ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
FPD alumnus Col. Mike Smith never shies away from serving his country. After 31 years in the Army, he retired from the military and recently served as the Executive Officer for the Vaccine Development Team with Operation Warp Speed. This led to his current role as the Director of the National Disaster Medical System.
Col. Mike Smith ‘85 How were you selected for the role in Operation Warp Speed?
In early 2020, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the Department of Health and Human Services met with my commander, the Army Surgeon General to request planning and operational support as the pandemic began growing. Having served as the Executive Officer to the Surgeon General for the past two and a half years, I was preparing to retire. LTG Dingle, the Surgeon General, asked if I would go over to ASPR and support federal COVID-19 response operations. Once I arrived, I was placed into Operation Warp Speed as the Executive Officer for the Vaccine Development Team and began working with an amazing group of leaders – both civilian and military from multiple fields. There was a sense of urgency, focus, and commitment unlike any I had ever seen. We were resourced to be successful and staffed with the best and brightest in the field. It was humbling to be a small part of this effort. As I worked at Warp Speed, I also saw the amazing commitment of many other federal responders who were on the front lines of this fight.
What did your role entail?
As the Executive Officer for the Vaccine Development Team, my job was to ensure the Director had all the tools, information, and support he needed to be successful and to assist in developing our strategy to bring the vaccine online.
Coming from the Department of Defense, I knew many of the players in Warp Speed and had connections within the medical community to help the team meet goals and objectives. We worked with the manufacturers, program managers, and multiple federal agencies to streamline efforts.
What did you take away from the experience?
It was humbling and an honor to serve with the Health and Human Services and Warp Speed team. My biggest takeaway is that our nation is fortunate to have the resources – scientists, researchers, funding, and logistics – to make this a success. I was a very small part of it, but learned so much from working with these amazing people. This opportunity also opened the door for me to stay with Health and Human Services upon retirement from the Army.
What lessons in faith did you realize along the way?
In February 2020, while still assigned as the Executive Officer to the Surgeon General, our team had been working around the clock tracking the virus and establishing systems and protocols to protect our military force. It was stressful and often very challenging to stay motivated. I had gotten to the Pentagon parking lot early one morning and did not feel like going into the building. I texted my pastor and asked for prayers and strength. It was around five o’clock in the morning, so I didn’t expect an answer immediately. Within seconds of hitting the send button, he called me. We prayed, and he encouraged me
