Mr. Ben Riley

Principal Deputy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Rapid Fielding

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Mr. Riley is the Principal Deputy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Rapid Fielding in the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering. Mr. Riley is responsible for policy and oversight of fielding capabilities that counter unconventional and time-sensitive threats. He facilitates rapid technology transition within the Department through discovery and demonstration of advanced technology concepts and works with interagency and coalition partners, industry, and academia to facilitate the timely satisfaction of validated priority operational needs. Prior to assuming his position in September 2009, Mr. Riley served as the Director of the USD(AT&L) sponsored Rapid Reaction Technology Office (RRTO) and Chairman Combating Terrorism Technology Task Force (CTTTF). In this position he interacted and coordinated with both Department of Defense commands and organizations and other government departments on identifying technologies and technological trends to address combating and countering terrorism operations. Previously, Mr. Riley was Senior Research Associate in the Georgia Tech Research Institute of the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was assigned to the Office of Naval Research in Washington, DC.

Military assignments as a Captain in the United States Navy included serving as Military Deputy to the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Advanced Technology) in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He participated in the initiation of the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) program and was responsible for direction and management of a wide range of ACTDs including those related to helicopter maintenance; unmanned aerial vehicles; employment of a laser radar; countermine operations; privatization; distributed collaborative planning and information systems; and logistics.

A Naval flight officer, Mr. Riley completed five tours in different Patrol Squadrons in P-3 aircrafts, conducting anti-submarine warfare and surveillance and reconnaissance operations. He completed three aviation commands and tours and served in a number of staff positions. Additionally, he served as Assistant Navigator on board USS AMERICA (CV-66). Captain Riley retired from the U.S. Navy on September 1, 1997.

Mr. Riley received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia. He has Masters degrees from the Naval War College and Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. He and his wife reside in Crownsville, Maryland.