The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center officially welcomed Col. T. Justin Bronder as its new portfolio acquisition executive for nuclear air delivered during a ceremony July 29, 2026, at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.
In addition to his role as PAE for NAD, Bronder also became the new director of the Air Delivered Capabilities Directorate at AFNWC.
Maj. Gen. William Rogers, interim commander of AFNWC, said Bronder has a bright future with the organization.
“I know he is going to do a wonderful job, and I am really looking forward to working side by side with him as we acquire, sustain, modernize and recapitalize our nuclear capabilities for our nation,” Rogers said. “I cannot thank him enough for taking on this tremendous responsibility in support of nuclear deterrence, which is foundational to our national security.”
Bronder said he looks forward to the opportunity to lead the team that develops, fields, integrates and sustains the weapons, and storage and support facilities for one-third of the nation’s nuclear triad.
“I am all in on the nuclear mission, and I can’t wait to hit the ground running with this hard-working team as we fulfill our commitment to strategic deterrence,” Bronder said. “I look forward to embracing this PAE role, especially in this time of real acquisition transformation, to help this team accomplish our warfighting function supporting the nation’s strategic nuclear deterrent effectively, efficiently and collaboratively.”
During his career, Bronder has served in many acquisition and leadership positions, notably with the 413th Flight Test Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida; the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland AFB; the Air Force Technical Applications Center, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. Prior to joining AFNWC, he was the program executive officer for fixed wing with the U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill AFB, Florida, gaining hands-on leadership experience with rapid, warfighter-focused acquisition.
Bronder noted that he will leverage previous relationships to help deliver nuclear capabilities, enabling warfighters to securely deploy them anytime, anywhere. A few examples of these capabilities include the B61-12 and B61-13 weapons and tail kits, the Long Range Standoff Weapon (AGM-181), and the Air-Launched Cruise Missile (AGM-86B). The PAE also oversees the modernization of the Weapons Generation Facilities and the Weapon Storage and Security System.
“I owe a major thanks to Col. Summer Clovis, as she expertly led this team and accomplished a great deal to set us up to achieve major acquisition milestones in the near future,” he said. “She very much took care of her team, so it’s humbling to follow a leader who clearly maximized a perfect harmony between people and the mission.”
Rogers expressed his appreciation to Clovis for her years of service to AFNWC in support of the nuclear mission.
“I want to thank her for her dedication, commitment and leadership during her time here at AFNWC and for all the great work she did with the Air Delivered Capabilities Directorate,” Rogers said. “I really enjoyed serving with her, and I know she’ll crush it as the new chief of the Strategic Deterrence, Science and Technology Division with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland.”
William D. Bailey, performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, presided over the ceremony.
During his visit to Kirtland AFB, Bailey also spoke on acquisition transformation. Read more about that [here](https://www.afnwc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4572452/personnel-get-update-on-acquisition-transformation-efforts/).