Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate - AFLCMC Mission, Organization . For the first time the U.S. territory of Tinian, a small island around 100 miles north of the American military hub of Guam, hosted F-22 Raptors. AFRL's new lab to accelerate hybrid space architecture - Air Force Director of Contracting, DAF Rapid Capabilities Office and Air Force Special Access Programs (SES) United States Air Force Jun 2019 - Present 3 years 9 months June 2012June 2014, Chief, Contracting Operations Division, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition (Contracting), the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 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. 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. 1982 Bachelor of Science, Mathematics, Christopher Newport College, Newport News, Va. August 1997March 1998, Special Projects Engineer, 28th Test Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla. Technology Acquisition Series #1: Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office 1998 Master of Science in Engineering Management, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio As the SpRCO's senior acquisition officer, Mr. Roberts is responsible for and oversees Space-based research, development and acquisition . The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office . Air Force Achievement Medal CFTs look to "bake-in" cyber resiliency into new weapon systems and mitigate vulnerabilities in fielded systems. Michael W. Roberts > Kirtland Air Force Base > Display The past 15 years, his career focus has been on acquisition, combat and weapon system engineering, design, testing, fielding and sustainment. 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, Top Pentagon Official: Chinas Air Actions Are Dangerous and Destabilizing, Entire F-35 Fleet to Get Fix for Engine Vibration Issue, Service Will Remain at Heart of King Aerospace No Matter How Aviation and Technology Change, US Set Up Afghans for Failure, With a Force Too Complex to Maintain, IG Says, Air Force Separated 610 Airmen For Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine, USAF Selects Boeings E-7A Wedgetail as Successor to AWACS. "AFRCO" means the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. June 1993January 1995, Assistant Chief, Program and Technical Support Division, Defense Contract Management Command, Orlando, Fla. In this position, Mr. Roberts serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force for the development and fielding of classified critical space capabilities. 2007 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence The SSC will work directly with the Air Force Research Laboratory and other groups like the Rapid Capabilities Office. will lead the Space Force organization known as the Space RCO, located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. August 2013 March 2015, ZUMWALT Deputy Major Program Manager, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. ABOUT OUR SPEAKER: D. Edward Keller Jr. is Director of Contracting for the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) and a member of the Senior Executive Service. Director. Video: Mitchell Institute on YouTube, That may sound familiar, as the U.S. Space Force thought about what we go after, Roberts said. Ms. Johnson is the lead for all government program office efforts with Industry and is responsible for program/Air Staff interactions with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff and Congress. Lt. Charles Schramka and Sergio Mendoza interact with Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David D. Thompson at the Air Force Research Laboratory's booth during the Air Force Association's Air, Space & Cyber Conference to discuss National Technology Satellite-3 or NTS-3, the DAF Vanguard program pushing the boundary of today's position, navigation and timing technology via an . Air Force releases new B-21 Raider artist rendering Space RCO is a relatively small office filled with people who love what they do in Albuquerque, New Mexico. July 2009July 2010, Project Lead, Integrated Financial Operations, Joint Concept Development and Experimentation Directorate, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Suffolk Va. Aerial Achievement Medal 2009 - 2009, Deputy and Technical Director, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, D.C. MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS June 2001May 2003, Acquisition Staff Officer, Contracting Division, Directorate of Logistics and Maintenance, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va. 1. Published Aug. 31, 2020. United States Space Force > About Us > Fact Sheets Melissa A. Johnson, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Deputy Director of 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. Alongside the Director, she directs selected study, development and fielding activities tasked directly by the Under Secretary of Defense . Production is set begin in 2025 and the first E-7A will be operational by 2027. 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. 7. Jun 03 - Jun 04, Chief, Asymmetric Capabilities Development Branch, Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC 7. Brown Jr.).The Air Staff is primarily composed of uniformed U.S. Air Force officials who assist the . Space RCO Head: Too Soon For Single Acquisition Shop Jun 04 - Jun 05, Executive Officer, Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC 8. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS The Space Development Agency has added another batch of missile-tracking satellites to its expansive constellation, awarding Raytheon a $250 million contract March 2 to build seven spacecraft. Copyright 2023. Paul Litke - Center for Rapid Innovation Deputy Director - Air Force 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. He was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force the same year and served as a flight test engineer with Air Force Material Command at Edwards Air Force Base, California, Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland, and Nellis AFB, Nevada. 10. Under Col. Robert Smoker, Task Force 99s new commander, the unit will continue to try to cut through red tape and field new systems quickly. 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. (Current as of January 2023), An official website of the United States government, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Unit Commendation Medal with three gold stars Air Force Achievement Medal . 2003 Senior Executive Service Seminar, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala. The DAF RCO is staffed with a collaborative, multidisciplinary team. October 1990June 1993, Contracting Officer, F-15 System Program Office, Robins AFB, Ga. Colonel Jeffrey R. LaFleur is an instructor at The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C. 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. September 2005January 2006, Chief, Theater Contracts Division, Principal Assistant Responsible for ContractingForces, Joint Contracting Command - Iraq/Afghanistan, Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq Air Force Battle Lab accelerates battle management for PACAF, ABMS CFT Full Report. Project Arc team works to make technical Airmen more operationally Navy Achievement Medal with two gold stars Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen, the X-37B Program Director at the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, confirmed that "the addition of the service module on OTV-6 allowed us to host . He became head of the RCO in 2014. Space Rapid Capabilities Office performs Assumption of Leadership BRIGADIER GENERAL DALE R. WHITE > Air Force Life Cycle Management - AF Air Force Commendation Medal 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. Previously, Mr. Keller served as Associate Executive Director for Procurement Policy, Systems and Oversight at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Director of Contracting at the Air Force District of Washington, and as Chief, Contracting Operations Division for the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition (Contracting), the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. There's no more reliable source for news about your Air Force. As with past renderings, this rendering is an artist's interpretation of the B-21 design. Brig. 1st. 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. To me, thats the most important piece, Walden said. The Space RCO appears to have settled on a slate of initiatives that will keep it occupied. He holds a master non-rated aircrew badge. Alongside the director, he directs contracting activities executing $4 billion a year for . Units > Space Rapid Capabilities Office - Kirtland Air Force Base B-21 News - Northrop Grumman April 2001 January 2004, SPY Element Test Engineer, Northrup Grumman Information Technology, Dahlgren, Va. The United States Air Force ( USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. 9. Defense Meritorious Service Medal "Nuclear modernization is a department priority . Mr. Robertss career spans 24 years in support of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force as both a veteran and acquisition professional. 2. the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2002, serving on the Air Staff as the Director for Information Dominance Programs, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) and Director, Air Force Test and Evaluation, prior to his current position. During more than two decades at AFRL, Hammett worked on programs like high-power lasers and high power microwave developments, and oversaw the the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing site known as AMOS. Is Space Force moving fast enough for its Rapid Capabilities Office? Everybody has their job to do and they do it., Rolls-Royce has started testing the F130 engine that will replace the B-52's aged TF33, the company announced.