Mr. Arlen B. Biersgreen is Deputy Program Executive Officer (DPEO), Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), United States Space Force, Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB), New Mexico. In this role he directly supports and represents the Space RCO PEO and provides executive leadership within Space RCO. His expertise ensures continuity of leadership for a staff of eighty (80) government (senior military and government civilian) and more than 200 contract personnel including program managers, technology subject matter experts, contracting specialists, financial analysts, information technology, cyber security, personnel security, and manpower disciplines. He supports coordination and outreach across Congressional, OSW, DAF, and USSF stakeholders to ensure alignment across acquisition, operational, and sustaining elements. This advocacy promotes resourcing for successful execution of Space RCO’s critical, first-of-their-kind capabilities that protect space assets and defend the Joint Force from space-enabled attack. Mr. Biersgreen additionally supports the Space RCO PEO in his duties as a key advisor to senior DAF leadership in on matters of national security.
Mr. Biersgreen entered the Civilian Service in June 2014 after spending the first seven years of his professional career advancing national security through engineering and management positions in the defense industry. His civilian career began with the Integrated Experiments and Evaluation Division at Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate. Over the course of nine years at the AFRL, he contributed in diverse roles to the success of multiple space-flight experiments. These included laboratory management and new design and construction for classified integration and test (I&T) facilities, leading successful payload and launch vehicle integration of the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) – 4 mission, and serving as responsible engineer for a multi-sensor sub-system on the EAGLE flight experiment. Immediately prior to moving to Space RCO, Mr. Biersgreen was the program manager for the Navigation Technology Satellite – 3 (NTS-3) Vanguard, where he led a team of over 75 people across four AFRL technical directorates in executing the first Department of Defense integrated demonstration of advanced Satellite Navigation (SATNAV) in nearly 50 years. In that role he championed innovative and rapid approaches to technology development and operational transition to deliver solutions for the Secretary of the Air Force’s (SecAF) Operational Imperative 1. Collaboration on this $250M+ investment by the DoD included multiple US Air Force (USAF) and US Space Force (USSF) Program Executive Officers (PEOs), major defense acquisition programs, and partner organizations in all three Space Force Field Commands.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
2007 Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Wash
2007 Bachelor of Arts, Spanish Language and Literature, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Wash
2007 Certificate in Leadership Studies, Gonzaga University, Spokane Wash
2015 Civilian Leadership Program, AF Nuclear Weapons Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
2016 Master of Science, Astronautical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif
2017 USAF Emerging Leaders Course, Eaker Center for Professional Development, Maxwell AFB, Ala
2017 Civilian Acculturation Leadership Training, Holm Center, Maxwell AFB, Ala
2018 Organizational Leadership Course, Air Force Civilian Developmental Education, Potomac, Md
2020 AFRL Supervisory Acculturation Program, AFRL Learning Office, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
2024 Enterprise Leadership Seminar, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. June 2014 – June 2016, Lab Operations Manager & Space Systems Engineer, Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research
Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
2. June 2016 – Dec 2016, Cognizant Systems Engineer for EAGLE Flight Experiment, Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research
Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
3. January 2017 – July 2017, Deputy Program Manager for Navigation Technology Satellite – 3 Flight Experiment, Space Vehicles
Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
4. July 2017 – August 2020, Program Manager for Navigation Technology Satellite – 3 Flight Experiment, Space Vehicles Directorate,
Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
5. August 2020 – December 2023, Program Manager for Navigation Technology Satellite – 3 Vanguard, Integrated Capabilities
Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M.
6. December 2023 – October 2025, Deputy Director, Advanced Capabilities Acquisition Delta, Space Rapid Capabilities Office, Kirtland
AFB, N.M.
7. October 2025 – Present, Deputy Program Executive Officer, Space Rapid Capabilities Office
AWARDS AND HONORS
2025 Space Force Polaris Award, Commitment, Space RCO
2024 Outstanding DAF Acquisition Staff Officer, Space RCO
2023 DAF Science and Engineering, Exploratory Award, Space RCO
2017 Annual Leadership Award, AFRL/RV
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
Acquisition Profession Development Program:
Program Management, Advanced
Engineering and Technology Management, Practitioner
National Security Space Institute, Space Professional Development: Level 1, 2, and 3
(Current as of December 2025)