"The Kessel Run team has one of the most important jobs in the entire United States Air Force and the Department of Defense … [to] deliver … operational air power to deter our enemies, and defeat them when deterrence fails," said Col. Richard Lopez when he assumed command of the unit now known formally as Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Detachment 12.
Kessel Run and AFLCMC's Digital Directorate
Kessel Run—formally Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Detachment 12—transitioned to its own division under the Digital Directorate, AFLCMC, in 2022, at the same time Col. Richard Lopez assumed command as the Senior Material Leader. The organization, which traces its origins to 2017, has emphasized a modern approach to development intended to ensure solutions are "scalable and secure" for use in critical combat missions and combat environments. The source notes Col. Lopez retired earlier this year.
Modernization as-a-Service and Chenega Applied Solutions
The Air Force has adopted a Modernization as-a-Service (MaaS) approach to keep pace with rapid technological change and the need to recruit and retain tech-savvy personnel. MaaS was pioneered by Chenega Applied Solutions under the direction of then‑Vice President of Operations Michael C. Masten. Masten, who now holds the role of Vice President of Modernization and Innovation Services at Chenega Systems, described MaaS as enabling "Air Force teams looking to perform mission-critical software and solution development nimbly to get off base and immerse themselves in the technology communities that would support agility and help them successfully compete for the right talent."
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Get a security leadHUBS program and the Boston buildout
The initial MaaS build supporting Kessel Run's Hybrid Unified Battle Space Services (HUBS) program included the identification, acquisition, and buildout of a "Silicon Valley-style office space in Boston, Massachusetts," the source reports. According to the account, the HUBS contract delivered networking infrastructure, support personnel, equipment, supplies, software tools, design, and management services, culminating in "an end-to-end hybrid software solution that will support agile development and the rapid development of mission-critical software."
Chenega's execution partnership and risk-sharing
The MaaS model is presented in the source as a collaborative arrangement that channels industry knowledge into the mission environment without requiring the Air Force to spend years building bespoke solutions internally. "The Air Force requires near-turnkey solutions that can be quickly customized and implemented to support Kessel Run and its external partners on the Kessel Run Domain," Masten explained. He added that the approach lets Chenega act "not just as a vendor but as an execution partner," sharing and managing execution and integration risk to "reduce operational burden and let our government partners move the mission forward."
What this means for technologists, procurement leaders, and the warfighter
- Technologists and security teams: The Kessel Run approach emphasizes delivering systems that are "scalable and secure," and MaaS explicitly focuses on immersion in technology communities to recruit talent and accelerate delivery.
- Procurement and acquisition leaders: The HUBS contract example shows a turnkey, contract‑driven model that bundled infrastructure, staffing, tools, and management into a single buildout intended to shorten timelines for operational capability.
- The warfighter and operational commanders: The stated objective of these investments is to provide rapidly customizable, near‑turnkey capability on the Kessel Run Domain to support mission-critical software under real mission conditions.
Continued investment in Kessel Run and other development environments
The source concludes by linking the evolution of Kessel Run and MaaS to a broader rationale: as the threat environment "continues to intensify across all domains and the Air Force’s mission becomes even more complex," investments in technology and "wholescale modernization" are depicted as increasingly important. With continued investment in Kessel Run and other development environments, the Air Force is said to be "setting a clear path for mission success." That assertion frames the practical purpose behind the organizational shifts, the contractual approach, and the investment choices described above.
