Ms. Melanie C. Butler currently serves as the Force Development Deputy Director of Integration within the Headquarters, Department of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8. The Directorate is responsible for the integration of plans, programming, and policy for equipping the future Army across the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) cycle.
From 2019 to 2022 Ms. Butler served as the Deputy Chief, Force Development Division, at Army National Guard (ARNG) Headquarters in Washington, DC. The division formulates, develops, and coordinates the ARNG’s equipment modernization strategy through the Army Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) cycle.
Her prior experience includes serving as the Transparency Branch Chief, Army’s lead for reserve component equipment status reporting to Congress, within Headquarters Department of the Army as part of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8’s Force Development Directorate. She also served as deputy branch chief/branch chief for Documentation Analysis within the Director of Force Development’s Directorate of Integration, where she was responsible for conducting affordability and supportability analysis on equipment documentation for Tables of Organization and Equipment, Modified Tables of Organization and Equipment, and Tables of Distribution and Allowance for all Army units through numerous program objective memorandum (POM) cycles. Ms. Butler’s first job within the Army G-8 was as Staff Action Control Officer for the Force Development Directorate, where she managed all taskings from senior Army leadership to the directorate, as well as coordination among other Army staff organizations.
Ms. Butler graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. She was commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer, and served aboard two ships in various capacities, obtaining her Surface Warfare qualification, as well as her Engineering Officer of the Watch on two propulsion plants and her Tactical Action Officer qualification. She also served on the Chief of Naval Operations staff as the politico-military training and education officer within the N3/N5 directorate and earned a subspecialty as a strategic planning officer.
Ms. Butler holds a Master of Arts in Defense and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College. Her awards include the Superior Civilian Service Medal (2018/2022), and the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service (2006/2012).