Rear Admiral Kathleen Koehler Paige is the Program Director of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), the sea-based element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) under development by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA).
Born in Schenectady and raised in Scotia, New York, Admiral Paige is a 1970 graduate of the University of New Hampshire and was commissioned in 1971. In 1976, she received a Master of Science Degree in Computer Systems from the Naval Postgraduate School. She was designated an Engineering Duty Officer (EDO) in 1981.
Admiral Paige’s first tour of duty was at VFP-63, San Diego, California. Subsequent tours of duty included Fleet Combat Direction System Support Activity, San Diego, California; Acquisition Manager in the Navy’s Standard Embedded Computer Resource Office, Arlington, Virginia; Aegis C3 Warfare Officer and Combat Systems Baseline Manager, Aegis Shipbuilding Program; Chief Engineer, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division; and Technical Director, Aegis Program Office.
Her first Flag Officer assignment was as Commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Arlington, Virginia, in July 1996. In June 1998, she assumed duties as the Director, Theater Air and Missile Defense and Systems Engineering (TAMD&SE) in the Program Executive Office for Theater Surface Combatants (PEO TSC). As Director, TAMD&SE, she led the Interoperability Task Force, which coordinated the joint efforts of five program offices across three Systems Commands to complete a successful Operational Evaluation of the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC). In April 1999, she was concurrently assigned as the first ASN (RDA) Chief Engineer, the Department of the Navy’s senior technical authority for the development of system and technical architectures designed to improve the integration and interoperability of Navy and Marine Corps weapon, combat, and C4I systems. In July 2001, she became the MDA’s first Ballistic Missile Defense System Technical Director, the principal advisor to the MDA Director on all matters related to the planning and technical performance of the BMDS. In August 2002, she became the Navy’s senior EDO. She assumed her present duties in March 2003.
Admiral Paige’s personal decorations include the Legion of Merit (3 awards), the Meritorious Service Medal (3 awards), and the Navy Achievement Medal.
For outstanding service to our Country, Rear Admiral Kathleen Koehler Paige is inducted into the ROTC Hall of Fame. Her contributions to the United States Navy and national security reflect true patriotism.