Historic ‘first’ for nuke treaty center brings wealth of knowledge, experience

  • Published
  • By Susan A. Romano
  • AFTAC Public Affairs
PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. --  He is a first generation American, born to naturalized immigrants from South Korea.  He survived a deadly mortar attack in Iraq that earned him a Purple Heart.  He is a recipient of a Bronze Star Medal with Valor. He became the U.S. Army Cyber Command’s first direct commissioned officer to the rank of lieutenant colonel.  He speaks four languages.  He is a cancer survivor. 

And now, he can add being the first-ever Chief Data and Information Officer for the Department of War’s sole nuclear treaty surveillance and monitoring center to his resume.

But according to him, his true superpower is grilling (and subsequently eating) good cuts of meat.  More on that later.

Meet Dr. Paul Son, an Atlanta native with an extensive professional pedigree in the field of cyberwarfare and data security.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Public Affairs from the prestigious George Washington University in 1997; his master’s degree in Management Information Technology from Colorado Technical University in 2001; and his doctorate in Computer Science, also from Colorado Tech in 2026.

Throughout the course of his career, he’s held numerous senior leadership positions in both the federal government and private industry, serving as an advisor and subject matter expert in national security mission support, cyber warfare operations, and artificial intelligence/machine learning.

When he applied for the CDIO position at the Air Force Technical Applications Center here, he wasn’t exactly sure what the center’s primary mission was, despite having been associated with other agencies that partner with AFTAC.

“Quite frankly,” he said, “I was utterly surprised to have never heard of AFTAC, even after spending several years working with similar communities within the War Department.”

But leadership within AFTAC knew after reading his resume and hearing his responses during the in-depth interview process that Son was the perfect man for the nascent job.

The role is significant in many ways.  For starters, Son is now a member of the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service, a highly qualified cadre of senior civilian executives within DoW who are recognized leaders responsible for providing perspective, continuity, and scientific/technical expertise on government operations and policies.  They are afforded equivalent courtesies as general or flag officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The position plays a pivotal role in leveraging AFTAC’s data-driven landscape through analytics, regulatory requirements, lifecycle management, and strategy development.  In simpler terms, the CDIO helps drive innovation and improve decision-making in the ever-emergent and crucial field of IT.

Prior to joining the AFTAC team in June, Son was the vice president of counter cyber threat operations for Concentrix, a global technology and services leader that designs and develops integrated human and AI capabilities for the world’s most complex enterprises.

When asked why he left Concentrix to come to Florida, he said “I was compelled to apply because it was the first time I had seen an organization recognize the convergent nature of mission assurance, architecture for cloud and AI/ML solutions, and overarching IT strategy in a single job description.  Traditionally in government and the private sector, there’s recognition that each of those mission sets is important, but they stand on their own as separate functions.  For AFTAC however, the integrated nature was front and center, and I instantly thought, wow, they get it!”

Another reason Son made the decision to relocate his family to Florida’s Space Coast was his desire to serve.

“I medically retired from the Army in 2025 after my battle with cancer, but I still felt like my calling to serve hadn’t ended.  When I got the email to interview for the CDIO job, I was super excited because if I were selected, I knew I would be able to continue my service to the nation,” Son said.

AFTAC’s unique global mission includes its unparalleled ability to detect, verify and analyze nuclear activity in real time by employing a modernized plan of action, which includes a commander-influenced strategy designed to inculcate the warrior ethos priority by operationalizing science and technology to enhance battlespace characterization using time dominant, full spectrum nuclear surveillance from weapons development to employment.

Accomplishing that mission cannot be done without robust focus on cyber operations.

“Cyber is no longer just a support function,” said Col. Creighton Mullins AFTAC commander and architect of the center’s ‘AFTAC at War’ concept of operations, which focuses heavily on IT, cyber, and AI/ML.  “It is a core domain of military power and a strategic necessity that directly impacts mission success, deterrence and national security.  Having Dr. Son on our team has expanded our capabilities tenfold and I am confident he will lead us well into future.”

On a more personal note, Son speaks with great pride about the people who have helped him achieve such monumental career success and overcome the significant obstacles he’s faced in life.

“When I was very young, I remember my father telling me that failure is the best teacher,” Son said.  “His words stuck with me, but I didn’t really understand the true meaning until much later in life.  My mother has always told me she’s proud of me, even though she never knows what I actually do behind the closed doors of my secure work centers.  They’ve both had such a positive impact on me, and I try to do the same for my boys.”

“My amazing wife Jooyoung is the cornerstone of our family’s foundation,” he continued.  “Her influence on our sons, Gideon and Samuel, is immeasurable – they’re both incredibly talented and humble boys who I know are going to go far in life because she’s played such a crucial role in their upbringing.  Without her, my boys, my parents, and also my sister Tina, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish all my career milestones and deal with a few chapters of adversity along the way.  I’m incredibly blessed!”

Son’s goal as AFTAC’s first CDIO is to help modernize the center’s ecosystem to be the best it can be and apply AI/ML strategies thoughtfully to empower the workforce to do what they do best – staying ahead of the adversaries.

“I think the biggest challenge to AI adoption is understanding the decision space trade-off between AI and humans,” he explained.  “Unfortunately, the AI ‘hype’ is real, and helping to break down what AI really means and making people not only aware, but interested, is probably what I will focus on moving forward.”

Now what about that aforementioned superpower?  “Yep,” Son said with a big grin, “I am what one might call a seasoned Grill Master with a black belt in ribeyes.  AFTAC’s motto may be ‘In God We Trust, All Others We Monitor,’ but at my house, it’s more like ‘In Smoke We Trust, All Others We Low and Slow!’”