I am Kevin Horn and am the Principal and Founder of Desert Strategic, an independent firm focused on insights and analysis for Aerospace, Defense, and Industrial Products. I bring years of experience in transformation for clients in high-tech and high-capital businesses.

Prior to this, I was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company and served clients in the US and globally in McKinsey’s Advanced Industries Practice. At McKinsey, I deeply embedded with clients, often for 1-2 years at a time to solve the toughest problems side-by-side with executives, managers, and the front line.

At McKinsey, I specialized in three areas

• Drove deep and lasting transformation, especially in the areas of product cost reduction, industrial scale up and industrial recovery, sourcing, and supply chain throughput

• Built front line capabilities to reduce product cost and scale production by designing and training client teams focused on product cost reduction in Aerospace and Industrials

• Coached executives and their teams to make critical decisions, navigate challenges, and establish healthy cultures in the context of business changes and scale up

Prior to McKinsey, I was an officer and developmental engineer in the US Air Force, with multiple distinctive assignments through 7 years of active duty.

• Senior Instructor of Engineering Mechanics at the US Air Force Academy, leading instruction for 1000 students in Statics and Mechanics and supervising 18 instructors

• Full time Masters student at the Air Force Institute of Technology, where I focused on the test and evaluation of internal combustion engines for small aircraft

• Test engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory, where I designed and conducted tests on multiple cutting-edge weapon systems and led analysis to support new effects

I hold a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the US Air Force Academy.