AFRL restructures into seven orgs

The Air Force Research Laboratory said April 24 it has reorganized into seven major organizations, its biggest internal redesign in nearly 30 years. (afresearchlab.com) The new structure centers on five organizations: Foundational Technology, Air Warfare, Space Warfare, Information and Spectrum Warfare, and a Technology Transition Office. The other two are the Systems Technology Office and the existing 711th Human Performance Wing. (afresearchlab.com) AFRL said all seven major organizations are already operational. Lt. Gen. Linda S. Hurry, the commander of Air Force Materiel Command, said the redesign is meant to help the lab adjust research and development faster as military requirements change. (afresearchlab.com) (afmc.af.mil) The basic change is from science silos to mission buckets. Instead of organizing around older technical directorates such as munitions, sensors, space vehicles and materials, AFRL is grouping work around air, space and information warfare, plus a separate office to move technology into programs. (afresearchlab.com) (afrl.af.mil) AFRL said the Foundational Technology Directorate will combine basic research functions, including the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, former Materials and Manufacturing work, and Human Effectiveness projects under the 711th Human Performance Wing. (afresearchlab.com) The three warfare directorates are built to mature technology and reduce risk in their domains. AFRL said they are supposed to develop systems that work together across domains rather than as separate lab products. (afresearchlab.com) The Technology Transition Office is the clearest signal of what changed. AFRL said that office will focus on moving programs across the “valley of death,” the stage where prototypes often stall before they become funded military systems. (afresearchlab.com) The Systems Technology Office is meant to connect the lab more directly with the acquisition community. AFRL said the redesign cuts duplicative overhead, creates “natural partnerships” and streamlines processes for faster responses. (afresearchlab.com) That matters inside Air Force Materiel Command, which oversees research, testing, acquisition, logistics and sustainment for most major Air Force weapon systems. The command employs about 89,000 people and manages $81 billion in budget authority, according to Air Force Materiel Command. (afmc.af.mil) AFRL did not announce layoffs, base moves or a new budget with the redesign. What it did announce was a new map for how research is supposed to reach operators faster, with all seven organizations already in place. (afresearchlab.com)