Title: Senior Electronics Engineer
Company: SURVICE Engineering Company
Location: Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States
John Tatum, Senior Electronics Systems Engineer at the SURVICE Engineering Company, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Engineers for dedication, achievements, and leadership in radio frequency, electronic warfare and electromagnetic effects.
Mr. Tatum became excited about electricity when he was in sixth grade. From that point forward, his mind was consumed with all things involving electrical energy and he experimented with batteries, lights, buzzers and other equipment. His fascination with electricity deepened when his college guidance counselor pointed him in the direction of engineering and he saw how he could use his interest in electricity in a career. Mr. Tatum earned an associate degree at Prince George’s College and continued his academic pursuits by obtaining a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. He continued with graduate coursework at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University.
While still matriculating with an undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, a professor posted a summer job position at the U.S. Army Harry Diamond Laboratories. In June 1974, Mr. Tatum began working at the lab focusing on radars. This summer job is one of the most important periods in his life, and he reflects on it as one of the highlights of a long and successful career. He had the opportunity to exploit old Soviet air defense radars and build new radar simulators. John T. Tatum is an electronic systems engineer with over 44 years of experience in the areas of radar, electronic warfare, electromagnetic effects and directed energy weapons. Mr. Tatum is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association of Old Crows Electronic Warfare Society. He is also a fellow of the Directed Energy Professional Society. He worked for the U.S. Army Harry Diamond Laboratories (HDL), now the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), for 37 years as a team leader for a group of scientists and engineers that investigated the effects of electromagnetic/radio frequency (EM/RF) energy on electronic systems. In his current role, he works for the SURVICE Engineering Company as a consultant on electronic warfare and directed energy weapons and supporting the Defense Systems Information Analysis Center (DSIAC) in nonlethal (NL) and directed energy weapons (DEWs) and their effects. Mr. Tatum has also written a chapter on “High Power Radio Frequency DE Weapon threats to Aircraft Survivability” for world-renowned aircraft combat survivability expert and author Dr. Robert E. Ball for his third addition of his book on “The Fundamentals of Aircraft Combat Survivability Analysis and Design.” Mr. Tatum currently aims to publish a book titled “Unconventional Electronic Attack: High Power Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapons and their Effects” through Artech Publishing in Fall 2023.
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