AFCEA/USNI WEST 2026

Sam Hanaki
Executive Director
PEO C4I


Mr. Sam Hanaki serves as the Executive Director for Program Executive Office, Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (PEO C4I) in San Diego, California. He shares responsibility for ~700 civilian and military personnel and as well as acquisition, integration and delivery of an annual $4B Information Warfare (IW) portfolio to meet the needs of naval, joint, and coalition warfighters. Prior to his appointment to Senior Executive Service in January 2025, Mr. Hanaki served in the U.S. Navy for 27 years beginning in 1996. His military assignments included numerous acquisition tours. He served as the Major Program Manager for PEO C4I’s Battlespace Awareness and Information Operations Program Office (PMW 120), where he led a $5.1B FYDP portfolio and 300+ multi-disciplinary military, government, and contract personnel delivering integrated Meteorological, Intelligence, and Cryptologic capabilities. As PEO C4I’s Mission Integration lead he established a cross-functional entity for threat-based multi-domain warfighting assessments. At NAVAIR, in he led the development and flight testing of the Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW) C-1, the DoD’s first Network Enabled Weapon. During his Navy aviation career, he accumulated 2,000+ flight hours in 25+ models of jet, propeller, and rotary wing aircraft in various operational and flight test tours. His flight test career culminated as the Commanding Officer of the Air Test and Evaluation (VX)-30 “Bloodhounds”. Mr. Hanaki also deployed to Iraq as an Engineering and Fielding Officer for the Joint Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare Composite Squadron-1. After retiring from the Navy as a Captain in December 2023, Mr. Hanaki joined Systems Planning & Analysis as a Senior System Engineer. Mr. Hanaki earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1996 and a Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 2006. He was designated a Naval Flight Officer in 1998 and is a graduate from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2), Army Commendation Medal, and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2).

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