SES (Retired) John Diem is the Director of Texas A&M’s Bush Combat Development Complex’s Innovation Proving Ground (IPG). The IPG – located on A&M’s RELLIS research campus in Bryan, TX - is a world-class facility capable of rigorously assessing innovative technologies from prototypes in early development through full-scale deployment. The IPG ecosystem is tailored to support test-fix-test / model-test-model, with a focus on support to integrated autonomous systems and resilient networks, and provides live and simulated environments fully integrated with real-time test control, streaming data analytics, and advanced network and cybersecurity test systems. Mr. Diem’s technical expertise is in test and evaluation, modeling and simulation, and systems engineering. His final test and evaluation assignment, as a member of the Army’s Senior Executive Service (SES), was as the Executive Director of the Army’s Operational Test Command from 2017 – 2022, where he guided the command’s transformation to agile test methodologies and championed the acquisition of operationally realistic capabilities in support of Army modernization. He is a widely recognized expert in simulations for test and training, test methodology, and mission command and intelligence system test and training. Prior to serving as the IPG Director, Mr. Diem had a varied career – US Army Military Intelligence Officer, active and reserves; simulation operations and test support contractor; Army civilian developmental & operational tester; and training systems and test technology developer and leader. Military assignments included intelligence systems test officer, Electronic Warfare Company Commander, and Military Intelligence Battalion Operations Officer (S-3). Civilian leadership positions included Director, Plans Training & Security for Fort Hood; G3-Rear for III US Corps during the Corps’ deployment to Iraq; Deputy for Defense Modeling and Simulation; Test Technology Director; and Executive Director (SES). Mr. Diem holds a Bachelor of Arts (Cum Laude) in History and Masters of Science in Geography from Texas A&M (1978, 1981). He was trained as an Army Operations Research Analyst and certified as a senior Test & Evaluation acquisition workforce member. Current activities include the NDIA Industrial Committee on Test & Evaluation (ICOTE), I/ITSEC Conference Committee, and Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) Executive Committee.