air force rapid capabilities office director

The service could not immediately say whether a successor at the RCO had been determined. 1. Delivering space capabilities quickly and effectively requires a strong core culture and mindset. 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 for Acquisition and Sustainment, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Secretary of the Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff, the Chief of Space Operations, the Assistant Secretary for the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, and the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration. 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 . 2001 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence 11. Robertss team could ask the Air Force RCO to test payloads on the spaceplane that would eventually fly on satellites or other spacecraft. The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, Space Vehicles Directorate held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its newest space facility, the Rapid Architecture Prototyping and Integration Development, or RAPID, laboratory, at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, April 12, 2022, with Col. Eric Felt, director, AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, as the presiding official. Systems Planning, Research, Development, and Engineering, Level II, APDP 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. 7. Jun 05 Jul 07, Chief, Offensive Capabilities Branch, Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC 9. A blistering, 148-page document by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that Afghan. June 2019present, Director of Contracting, Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office / Special Access Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 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. 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 . The office responds to Combat Air and Space Forces and combatant command requirements. Jan 09 Aug 11, Director, Non-Standard Aircraft Systems, Program Executive Office for Fixed Wing Aircraft, Center for Special Operations Acquisitions and Logistics, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB FL 11. 6. Mr. Robert D. Eidsmoe is the Deputy Director, Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Everybody has their job to do and they do it., Chinas growing capabilities and recent boldness in the air domain represent dangerous and destabilizing behavior patterns, the Pentagons top official on the Indo-Pacific said March 2. As with past renderings, this rendering is an artist's interpretation of the B-21 design. During Waldens 20-year Air Force career as a flight test engineer, he worked at times on classified projects. 6. The Secretary of the Air Force activated the office on April 28, 2003. . said the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director, . 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. The Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, located in Washington, D.C., reports directly to a Board of Directors chaired by the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. Read more at National Defense Magazine. 5mo. 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: Organization 5. 1995 Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville . Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM) Air Force Achievement Medal Joint Service Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency handles similar initiatives that can transition to the Space RCO as well. Alongside the Director, he directs contracting activities executing $6 billion a year for selected study, development and fielding activities involving 40 programs tasked directly by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff. As a. 3. Board members also include the Secretary of the Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff, the Chief of Space Operations, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition), and the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. March 1998September 2000, Special Projects Program Manager, 28th Test Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla. 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. We plan on keeping that. A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States. June 2014May 2017, Director of Contracting, Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Md. In 2021, Randall Walden, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said that a first flight in mid-2022 was a "good bet". An artist rendering of a B-21 Raider concept in a hangar at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. Less than 200 personnel assigned to the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office rapidly develop capabilities to outpace and counter the increasing threats of adversaries. 2008 Air Force Legislative Fellow, Air University, Washington, D.C. 7,260 followers. 2009 - 2013, Director, Information Dominance Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. Were working at it as a rapid acquisition program to build some algorithms to help with ground processing, Roberts said. 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. Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark Esper, visited the B-21 Raider design and development headquarters at Northrop Grumman, to witness the progress being made on the nation's most cutting edge dual-capable stealth bomber. Michael W. Roberts, Director and Program Executive Officer for The Space Rapid Capabilities Office Video. Jan 02 - Jun 03, High Power Microwave Applications Program Manager, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB NM 6. Program Management, Level III, Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP) Colonel Johnson also served at the Air Force Research Laboratorys Directed Energy Directorate as the Engineering Test Director and High Power Microwave (HPM) Applications Program Manager. July 2017September 2018, Senior Acquisition Consultant, WBB Inc., Reston, Va. October 2000January 2002, Engineering Test Director, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M. 1992 - 1997, Operations Officer and Flight Test Program Manager, Nellis AFB, Nev. The Air Staff is one of the Department of the Air Force's two statutorily designated headquarters staffs: the other staff is the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, also known as the Secretariat.The Air Staff is headed by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (currently General Charles Q. While assigned to the 28th Test Squadron, she was a special projects engineer and program manager for classified electronic warfare and command and control test activities. Mr. Walden retired from active duty in 2002 with more than 20 years of military experience as an acquisition and technical professional. 13. April 2001 January 2004, SPY Element Test Engineer, Northrup Grumman Information Technology, Dahlgren, Va. 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 . Current programs under the purview of the organization include the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, a reusable, unmanned space test platform for the U.S. Space Force, and the B-21 Raider, a long-range strike bomber for the U.S. Air Force. 20. Additionally, Mr. Keller is Director of Contracting, Air Force Special Access Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. 3. 297 followers . During a recent Air Force Association breakfast, the Director and Program Executive Officer for the U.S. Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office touted the progress made on the B-21 Raider program. 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. Highlights Page (1 page) Full Report (28 pages) Accessible PDF (33 pages) GAO Contacts. Background Throughout her time on active duty, Ms. Johnson served in a variety of assignments and leadership roles ranging from an aerodynamic propulsion analyst to a materiel leader for a highly classified strategic combat system directed by the Deputy Secretary of Defense. The DAF RCO is staffed with a collaborative, multidisciplinary team. WASHINGTON (AFNS) --. Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster CFTs look to "bake-in" cyber resiliency into new weapon systems and mitigate vulnerabilities in fielded systems. The office preserves the strength of U.S. ingenuity and innovation without the rigidity of traditional acquisition. The office procures space technologies and manages classified programs for the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command. 1984 - 1989, Flight Test Engineer, F-16 Combined Test Force, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The Board of Directors tasks the office directly to address immediate and near-term operational needs and delivers capabilities that require specialized expertise. 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. The Space RCO sees itself as a fast-moving counterpart to the SMC, which handles more traditional military satellites, radars, and other space-related equipment from design to retirement. Shank "brings many years of military, government, and commercial industry experience to SCO," the bio states. 11. 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 here. Boeing will build a prototype E-7A Wedgetail air battle management aircraft for the U.S. Air Force under a $1.2 billion contract awarded Feb. 28, the service announced. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director. July 2015July 2016, Blue Horizons Fellow, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 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 The decision to make the fix to. Unit Commendation Medal with three gold stars 2004 Bachelors of Science, Engineering Technology, Grantham University, Lenexa, Kan. director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, during a recent interview with Air . 1989 - 1992, Lead Avionics Flight Test Engineer, V-22 Multi-Service Test Team, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. Its not the fault of the commander or anybody else at Space Systems Command, its just because youre adding two to three layers of bureaucracy and decision-making on top of my current organization. Key operating principles of the DAF RCO include a short and narrow chain of command, early and prominent war-fighter involvement, and funding stability. The Space RCO Board, Roberts explained, includes the Secretary of the Air Force, the Chief of Space Operations, the Chief of Staff . 10. 2007 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence 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. 2017 Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award The deployment, which began March 1, is part of an exercise dubbed Agile Reaper 23-1. The conflict in Ukraine is increasingly emerging as a test bed for new American unmanned aerial systems (UAS). . Production is set begin in 2025 and the first E-7A will be operational by 2027. Aug 16 May 17, Chief, Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent Integration, Intercontinental Ballistics Systems Division, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB UT 14. March 2015 January 2017, Surface Ships Weapons Duty Major Program Manager, Arlington, Va. 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. July 1996July 1997, Assistant Chief, Spacecraft Contracts Branch, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles, Calif. Hammett will lead the Space Force organization known as the Space RCO, located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. May 1989October 1990, Contract Negotiator, Operational Contracting Division, Robins Air Force Base, Ga. Mr. Keller graduated from East Carolina University in 1989 and was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force the same year. The Secretary of the Air Force activated the office on April 28, 2003. Aug 97 - Mar 98, Special Projects Engineer, 28th Test Squadron, Eglin AFB FL 3. 2006 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence The U.S. Air Force's top secret spaceplane, the Boeing X-37B, landed in Florida early Sunday after 780 daysover 2 years and one monthin orbit around the . Rapid Capabilities Office (Current as of June 2020), An official website of the United States government, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association, 1501 Langston Boulevard, Arlington, Va., 22209-1198. Two F130s housed in a twin-engine nacelle are mounted on a test stand at Stennis Space Center, Miss., where they will perform crosswind and engine control tests, Rolls program director Scott Ames said.. CAREER CHRONOLOGY June 2004June 2005, Executive Officer, Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters of the Air Force, Arlington, Va. You will never be allowed to go fast.. 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. As with past renderings, this rendering is an artist's interpretation of the B-21 design. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs. Pentagon leaders and cleared members of Congress alike have lauded the B-21 as a well-run program. 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 . The U.S. created an Afghan air force that was too technologically advanced for its native country to sustain, then pulled the rug out from under it, according to a U.S. government inspector general report. I dont see that changing. Mar 96 - Aug 97, Aerodynamic Propulsion Analyst, National Air Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 2. 6. Air Force Commendation Medal 420th FLTS Reactivates to Support B-21 Raider Testing. Key operating principles of the DAF RCO include a short and narrow chain of command, early and prominent war-fighter involvement, and funding stability. 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. The Space RCO replaced the ORS office at Congress direction. He served in a variety of roles, leading contracting operations in support of space and aircraft systems acquisition, installation and specialized support, and contingency operations in three different theaters. The overall goal of the organization is to acquire and launch space systems more quickly. He served in acquisition command as the . Of them, 40 Airmen voluntarily left the service and 14 officers retired, according to Undersecretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones at a House Armed Services Committee hearing Feb. 28. 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. Discover the best publication that space professionals throughout the world turn to first. He has an ability to go out and do proliferated things, using straight off-the-shelf things that commercial [industry] is doing, for the most part. 18. 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.