AFRL’s Eric Felt to Help Space Force Establish Acquisition Office

Col. Eric Felt, director of the Air Force Research Laboratory‘s Space Vehicles Directorate, will leave his post in July to help the Space Force establish its acquisition office.

The AFRL announced that Felt will serve as deputy executive director of the Space Force’s Space Architecture, Science and Technology Directorate, Defense News reported Wednesday.

In his upcoming role, Felt is expected to play an important part in the Space Force’s architecture design function as well as in articulating the service’s needs to lawmakers.

Col. Jeremy Raley from the Space Rapid Capabilities Office will take over Felt’s duties at the Space Vehicles Directorate.

At AFRL, Felt currently leads a team of 1,080 military, civilian and on-site contractors working on military space science and technology, according to the laboratory’s biography.

His organization’s focus areas include communications; position, navigation and timing; missile warning; space situational awareness; and defensive counter space, AFRL said.

Before he took on his current position, Felt served as the senior materiel leader of the join mission division of Hill Air Force Base’s Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate.

He also served as a developmental engineer and program manager in laboratory, test, program office and staff assignments, AFRL said.

Felt earned a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Duke University, according to his LinkedIn profile.

His major awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Aerial Achievement Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal with an oak leaf cluster.