March 1998September 2000, Special Projects Program Manager, 28th Test Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla. March 1996August 1997, Aerodynamic Propulsion Analyst, National Air Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 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. National Defense Service Medal Key Operating Principles Located in Washington, D.C., the DAF RCO reports directly to a Board . 18. 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. 2002 - 2003, Technical Director, Directorate of Special Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. 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. Iraq Campaign Medal 15. Mr. Roberts was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2017. The office responds to Combat Air and Space Forces and combatant command requirements. 2017 Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award . Navy Achievement Medal with two gold stars We were pleased to have U.S. Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David D. Thompson preside over the assumption of leadership . Kelly Hammett, former head of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate, has assumed the role of director of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office . The RCO also says it developed the integrated air defense system installed around the National Capital Region after the 9/11 attacks. 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. EDUCATION It will slow us down. 4. 1 min read. 2. CAREER CHRONOLOGY 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. 2007 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence June 1998May 2000, Chief, National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Contracting Branch, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles, Calif. 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. An artist rendering of a B-21 Raider concept in a hangar at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS He retired in 2002 and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service that same year, subsequently working on special access programs, in the RCO, and as the director of test and evaluation for USAF. 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. In his previous position as the Director for Development and Integration, PEO Integrated Warfare Systems, he integrated system requirements and resources for combat systems, associated elements and facilitated the execution of effective systems engineering processes for development, integration and developmental test of Navy Surface Combat System capabilities. There's no more reliable source for news about your Air Force. The SSC will work directly with the Air Force Research Laboratory and other groups like the Rapid Capabilities Office. 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). 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. CFTs look to "bake-in" cyber resiliency into new weapon systems and mitigate vulnerabilities in fielded systems. Knausenberger, who became CIO in August 2020, is set to leave in June. Mr. Keller graduated from East Carolina University in 1989 and was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force the same year. 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. July 1995 April 2001, Aegis Fire Controlman First Class, USS Port Royal CG 73, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii August 2007January 2009, Air Force Legislative Fellow, Air University, Washington, D.C. The multimode sensor can perform radar, communications, and electronic warfare functions simultaneously. 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. The Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (DAF RCO) has accelerated methods for developing, acquiring, and fielding critical combat capabilities. 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. Defense Acquisition Corps 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. June 2000June 2001, Commander, Technology/Advisory Services Acquisition Flight, Air Combat Command Contracting Squadron, Langley AFB, Va. 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 . 3. 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. Unit Commendation Medal with three gold stars Located in Washington, D.C., the DAF RCO reports directly to a Board . 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. Discover the best publication that space professionals throughout the world turn to first. He is responsible for the development, production, fielding, sustainment and modernization of the Air Force fighter portfolio, which includes the A-10, A-29, F-15, F-16, F-22 and special programs . Certified Acquisition Professional, Level III, Contracting 5. 12. It is also supposed to mirror certain efforts at the SDA, which now reports to the Pentagons research and engineering boss but will transfer to the Space Force in the next few years. . About Us . One program that looks to augment existing spacecraft ground control systems isnt quite as under wraps. The Directorate directs the modernization and sustainment of the Air Force's 150+ aircraft bomber fleet (B-1, B-2, B-52) and organizes, trains and equips the B-21 program in support of Air Force Global Strike Command and the United States Air Force. She is responsible for developing, producing, testing, modifying, fielding, and supporting Special Operations Forces (SOF)-unique fixed wing aircraft and sub-systems, equating to over 100 programs and projects worth $1.7 billion in 2017. 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. Hammett will lead the Space Force organization known as the Space RCO, located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Shank "brings many years of military, government, and commercial industry experience to SCO," the bio states. In his PEO capacity, he is responsible for the development and delivery of multi-billion dollar Acquisition Category-1 equivalent programs that provide operationally dominate Space Capabilities that strategically enhance the Nations warfighting capabilities and dominance in the Space domain. July 2015July 2016, Blue Horizons Fellow, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 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. 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. With a successful landing today, the X-37B completed its longest flight to date and successfully completed all mission objectives," Randy Walden, the director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities . MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS The Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), a direct reporting unit of the U.S. Space Force, has a specialized, restricted and unique mission. We're weird, he said. will lead the Space Force organization known as the Space RCO, located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. 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. Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award Full Report. 11. 12. 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. Mike Roberts, Director Space Rapid Capabilities Office (DOD) . 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 . During Waldens 20-year Air Force career as a flight test engineer, he worked at times on classified projects. Air Force Achievement Medal Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. January 2009August 2011, 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, Fla.