The DAF RCO delivers capabilities at the speed of emerging threats. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS Walden, who is the director and program executive officer for the RCO, has been named senior executive advisor in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, according to a July 11 announcement from the Air Force. Rapid Capabilities Office. The Space Rapid Capabilities Office. 1989 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. Current DAF RCO work includes the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, a reusable, unmanned space test platform for the United States Space Force, and the B-21 Raider, a long-range strike bomber for the United States Air Force. 16. (Current as of November 2020), An official website of the United States government, Expedites the development and fielding of select Department of Defense combat support and weapon systems, Leverages defense-wide technology development efforts and existing operational capabilities, Provides integration and technical support to other Service or U.S. Government activities, Conducts independent operational and technical assessments of weapon or combat support system capabilities and vulnerabilities, Takes on new challenges to accelerate operationally-focused capabilities, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Inherent in the DAF RCOs mission is intent to experiment, within the bounds of statute, to discover and recommend new methods, processes, and techniques for the Air Force, the Space Force, and the Department of Defense to acquire and field capabilities efficiently. You will never be allowed to go fast.. Alongside the director, he directs contracting activities executing $4 billion a year for selected study, development, and fielding activities involving 40 programs tasked directly by the Under Secretary of Defense . Former AFRL program executive Kelly Hammett on June 6, 2022, took over as director of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office. 18. AFRL highlights importance of science and technology at AFA's Air One of its first projects was to deploy significant upgrades to the Integrated Air Defense System, now operational around the National Capital Region, to meet critical counter-terrorism objectives before the January 2005 Presidential Inauguration Day. Women Achieving Acquisition Excellence Located in Washington, D.C., the DAF RCO reports directly to a Board of Directors chaired by the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. Get your daily fix of Air Force news delivered right to your inbox every day. The Department of the Air Force's Cyber Resiliency Office for Weapon Systems, or CROWS, is working to expand best practices in the field of cyber security by potentially expanding its Cyber Focus Teams to Space Force Program Executive Offices, as well as updating the DAF System Security Engineering Guidebook. Since neither Russia nor Ukraines air force has been able to achieve air superiority, both sides have turned to drones to augment their capabilities. September 2005January 2006, Chief, Theater Contracts Division, Principal Assistant Responsible for ContractingForces, Joint Contracting Command - Iraq/Afghanistan, Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq (Current as of January 2023), An official website of the United States government, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. OUSD A&S Leadership - Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Mr. Keller graduated from East Carolina University in 1989 and was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force the same year. 2001 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 6. 2009 - 2013, Director, Information Dominance Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. We're weird, he said. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. MELBOURNE, Fla (AFNS) --. In summer 2021, the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, headquartered in Washington D.C., stood up the ABMS Program Executive Office Integration Team at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., to bring together acquisition directorate personnel to leverage their developed capabilities for use in the ABMS. 11. 2014 - present, Director and Program Executive Officer, Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C. As a. 220812-F-NW306-1020. Navy Achievement Medal with two gold stars Michael W. Roberts, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director and Program Executive Officer for The Space Rapid Capabilities Office, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Brown Jr.).The Air Staff is primarily composed of uniformed U.S. Air Force officials who assist the . Colonel Johnson directed an 800person team to design critical systems, test effectiveness, interoperability, and field COCOM priorities. Jun 17 - present, Program Executive Officer, Fixed-Wing, Special Operations Forces, Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB FL MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Two Oak Leaf Cluster Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster Air Force Commendation Medal Air Force Achievement Medal DATES OF PROMOTIONS Second Lieutenant Mar 1996 First Lieutenant Mar 1998 Captain Mar 2000 Major Mar 2006 Lieutenant Colonel Apr 2011 Colonel Apr 2017 PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS Program Management, Level III, Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP) Test and Evaluation, Level II APDP Systems Planning, Research, Development, and Engineering, Level II, APDP. Randall G. Walden, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Director and Program Executive Officer for the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Washington, D.C. )or https:// means you've safely connected to the .mil website. April 2001 January 2004, SPY Element Test Engineer, Northrup Grumman Information Technology, Dahlgren, Va. Space RCO Presses Forward Amid Reorganization The Space Rapid Capabilities Office procures commercial and classified technologies for the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Clipboard (Opens in new window). 20. 9. 3. OUSD A&S Office News 2021 Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association, 1501 Langston Boulevard, Arlington, Va., 22209-1198. "AFRCO" means the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. An artist rendering of a B-21 Raider concept in a hangar at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. Tanya M. Skeen - Our People - Purdue Engineering Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director. He is the principle advisor to the Director and senior staff on matters concerning the welfare, effective utilization, training, career progression and organizational performance for a diverse team of acquisition and support personnel. 15. 1995 Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville He became head of the RCO in 2014. Mr. Robert D. Eidsmoe is the Deputy Director, Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office - Wikipedia Aerial Achievement Medal Get top stories, military space news and more delivered to your inbox. Specifically, the office: Organization Military aviation and technology are ever-changing, from the prevalence of drones to a shift to jets for special mission surveillance, once the province of propeller aircraft. Defense Superior Service Medal The office responds to Combat Air and Space Forces and combatant command requirements. Copyright 2023. Randall G. Walden, head of the Air Forces Rapid Capabilities Office, where he has directed development of the B-21 bomber and the Advanced Battle Management System, is moving to a new job at the Pentagon to advise the DODs acquisition and sustainment chief, William A. LaPlante. Secretary of the Navy Acquisition Excellence Award USSF Unveils Space Systems Command's Structure August 2013 March 2015, ZUMWALT Deputy Major Program Manager, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. CAREER CHRONOLOGY The Space Rapid Capabilities Office | LinkedIn director and program executive officer for the Department of . [Our approach] is a little bit different, Roberts said. AWARDS AND HONORS The past 15 years, his career focus has been on acquisition, combat and weapon system engineering, design, testing, fielding and sustainment. Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters Colonel Johnson was an Air Force Legislative Fellow for Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and served as an advisor on defense, foreign policy, and military construction issues. Here's What We Know The Shadowy X-37B Was Up To During Its Record 780 We dont necessarily have that same construct.. Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster One of its first projects was to deploy significant upgrades to the Integrated Air Defense System, now operational around the National Capital Region, to meet critical counter-terrorism objectives before the January 2005 Presidential Inauguration Day. Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs. Certified Acquisition Professional, Level III, Contracting Rolls-Royce has started testing the F130 engine that will replace the B-52's aged TF33, the company announced. EDUCATION 1995 Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 1998 Master of Science in Engineering Management, University of Dayton, Dayton OH 2001 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB AL 2007 Air Command and Staff College Non-resident Program 2008 Air Force Legislative Fellow, Air University, Washington DC 2013 Air War College Non-resident Program 2016 Blue Horizons Fellowship, Maxwell AFB AL ASSIGNMENTS 1. Mar 96 - Aug 97, Aerodynamic Propulsion Analyst, National Air Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 2. The service could not immediately say whether a successor at the RCO had been determined. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. EDUCATION Space Rapid Capabilities Office > United States Space Force > Fact Sheets SDA Taps Raytheon for Seven More Missile-Tracking Satellites, Photos: F-22s Deploy to Tinian for First Time as Part of ACE Exercise, In Message to Force, Austin Touts Once-in-a-Generation Investments, Heres What USAFs Science Board Is Studying Now, Were Weird: New Commander Details Life Inside Task Force 99, Think Tank Leaders Recommend Top Focus Areas for House Intelligence Committee, Pratt & Whitneys New Fix for F-35 Engine Issues Will Allow Deliveries to Resume, Cutting-Edge Drones Headed to Ukraine in Latest US Aid, Northrop Grumman Touts New Multimode Sensor As Quicker, Cheaper Upgrade, Air Force CIO Knausenberger Will Depart in June. LaPlante was determined to write a good contract for the B-21 that could adapt to a changing threat, and the fact that the award handily survived a protest from the losing Lockheed Martin-Boeing team could be called one of LaPlantes signature achievements while he was the Air Force SAE. About | The Army RCCTO Details About X-37B Payload Adapter Revealed After Record-Setting Mission 10 things we know about the secret X-37B space plane The Army Rapid Capabilities Office was created in August 2016 to expedite the delivery of critical combat materiel capabilities to the Warfighter to meet Combatant Commanders' needs. Air Force Commendation Medal . Jul 15 Jul 16, Blue Horizons Fellow, Air University, Maxwell AFB AL 13. He is responsible for oversight and support of the Air Force SAP and Classified Contracting portfolio at Headquarters Air Force level valued at greater than $40 billion and senior level advocacy and training for 1,100 military and civilian acquisition professionals. The deputy or technical director to a SCO may exercise any SCO authority unless restricted in the FAR, as supplemented (e.g., individual authorized to execute a specific authority must be of a certain minimum grade/rank), or as specifically limited by the SCO. The decision to make the fix to. Inherent in the DAF RCOs mission is intent to experiment, within the bounds of statute, to discover and recommend new methods, processes and techniques for the Air Force, the Space Force and the Department of Defense to acquire and field capabilities efficiently. Program Management, Level III, Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP) August 2007January 2009, Air Force Legislative Fellow, Air University, Washington, D.C. "We have to go fast," Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond said during an April 8 press conference. July 2010June 2012, Director, Mission Support Team 1, Joint Contingency Acquisition Support Office, Defense Logistics Agency, Fort Belvoir, Va. June 2014May 2017, Director of Contracting, Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Md. HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. Copyright 2023. Other responsibilities include technical integration of Department of Defense classified activities, and the representation of these activities to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Congress and the White House. The Space Rapid Capabilities Office procures commercial and classified technologies for the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command by Sandra Erwin June 14, 2022 January 23, 2023 Click to share on . The project found a "place to call home" under Dr. Victoria Coleman, Air Force chief scientist, and Col. Mario Serna Jr., deputy director of innovation and technology integration, Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office-Field Support Unit. Critics argue that defeats the purpose of creating an RCO specifically to handle space projects, echoing larger concerns that the fragmented military space enterprise is simply growing instead of consolidating into something more effective. June 1993January 1995, Assistant Chief, Program and Technical Support Division, Defense Contract Management Command, Orlando, Fla. She assisted the Director in overseeing a $4 billion Air Force test infrastructure and the programming and execution of the Air Force test portfolio with an annual budget of $1.9 billion. Gen. Jeffery Valenzia, who leads the Air Force's ABMS . ElyRatner, assistant secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, discussed how China continues to prod the U.S. and challenge stability in region, even as, The entire F-35 fleet is slated to get the retrofit engine maker Pratt & Whitney has identified to mitigate the problem that led to suspended deliveries and flight restrictions for some aircraft for nearly two monthsa move that will affect hundreds of fighters globally. During her assignment at the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, she served as the Chief of the Offensive Capabilities Branch, where she was responsible for integrating acquisition efforts in support of multiple classified programs valued at over $600M. 15. Staff photo by Mike Tsukamoto. BRIGADIER GENERAL DALE R. WHITE > Air Force Life Cycle Management - AF Key operating principles of the DAF RCO include a short and narrow chain of command, early and prominent war-fighter involvement, and funding stability. 12. ASC21 Video Presentations | Air & Space Forces Association 2022 National Defense Strategy to Prioritize Gray Zone & Hybrid Warfare 9. 14. Covering the business and politics of space. Oct 00 - Jan 02, Engineering Test Director, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB NM 5. CROWS looks to expand its partnerships > Tinker Air Force Base Mike Roberts, Director Space Rapid Capabilities Office (DOD) . MICHAEL W. ROBERTS > Air Force > Biography Display - AF 17. 1982 - 1984, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Parks College of St. Louis University, Cahokia, Ill. United States Air Force - Wikipedia Knausenberger, who became CIO in August 2020, is set to leave in June. A space solar power program that fell under the former Operationally Responsive Space office is transitioning to the Air Force Research Laboratory instead. The Secretary of the Air Force activated the office on April 28, 2003. He insisted on an open architecture for the B-21, and while USAF secured a fixed-price contract for the initial aircraft, the development program was a cost-plus arrangement that rewarded Northrop Grumman for hitting milestones early. 7. June 2017July 2020, Program Executive Officer, Fixed Wing, Special Operations Forces, Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla. Kendall's spokesman said the SAF/SQ office will focus on "the acquisition of space systems and technical capabilities." The Air Force previously had a space policy office led by Shawn Barnes . 1. 3. Walden had also predicted the first article would fly this summer, but Air Force officials have since walked back that prediction. 1st. 7. Clockwise from left, Randall G. Walden, director and program executive officer at the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Michael W. Roberts, director and PEO at the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, and retired USAF Maj. Gen. Larry Stutzriem, director of research at AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, appear in conversation during a Space Power Forum hosted by the think tank on Aug. 13, 2020. A Program Executive Officer may be responsible for a specific program (e.g., the Joint Strike Fighter), or for an entire portfolio of similar programs (e.g., the Air Force PEO for Space, who is responsible for all acquisition programs at the Air Force Space Command Space and . Units > Space Rapid Capabilities Office - Kirtland Air Force Base director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, during a recent interview with Air . Is Space Force moving fast enough for its Rapid Capabilities Office? Air Force releases new B-21 Raider artist rendering The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office . Mr. Roberts was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2017. Rapid Capabilities Office Board members also include the Secretary of the Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff, the Chief of Space Operations . . The 2022 National Defense Strategy and Future Force Structure B-21 Director Walden Leaving RCO to Advise LaPlante at Pentagon There's no more reliable source for news about your Air Force. June 2003June 2004, Chief, Asymmetric Capabilities Development Branch, Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters of the Air Force, Arlington, Va. Other responsibilities include technical integration of Department of Defense classified activities, and the representation of these activities to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Congress and the White House. LaPlante, formerly the Air Forces acquisition executive, put Walden and the RCO in charge of B-21 development in 2015, when the Air Force selected Northrop Grumman to build what was then called the Long-Range Strike Bomber. Randall G. Walden, head of the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office, where he has directed development of the B-21 bomber and the Advanced Battle Management System, is moving to a new job at the Pentagon to advise the DOD's acquisition and sustainment chief, William A. LaPlante. In this role, she lead 7 distinct manned Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and SOF mobility aircraft programs and developing, procuring, and sustaining intelligence and communication systems for a 91 aircraft fleet. The Air Force has disclosed relatively few other products of the RCO, but one noteworthy program was the X-37B mini-space plane, one of which broke its own on-orbit record July 6. Specifically, the office: Expedites the development and fielding of select Department of Defense combat support and weapon systems, Leverages defense-wide technology development efforts and existing operational capabilities, Provides integration and technical support to other Service or U.S. Government activities, Conducts independent operational and technical assessments of weapon or combat support system capabilities and vulnerabilities, Takes on new challenges to accelerate operationally-focused capabilities. The secretive Space Rapid Capabilities Offices workload has taken shape two years after its inception, as the space research and development enterprise changes around it. Executive Director, F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office, U.S. Department of Defense: 2017-2018: Director and Program Executive Officer, Army Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics: 2014-2017: Deputy Director, Test and Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force: 2009-2014