The National Critical Infrastructure is growing and changing, so will this webpage!
Meet the Task Force Leader
Robert B. Newman, Jr.
Mr. Newman has over thirty years of business, military, and homeland security expertise in both government and private sectors in the fields of infrastructure protection, financial services, and energy. He has served on national committees including the Reserve Forces Policy Board and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Army and Air Force Exchange Services.
Mr. Newman was appointed by the Undersecretary for Science and Technology in the Department of Homeland Security as the Director of the Office of Engagement and Partnerships in August of 2020. In this capacity, Mr. Newman is responsible for engagements with the homeland security enterprise for strategic development and partnering with those organizations that can accelerate access to the technologies needed by the Department's agencies.
Mr. Newman graduated with a BA in Economics from the Virginia Military Institute and was designated a distinguished aerospace graduate. He later received a Master of Arts in Management and Public Administration from Webster University and is a graduate of the United States Air Force Air War College.
A retired Air Force general officer, Mr. Newman has flown both the A-7D and F-16C fighter aircraft and was a member of an 8-man team that represented the US Air Force and won an international air to ground gunnery competition against the British Royal Air Force.
Following the attacks of 9/11, Mr. Newman served as the Deputy J3/4 for operations and logistics at US Joint Forces Command and later was named by Governor Mark Warner as his deputy assistant homeland security advisor where he was responsible for homeland security strategic planning and the development of a state-wide terrorist alert system. He was later selected to serve as the Adjutant General of Virginia by Governor Tim Kaine where he was responsible for the operations and training of the Virginia National Guard in both state and Federal missions. During his tour of duty, he developed units with joint capabilities to leverage both manpower and equipment in support of state homeland security missions.