Colonel Joseph J. Roth serves as Director, Innovation and Prototyping Directorate and Commander, Space & Missile Systems Center, Detachment 1, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. Colonel Roth leads a combined team of 740+ military, government civilians, and contractors at four geographically separated units and manages a $3.8B portfolio to rapidly transition and deliver war winning space concepts, technologies, and capabilities to the United States Space Force and mission partners across the National Security Space community. The Directorate conducts test and experimentation, prototyping, demonstrations, and operations of innovative space systems and technology for the Space & Missile Systems Center. The Directorate also executes the Space Test Program on behalf of the Department of Defense.

Colonel Roth has served in a variety of operations, acquisition, staff, and command assignments at many levels across the Air Force and Department of Defense. He has served as Minuteman III ICBM Combat Crew Commander, Instructor, and Evaluator; an Acquisition Program Manager at the Aeronautical Systems Center and the National Reconnaissance Office; a Branch Chief on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Headquarters Air Force; an Executive Officer at Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, an Executive Assistant on the Joint Chiefs of Staff J-5, and commander of the 333d Recruiting Squadron at Patrick AFB, Florida.

Prior to his current assignment Colonel Roth was the Chief, Space Electro-Optics Division, Directed Energy Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. Colonel Roth is a 1997 graduate of the University of Cincinnati and earned his commission through Air Force ROTC.