MAJ Robert Perez-Alemany
Technical Program Manager, Space Portfolio
Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
MAJ Robert Perez, USA, is a Project Manager in the Space Portfolio for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), Office of the Secretary of Defense. He joined
the team in 2024 after serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics & Nuclear Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY.
MAJ Perez was born and raised in Puerto Rico and graduated from West Point with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 2010, joining the U.S. Army Officer Corps and the Corps of Engineers. Interested in continuing his public servant career, he earned a master’s in public administration from Columbus State University, GA, in 2013.
From 2010 to 2014, MAJ Perez served as a Combat Engineer in the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Rock of the Marne. He and his platoon were
the first Army unit to receive, test, and train with the Assault Breacher Vehicle, a complex breaching system to create pathways through mines and obstacles. In 2015, MAJ Perez became the Chief Engineer of Operations for the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, where he worked and trained with hundreds of international military and police officers from Latin America and even Eastern Europe in Search and Rescue Operations, demining operations, and other engineering techniques.
From 2016 to 2018, Perez became the first Company Commander for the Maneuver Captain's Career Course to be selected as Fort Benning's official Senior Engineer Instructor. He oversaw the training and mentorship of thousands of Captains and new infantry and armor officers undergoing their introductory engineering courses.
MAJ Perez found his passion for Army Space Operations and applied to the Naval Postgraduate School in 2018. He was the first Army Officer to go through its Astronautical Engineering Master’s Program. He graduated with a Master’s in Aerospace Engineering and a Master's in Astronautical Engineering. In addition, he learned how to fly small fixed-wing airplanes and earned certificates in Space Fundamentals and Trajectory Optimization in the span of two years. His research focused on rotating detonation rocket engines, space debris, and 2- stage hypersonic rockets supporting Strategic Command to deliver communications in contested operational environments.
When serving at West Point from 2020 to 2024, MAJ Perez taught Physics II – Electricity and Magnetism, and later became its Course Director. He quickly became known around the Academy for his expertise in Rocketry and aided in the hypersonic rocket Capstone, which aimed to pass the Karman line with low-cost and efficient components. He also founded the Army Rocketry & Engineering Sciences Program, which encompasses managing and integrating launch vehicle and payload, CubeSat design and building, and propellant development. It was received with massive success, being recognized in the NASA Student Launch Initiative and receiving awards for Best Service Academy and AIAA Rookie of the Year.
MAJ Perez has been the author or co-author of numerous published articles on space radiation effects, small satellites, rocketry, space debris, and rocket
propellant.
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