Kessel Run in the News

Air Force Lab Takes Aim at Han Solo's Record

The Boston Globe, May 11, 2018

Now the US Air Force has set up a Kessel Run of its own in Boston. That’s the name of a new laboratory designed to set new speed records in the development of mission-critical military software.

Kessel Run Hits Hyperdrive

HANSCOM AFB, May 10, 2018

BOSTON -- Thirty U.S. Air Force active duty, civilians and contractors gathered in a shared workspace downtown May 7 for the opening of the Kessel Run Experimentation Lab, where they will build the next generation of combat software.

Air Force's New Software Lab in Boston Aims for High Speed

BOSTINNO, May 7, 2018

The Air Force’s software innovation center that officially opens on Monday is located in downtown Boston, the personnel don street clothing, everyone goes by their first name and even the lab’s moniker was swiped from the Star Wars hyperspace route so famously navigated by the rogue Han Solo. You could say, this ain’t your father’s military.

Captain Bryon Kroger giving his speech at cloud foundry summit

Cost of Delay--How PCF Helped Demonstrate the DoD Can't Afford Business as Usual

CLOUD FOUNDRY, April 27, 2018

In partnership with Pivotal Labs, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) and Defense Innovation Unit Experiment (DIUx) are demonstrating that cloud-native cycle times can lead to astronomical impacts.

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Adam Furtado giving his speech at cloud foundry summit

From No Delivery to Continuous Delivery: How the Air Force Gave In and Embraced Industry

CLOUD FOUNDRY, April 27, 2018

This presentation discusses how the Air Force is mimicking Silicon Valley culture, growing its agile competency and continuously delivering better products to the warfighter, faster.

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Adam Furtado, US Air Force | Cloud Foundry Summit 2018

SiliconANGLE theCUBE, April 23, 2018

Adam Furtado, Chief of Product at the Kessel Run project joins CUBE host Stu Miniman at Cloud Foundry Summit 2018 at the Boston Convention And Exhibition Center in Boston MA.

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Lt Gen Jeffrey Harrigian, Air Forces Central Command commander, giving opening remarks during AFCENT’s second annual innovation summit.

AFCENT innovation summit fuels thoughtful debate on future Air Force and DoD operations

AFCENT, March 13, 2018

AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar -- U.S. Air Forces Central Command hosted its second annual innovation summit, March 8-9, bringing military and academic minds together to brainstorm warfighting challenges and assess progress made in collaboration between the Defense Innovation Experimental Unit and the Combined Air Operations Center.

AOC Pathfinder is Saving USAF Big Money, And It Wants More of It

AIR FORCE MAGAZINE, February 22, 2018

The air and space operations centers Pathfinder program is looking to quadruple in size in the next few years, and it’s got results to support its needs. Pathfinder was launched in late 2017 to modernize the Air Force’s air operations center in-house, after a devastating and costly effort to do the same with industry.

US military teams up with Silicon Valley to revolutionize the battlefield

FOX NEWS, January 19, 2018

The U.S. military is partnering with Silicon Valley to step up its game on the battlefield. The Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUX), which is part of the Department of Defense, is connecting the U.S. military with companies developing leading-edge technology that would help it carry out missions quicker and cheaper.

US military, Silicon Valley team up to advance air combat

FOX BUSINESS, January 19, 2018

Silicon Valley and the U.S. military are teaming up to develop better airwar fighting tools. “Now that coalition forces have defeated ISIS on the ground in places like Iraq and Syria, our military assets are shifting towards fighting the Taliban, which has taken control of large areas in Afghanistan now,” Fox News contributor Lea Gabrielle told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria.”

Mattis Turns to Tech Advisers for Help to Modernize Military

REAL CLEAR DEFENSE, July 20, 2017

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis plans to embark on a listening tour later this summer to gain a better grasp of the technological challenges facing U.S. military forces. “He is interested in learning more about innovation and technology,” said Joshua Marcuse, executive director of the Defense Innovation Board, a Pentagon advisory panel of government and private-sector officials.

The Pentagon has tried to get Silicon Valley on its side for years. Now it’s part of the air war against ISIS.

WASHINGTON POST, July 19, 2017

The Pentagon’s Silicon Valley office is developing several new computer programs for the U.S. military’s air operations center running the bombing campaign against the Islamic State, one of its largest efforts since launching two years ago.

Looking down on the main floor of an operations center

Air Force Cancels Northrop Air Operations Network Upgrade

MILITARY.COM, July 14, 2017

The Air Force on Thursday canceled an already overdue project with Northrop Grumman to develop a critical network upgrade it needs to conduct air operations, and counterterrorism and humanitarian missions.

Soldier working the computers in an operation center

Air Force cancels Air Operations Center 10.2 contract, starts new pathfinder effort

DEFENSE NEWS, July 13, 2017

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force has terminated a contract with Northrop Grumman for a network upgrade for the Air Operations Center, a key tool used by the service to plan and conduct air operations, and instead will partner with the Defense Department's innovation unit to find a quicker way to field the update.