AFRL and the Future of Air Force Innovation
The Air Force is rebuilding how it moves technology from the lab to the warfighter. Can it move fast enough?
AFRL runs a more than $5 billion science and technology enterprise and recently went through its biggest reorganization in roughly 30 years, all aimed at getting technology to operators faster. Join Abelian Security Council for a candid fireside chat with former AFRL Commander Jason Bartolomei on how science and technology really makes it from the lab to fielding.
On the table
The valley of death: why promising technology stalls between the lab and a program of record, and what actually gets it across
AFRL's redesign: what changed, and how lining up with the new portfolio acquisition executives is supposed to speed up transition
Startups and venture-backed firms: where AFWERX, SBIR/STTR, and the lab work for new entrants, and where they fall short
What's next: the technology areas the Air Force and Space Force are betting on, and what that means for investors
Speaker
Jason Bartolomei is a retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General who commanded the Air Force Research Laboratory from July 2024 to June 2026. He also served as Technology Executive Officer for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. At AFRL he led a more than $5 billion science, technology and innovation enterprise with a workforce of 6,000, including AFWERX and the 711th Human Performance Wing. He also led the lab's most significant organizational redesign in roughly 30 years.
Before AFRL, Jason served as Program Executive Officer for Weapons and Director of the Armament Directorate at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, overseeing a $92 billion portfolio of air-delivered munitions. Earlier, he was Director of the Sentinel Systems Directorate, responsible for the next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile. He also worked on the F-22 program and in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition.
He was a Service Chiefs Fellow at DARPA, a Military Legislative Fellow for Senator Orrin G. Hatch, and an assistant professor of engineering mechanics at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He holds a PhD in Engineering Systems from MIT, an MS in Systems Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Marquette University.
Moderator: Owen Davies, CEO of the ASC
Submit questions for Jason when you register and no later than Tuesday, December 1. We'll do our best to make sure submitted questions are answered, but we can't guarantee every question will be covered.
Good to know
Admission is subject to pre-qualification criteria.
Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.
A recording and transcript will not be available after the event.
Attendees remain anonymous, and the session is held under the Chatham House rule.
This discussion will not include material non-public information (MNPI).
Speakers participate in their capacity as private citizens. None of the views expressed are endorsed by political organizations, government, military, or current and prior employers. Events are for informational purposes only. Nothing discussed is investment advice, an offer, or a solicitation.