-profit sail training company in Wales. Collaborating with the ship’s captain and the non-profit board to develop strategic and fundraising plans, I used my background in intelligence analysis and military operational planning to complete a market analysis for sail training in the UK. I researched every sail training organization in the UK (there were 42) to know how the organizations got started and what their funding strategies were and their business models. I embarked on three sail training cruises to understand how different sail training companies delivered their services and to interview participants and board members to understand the business climate. After three months, I’d spent a lot of time working and living with members of the board and had come to understand the situation of the company—it’s weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats. In the end, I had to deliver hard news to a stakeholder who’d sunk a great deal of money into purchasing and starting a sail boat restoration, that the organization wasn’t competitive enough to get grant funding from any other source to continue the project and the money was lost. But I’d spent a lot of time building relationships and demonstrating true care so I was able to deliver this advice with tact.

Fort Huachuca, Arizona

Spearheaded a bottoms-up project to demonstrate the power of model-based systems engineering experiments to inform stakeholder decisions in Army Futures Command and received four-star commander approval to startup a systems-based modeling capability. Completed project to perform feasibility test for a data fabric in support of Army DCGS-A modernization. Developed critical paths and success factors for 30 multi-modal intelligence sensor and processing experiments ensuring that experimentation projects achieved our stakeholder’s knowledge deliverables. Developed wartime use cases for intelligence sensing and processing R&D projects in Army Research and Development Centers. Completed three feasibility product testing projects for seismic, infrasonic, acoustic, and meteorological multi-modal sensors in support of short-range air defense use cases. Used requirements documentation to develop use cases, scope, and critical success factors for experimentation projects. Identified and developed process improvements to add new wargaming capacities for intelligence experiments. Thirteen direct reports.

Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

Developed and obtained the Director’s approval of an R&D strategic plan for development of the US Army’s Cyber Situational Understanding capability. Innovative idea to digitally track Soldiers use of this new capability to assess the system’s performance was added to the requirements document. Set standard for Fellow’s involvement in process. Developed use cases for ongoing and proposed R&D projects in the Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate. Observed stage gate reviews for Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate projects. Worked as a member of an R&D team to develop a proposal for an intelligence enterprise data fabric.

Germany

Planned the reorganization and consolidation of two units and achieved initial and full operational capability ahead of schedule. Responsible for the organization’s work performance data, individual skill training, and evaluation program to ensure compliance with Army training policies and maintain unit readiness. Managed the organization’s time through work break down structures and accomplished assigned tasks to time and standard. Handled change requests from higher headquarters and determined impact to the organization’s deliverables across all critical paths. Managed the organization’s planning processes to ensure that the scope of projects aligned with allocated resources of time, personnel, and budget. Performed after action reviews to assess processes and task accomplishment. Managed the organization’s travel program to control costs and ensure compliance with travel regulations and policies. Started a forecasting training program based on the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Good Judgement Project; trained US Army analysts in predictive analysis, spread idea to other organizations. Twelve direct reports.

Germany

Out of 120 support personnel was one of two recognized by Deputy Commander, US European Command for exemplary leadership and accomplishment for planning and designing the modeling and simulation of opposing forces during the command’s theater wargame. Rescued a major simulation from failure; prevented loss of 24 million dollars. Used PEST analysis to develop realistic geopolitical scenarios for European military staff training exercises. Concluded two experiment projects with commendation from three-star commanders. Used RACI charts to understand delegation of authorities for theater level operations. Ensured that exercise projects achieved the correct scope to match the stakeholder’s objectives. Four direct reports.

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Graduate level instruction in organizational leadership and management, ethics, national defense strategy and policy, force design and modernization, military history and operational planning.

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Selected for the organization’s Hall of Fame. Designed training scenarios and wargame injects in coordination with the Joint Staff J-8. Developed three new classes on information collection doctrine. Wrote assessment reports on organizational effectiveness and presented findings to trainees. Tracked lessons learned among the unit to improve effectiveness. Conducted PEST analysis to understand threat environment and build realistic training scenarios. Performed standard operations procedures analysis to understand how training units were executing operations. Reviewed stakeholder’s statements of work to ensure that training exercises complied with their deliverables.

Fort Campell, Ky

Developed training critical paths to ensure deployability of 100 military intelligence Soldiers. Identified transportation milestones to move unit’s equipment for two deployments. Performed weekly risk management for ranges, training, physical fitness, and exercises for 100 Soldiers. Monitored performance indicators of all Soldiers prior to and during combat deployment in Afghanistan. Supervised training and certification of drone pilots. Twelve direct reports.

Fort Campbell North, Kentucky, United States

Developed RACI (responsibility, accountability, consult, inform) charts to assign limited intelligence assets to priority missions; supported air assaults and time sensitive operations to prosecute high value targets. Performed PEST (political, economic, social, technological) analysis to support planning of organization’s government building and security operations in Iraq. Led the process improvement of the unit’s targeting standard operations procedures. Presented and briefed intelligence to battalion leaders before operations. Prepared plans for battalion operations. Published and approved a daily intelligence summary. Supervised the unit’s physical security program through staff assistance training and annual inspections. Trained a team to provide the best intelligence deliverables for our stakeholders. Generated intelligence estimates in training and in combat to inform the planning of military operations. Eight direct reports.

Fort Sill, Oklahoma, United States

Conducted pattern analysis and force protection assessments for a 1500 man forward operating base outside of a critical oil refinery in northern Iraq; projected future enemy locations and timelines which created patrol schedules to counter mortar attacks against the base and resulted in 25% fewer attacks

Bachelor Of Arts, English

Partridge Award for Outstanding Excellence in English Colby Award for Outstanding Creative Writing

Master Of Public Administration - Mpa