WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – A robotic arm wielding a 3D-printed dagger cut the ceremonial ribbon as the Rapid Sustainment Office officially launched its new headquarters, Hangar 01, on March 2. In partnership with the University of Dayton Research Institute, this one-of-a-kind facility will provide a revolutionary arena and collaboration hub in which sustainment technology ideas can be created, demonstrated and implemented in order to ensure Air Force fleets are always at the ready.
The event began with a tour of Hangar 01 for distinguished visitors who included Lt. Gen. Shaun Q. Morris, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Commander and RSO Program Executive Officer, Dr. Eric Spina, President of the University of Dayton, and Dr. John Leland, University of Dayton director of research. Joined by Nathan Parker, RSO Deputy Program Executive Officer, and Col. Nicole Ruff-Lehman, RSO Military Deputy Program Executive Officer, the group then convened in Hangar 01’s Pitch Hub auditorium for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Morris and Parker each provided opening remarks about the role Hangar 01 will play in developing and providing revolutionary sustainment technologies for the Air Force.
Parker began by stating, “The vision for the Hangar is simple; deliver best in class technology at the speed to win. One of the guiding principles for the RSO is to maximize our partnerships so that we compete and win in the global competition for the best technologies and the talent that create them. ”
Morris followed by directly addressing RSO and UDRI staff in attendance, stating, “You all are at the forefront of what’s driving the kinds of changes we need to realize Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Brown’s ‘Accelerate Change or Lose’ vision. And this mandate could not be any more important than in the sustainment world because the progress we can make to drive down costs and increase availability is exactly what the Air Force needs.”
The focus then turned to the ribbon cutting. With Morris running the controls of a robotic arm, Hangar 01 was ceremonially opened as a ribbon embroidered with the RSO logo was sliced in half by a dagger custom-created by a RSO and UDRI collaboration via advanced manufacturing technologies. The unique dagger featured a USAF Symbol cross-guard and USAF RSO and Hangar 01 burned etchings on the blade.
For the RSO, innovation and collaboration is the name of the game. Hangar 01’s networked “hub and spoke” model – which places the RSO central to the “hub” connected by the “spokes” of venture-backed startups, academia, university-affiliated research centers, and industry consortiums – will allow the RSO to carry forth its mission of rapidly addressing Air Force sustainment challenges by streamlining the technology development process. Cross-functional teams of engineers, technicians, program managers, supply experts, and business leaders will be able to collaborate and have access to government organizations and networks of manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and research experts.
Hangar 01 will foster an energized spirit of innovation, and Morris could not help but share his excitement, stating, “How cool would it be to be able to work here? It would have been absolutely awesome earlier in my career to be able to work on the kinds of things that you all are getting to work on in this amazing facility.”
About the RSO
Established by the Secretary of the Air Force in 2018, the Rapid Sustainment Office (RSO) increases mission readiness by rapidly identifying, applying, and scaling technology essential to the operation and sustainment of the United States Air Force. To learn more, visit https://www.afrso.com.