5mo. Office of Public Affairs . July 2017September 2018, Senior Acquisition Consultant, WBB Inc., Reston, 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. In 2021, Randall Walden, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said that a first flight in mid-2022 was a "good bet". MELBOURNE, Fla (AFNS) --. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS Project Arc team works to make technical Airmen more operationally 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 . director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, during a recent interview with Air . CAREER CHRONOLOGY The multimode sensor can perform radar, communications, and electronic warfare functions simultaneously. 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. That is the central question, said Randy Walden, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. Certified Acquisition Professional, Level III, Contracting The RCO was activated by the secretary of the Air Force on April 28, 2003, and is currently overseeing the development of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider in partnership with Northrop Grumman, and the X . Located in Washington, D.C., the DAF RCO reports directly to a Board . CAREER CHRONOLOGY Ukraine, China, technology, and drug trafficking emerge as top issues in House Intelligence Committee hearing with think tank leaders. Is Space Force moving fast enough for its Rapid Capabilities Office? Rapid Capabilities Office She also served as the Program Executive Officer Chief Engineer at the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office where her responsibilities included technical . Air Force scientist takes over as director of Space Force rapid PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS The Space RCO Board, Roberts explained, includes the Secretary of the Air Force, the Chief of Space Operations, the Chief of Staff . 8. Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM) Jul 15 Jul 16, Blue Horizons Fellow, Air University, Maxwell AFB AL 13. 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. It is a reusable, uncrewed spacecraft that carries experiments to orbit, then returns them to Earth for evaluation. Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters 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. Video: Mitchell Institute on YouTube, That may sound familiar, as the U.S. Space Force thought about what we go after, Roberts said. 2006 Masters of Science, Software Engineering, University of Management and Technology, Arlington, Va. 9. The DAF RCO is staffed with a collaborative, multidisciplinary team. The overall goal of the organization is to acquire and launch space systems more quickly. 5. The Air Force and Space RCOs will work together as the X-37B offers more insight into new technologies that could shape future space systems. Air Force releases new B-21 Raider artist rendering May 2005 June 2009, Software Certification Senior Systems Engineer, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Tewksbury, Mass. The Air Force had once projected the first flight of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider would occur in December 2021, . The Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office delivers capabilities at the speed of emerging threats for combat Air and Space Forces and combatant command requirements leveraging streamlined acquisition methods for developing, acquiring and fielding critical capabilities. 21. 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. Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster 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. . 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. . Their work is critical to driving competitive . 14. 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. Ive talked to Gen. Raymond about that multiple times, and the Secretary of the Air Force, Walden said. January 1995June 1996, Assistant Chief, Operations Group, Defense Contract Management Command, Orlando, Fla. Oct 00 - Jan 02, Engineering Test Director, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB . 2. One program that looks to augment existing spacecraft ground control systems isnt quite as under wraps. Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office - Wikipedia EDUCATION B-21 Director Walden Leaving RCO to Advise LaPlante at Pentagon 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. (Current as of January 2023), An official website of the United States government, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. 5. July 1997June 1998, Chief, Spacecraft Contracts Branch, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles, Calif. 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. 20. March 2015 January 2017, Surface Ships Weapons Duty Major Program Manager, Arlington, Va. Shank "brings many years of military, government, and commercial industry experience to SCO," the bio states. Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate - AFLCMC Navy Achievement Medal with two gold stars Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award The Office is . 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. (Current as of November 2020), An official website of the United States government, Air Force Distributed Common Ground System, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Part 5302 - Definitions of Words and Terms | Acquisition.GOV 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 . 4. The office preserves the strength of U.S. ingenuity and innovation without the rigidity of traditional acquisition. Discover the best publication that space professionals throughout the world turn to first. AWARDS AND HONORS 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. However, one project will notably stay off the Space RCOs plate: the experimental X-37B spaceplane. 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. January 2017 February 2019, Director, Development and Integration PEO Integrated Warfare Systems, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. 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. 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. 2009 - 2013, Director, Information Dominance Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. Tanya M. Skeen > U.S. Department of Defense > Biography We dont necessarily have that same construct.. 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. Air & Space Forces Magazine is the official publication of the Air & Space Forces Association, 1501 Langston Boulevard, Arlington, Va., 22209-1198. (Current as of June 2020), An official website of the United States government, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. Jez Holmes OBE - Head of the Royal Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO or DAF RCO) is an office in the United States Department of the Air Force tasked with expediting the development of select technological systems. 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 He has held various senior Program Manager positions within the Acquisition community. The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office . August 1997March 1998, Special Projects Engineer, 28th Test Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla. 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. Defense Acquisition Corps Your browser is incompatible with this widget. June 2014May 2017, Director of Contracting, Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Md. The CROWS team, who already have CFTs . CFTs look to "bake-in" cyber resiliency into new weapon systems and mitigate vulnerabilities in fielded systems. 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. Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters . 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. 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. Program Management, Level III, Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP) 1991 Master of Science, Engineering Management, Florida Institute of Technology, Patuxent River, Md. 3. If we move under the Space Systems Command, we probably should cease to exist, Roberts said. Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs. Society of Flight Test Engineers 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. Mr. Walden retired from active duty in 2002 with more than 20 years of military experience as an acquisition and technical professional. 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. 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. 3. A blistering, 148-page document by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that Afghan. 5. Meritorious Service Medal SDA is pursuing a constellation of potentially thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit to handle everything from target tracking to missile warning. 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.