EDUCATION 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. -- In January, the Department of the Air Force's Cyber Resiliency Office for Weapon Systems, or CROWS, worked to expand its existing use of Cyber Focus Teams. Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster (Current as of January 2023), An official website of the United States government, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. 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. Michael W. Roberts, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director and Program Executive Officer (PEO) for the Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. 220812-F-NW306-1020. [Our approach] is a little bit different, Roberts said. She has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades as editor of NDIAs National Defense Dunlap would continue to oversee on-ramp experiments . Aug 07 Jan 09, Air Force Legislative Fellow, Air University, Washington DC 10. Meritorious Service Medal June 2001May 2003, Acquisition Staff Officer, Contracting Division, Directorate of Logistics and Maintenance, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va. 5. NAVSEA Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS In 2021, Randall Walden, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said that a first flight in mid-2022 was a "good bet". 10. A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States. 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. Delivering space capabilities quickly and effectively requires a strong core culture and mindset. Total Force - Air and Space Lt Gen Richard W. Scobee, Chief of Air Force Reserve Lt Gen Michael A. Loh, Director, Air National Guard Video. The Space RCO replaced the ORS office at Congress direction. Back then, a second B-21 Raider bomber was under . More by Sandra Erwin. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the . 297 followers . Afghanistan Campaign Medal 6. Office of Public Affairs . 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. June 2009 October 2010, DDG 1000 Combat Systems TD, NAVSEA05H, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. 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. 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. EDUCATION 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. During Waldens 20-year Air Force career as a flight test engineer, he worked at times on classified projects. 2006 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence Your browser is incompatible with this widget. 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. Rapid Capabilities Office. 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. LaPlante at the time described the choice of putting a major weapon system such as the B-21 under the RCO, rather than in a traditional program office, as a way to use lean management techniques with minimal Pentagon bureaucracy while taking advantage of the RCOs ability to conduct projects in secret. . He served in acquisition command as the . Brig. A U.S. Air Force X-37B space plane, encapsulated ahead of a planned May 16, 2020, launch, the sixth mission for the X-37B program. It will slow us down. The Secretary of the Air Force activated the office on April 28, 2003. The Air Force released a new B-21 Raider artist rendering graphic with an accompanying fact sheet today. 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 . HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. 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. Program Manager, AFRL Transformational Capabilities Office Dayton, Ohio, United States. September 2005January 2006, Chief, Theater Contracts Division, Principal Assistant Responsible for ContractingForces, Joint Contracting Command - Iraq/Afghanistan, Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq Planning for the event began over six months ago with collaboration between the 805th CTS, Secretary of the Air Force's Studies and Analysis team, Headquarters Air Force ABMS Cross-Functional team, Rapid Capabilities Office, Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, 505th Command and Control Wing and industry partners. 10. Defense Superior Service Medal October 1990June 1993, Contracting Officer, F-15 System Program Office, Robins AFB, Ga. The Air Force plans to field four pods for an early operational capability by the end of FY22 but could acquire up to 10 pods, said Brig. 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. October 2020present, Deputy Director, 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. Shank "brings many years of military, government, and commercial industry experience to SCO," the bio states. . 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. 13. Deliveries of the engine, which powers the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, resumed Feb. 18 after nearly a two-month hiatus. 8. Copyright 2023. D. Edward Ed Keller, Jr., a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Director of Contracting for the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. February 2019 present, Director, Space Rapid Capabilities Office, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. 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. The multimode sensor can perform radar, communications, and electronic warfare functions simultaneously. This 1,000 member Directorate executes $16 Billion and delivers combat capability to primarily . The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office . 1999 - 2002, Chief, Special Studies Division, Air Force Red Team, Directorate of Special Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. 13. 7,260 followers. 2016 Blue Horizons Fellowship, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2013 Air War College Non-resident Program, Maxwell AFB, Ala. Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters Video: Mitchell Institute on YouTube, That may sound familiar, as the U.S. Space Force thought about what we go after, Roberts said. Systems Planning, Research, Development, and Engineering, Level II, APDP 1994 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. In December 2018, its mission was expanded and its name changed to the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office. She has served as an aerodynamic propulsion analyst at the National Air Intelligence Center where she developed new modeling tools for missile propulsion assessments. 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. The Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office has been responsible for development and deployment of significant upgrades to the Integrated Air Defense System now operational around the National Capital Region and the launch and experimental operations of the X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle. 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. Your browser is incompatible with this widget. The office responds to Combat Air and Space Forces and combatant command requirements. Ive talked to Gen. Raymond about that multiple times, and the Secretary of the Air Force, Walden said. The Space RCO appears to have settled on a slate of initiatives that will keep it occupied. June 2004June 2005, Executive Officer, Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters of the Air Force, Arlington, Va. The Air Force released a new B-21 Raider artist rendering graphic with an accompanying fact sheet today. 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. A blistering, 148-page document by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that Afghan. Key operating principles of the DAF RCO include a short and narrow chain of command, early and prominent war-fighter involvement, and funding stability. There's no more reliable source for news about your Air Force. June 2005July 2007, Chief, Offensive Capabilities Branch, Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters of the Air Force, Arlington, Va. June 2003June 2006, Commander, 7th Contracting Squadron, 7th Mission Support Group, 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess AFB, Texas Covering the business and politics of space. MELBOURNE, Fla (AFNS) --. 11. 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. The Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (DAF RCO) has accelerated methods for developing, acquiring, and fielding critical combat capabilities. Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association, 1501 Langston Boulevard, Arlington, Va., 22209-1198. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS 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. 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. 1. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency handles similar initiatives that can transition to the Space RCO as well. 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. May 2005 June 2009, Software Certification Senior Systems Engineer, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Tewksbury, Mass. Her final assignment to cap off a 24-year active-duty career was as the Program Executive Officer for Fixed Wing Programs, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command where she was responsible for more than 100 special operation forces acquisition programs. the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command. We're weird, he said. 7. . Welcome. Walden had also predicted the first article would fly this summer, but Air Force officials have since walked back that prediction. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS 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. 17. One program that looks to augment existing spacecraft ground control systems isnt quite as under wraps. 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. The SSC will work directly with the Air Force Research Laboratory and other groups like the Rapid Capabilities Office. Mission, Organization Staff photo by Mike Tsukamoto. "We have to go fast," Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond said during an April 8 press conference. Previously, in November 2020, the Air and Space Force's acquisition chief, then Dr. Will Roper, named the RCO as the ABMS Integrating Program Executive Office. Mr. Walden retired from active duty in 2002 with more than 20 years of military experience as an acquisition and technical professional. 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. 2007 Meritorious Senior Professional Presidential Rank Award 14. by Sandra Erwin June 25, 2018 January 23, 2023 Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Defense Meritorious Service Medal June 2006June 2008, Operational Manager, Theater Effects Based Operations Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (TEBOACTD), U.S. Joint Forces Command, Suffolk, Va. 6. 1. 4. 1987 Flight Test Engineer Course, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. 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. A space solar power program that fell under the former Operationally Responsive Space office is transitioning to the Air Force Research Laboratory instead. Bronze Star Medal Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM) Highlights Page (1 page) Full Report (28 pages) Accessible PDF (33 pages) GAO Contacts. Located in Washington, D.C., the DAF RCO reports directly to a Board . The DAF RCO delivers capabilities at the speed of emerging threats. The office. 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. 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. If we move under the Space Systems Command, we probably should cease to exist, Roberts said. 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. Randall G. Walden, director and program executive officer for the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, speaks at AFA's Air Warfare Symposium, March 4, 2022. The Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), a direct reporting unit of the U.S. Space Force, has a specialized, restricted and unique mission. 1984 Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, Parks College of St. Louis University, Cahokia, Ill. 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 1998 - 1999, Deputy Chief, Advanced Technology Division, Directorate of Special Programs, Office of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award Iraq Campaign Medal This military aviation article is a stub. Robertss team could ask the Air Force RCO to test payloads on the spaceplane that would eventually fly on satellites or other spacecraft. August 2007January 2009, Air Force Legislative Fellow, Air University, Washington, D.C. Mission 420th FLTS Reactivates to Support B-21 Raider Testing. The Board of Directors tasks the office directly to address immediate and near-term operational needs and deliver capabilities that require specialized expertise. Unit Commendation Medal with three gold stars August 2013 March 2015, ZUMWALT Deputy Major Program Manager, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. SDA is pursuing a constellation of potentially thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit to handle everything from target tracking to missile warning. Your browser is incompatible with this widget. 6. Mar 98 - Sep 00, Special Projects Program Manager, 28th Test Squadron, Eglin AFB FL 4. The RCO also says it developed the integrated air defense system installed around the National Capital Region after the 9/11 attacks. Those satellites will join the already-planned 28 satellites in the Tranche 1 Tracking Layer of SDAs Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. 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. June 1993January 1995, Assistant Chief, Program and Technical Support Division, Defense Contract Management Command, Orlando, Fla. There's no more reliable source for news about your Air Force. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office Director Randy Walden said the ABMS would connect weapons systems, platforms and command systems in a centralized network and enhance the service's enterprise . 5mo. WASHINGTON Kelly Hammett, former head of the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate, is now director of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office. The director of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, created in 2018 to quickly develop prototypes of satellites and other urgently needed military technology, said the Space Force may not be . 1. Walden said the Air Force RCO will keep the Orbital Test Vehicle in its own portfolio but will continue to collaborate with the Space RCO. 1998 Master of Science in Engineering Management, University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio (U.S. Air Force graphic) Photo: U.S. Air Force/Released. 1992 - 1997, Operations Officer and Flight Test Program Manager, Nellis AFB, Nev. 2. 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. SOF aviation capabilities include AC-130 and MC-130 variants, MQ-1C, MQ-9, CV-22, U-28, MC-12, C-145, C-146, other remotely piloted vehicles and precision guided munitions. 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. 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. Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal 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. Gen. Jeffery Valenzia, who leads the Air Force's ABMS . Over time, the Department of Defense plans to turn, 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. He 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, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Chief of Space Operations and the Assistant Secretary for the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. 1997 Advanced Program Manager Course, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, Va. 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 2003 Senior Executive Service Seminar, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala. Colonel Johnson was one of five Lieutenant Colonels chosen from Air War College to be in the inaugural class of Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF) sponsored Blue Horizons Fellowship, conducting research for the CSAF on competitive strategies, capacities, technology investment, and integrating concepts the Air Force should pursue to prevail across key components of the highly contested environments in 2040. The Board of Directors tasks the office directly to address immediate and near-term operational needs and delivers capabilities that require specialized expertise. (Current as of September 2019), An official website of the United States government, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Northrop Grumman is testing a new multimode, open-architecture RF sensor called "EMRIS" which it hopes will allow for quick, less-costly, and more adaptable sensor upgrades in a variety of systems. 2013 - 2014, Director, Air Force Test and Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 13. Jul 15 Jul 16, Blue Horizons Fellow, Air University, Maxwell AFB AL 13. About Us . 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. AWARDS AND HONORS 1995 Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville

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