Biography

Vic Mercado is a member of the Momentus Board of Directors. Mercado served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities from July 2019 to January 2021, after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In this role, he was a principal advisor to the Department on national security and defense strategies, and the plans and future capability investments required to implement the strategies. Prior to serving in the Department of Defense as a senior defense civilian, Mercado served 35 years in the U.S. Navy and retired as a two-star Admiral. He held a number of senior operational and staff positions, including Director, Maritime Operations of the U.S. Pacific Fleet; Director, Assessments Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; and Commander, Carrier Strike Group Eight. One of Mercado’s shore tours was with the Navy’s engineering and acquisition community as the command, control, communications and intelligence warfare systems engineering manager for the AEGIS Program Manager. He brings a rich background in security from the tactical to the strategic level.