Stephen Kitay, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, is slated to leave the public sector after 18 years in government service. Kitay wrote in a LinkedIn post dated Aug. 8th that he intends to step down from his position at the Department of Defense (DoD) to assume an undisclosed role in the private sector.
He has been serving in his current capacity since 2017 and recently helped lead the DoD’s efforts to evaluate the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the U.S. space industrial base. He also served as a staff member at the House Committee on Armed Services from 2011 to 2017.
According to Kitay’s letter, his experience as an intelligence professional, military leader and government official enabled him to have a "distinct understanding" of opportunities and challenges in the U.S. space industry.
He noted that he is “truly grateful” for the Trump administration’s initiatives to drive the nation's space leadership.