RADM Kurt Rothenhaus is a decorated sailor with extensive deployment experience and technological acumen. But he is also deeply versed in the research and acquisition worlds. He has worked tirelessly as chief of naval research for the Department of the Navy since May 2023 and has big ideas about how to make acquisition processes easier to manage for the defense industrial base.
ExecutiveGov spoke with RADM Rothenhaus ahead of his keynote address at the upcoming 2024 Navy Summit, from Potomac Officers Club. We explore some of his exciting vision for the future of Navy and Department of Defense contracting here, but if you want his extended insights, be sure to save a spot at the GovCon-targeted event now.
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Who Is Kurt Rothenhaus?
Military Service & Honors
Rothenhaus is a career Navyman with over 30 years in the service. He has completed stints on multiple major vessels, including the USS Harry S. Truman, the USS O’Brien (where he was chief engineer) and the USS Fife.
Additionally, Rothenhaus finished an individual augmentee tour in Baghdad, Iraq and has earned the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal and a series of unit and sea service recognitions.
Leadership Roles
Prior to his current role as the 27th chief of Naval research leading the Office of Naval Research, Rothenhaus spent three years as program executive officer for command control computers communications and intelligence for the Navy. The latter organization is a critical one for its mission to procure the tech to match the information warfare needs of the fleet.
Deeper into his career, the RADM served as program manager for the Navy’s Tactical Networks Program Office, commanding officer of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific and deputy program manager for the Navy Communications and GPS Program Office. The first two are considered acquisition tours and Rothenhaus has significant interest in improving the acquisition process.
Rothenhaus’ Acquisition Ideas
At an event last year, Rothenhaus shared that as ONR commander, he is committed to working against unnecessary complexities in the contracting process and called for those in the industrial base to flag if something is “artificially hard,” according to Defense One.
“If you have that thing that’s going to even give them .0002 percent more potential gain than our adversaries, potential adversaries, we want it, and we want to get it into their hands,” Rothenhaus said. “And it’s not just attack, but we also want to learn the how, how you do business, how you approach problem solving, how you interact, how you work with capital, how do you think through your problem space, so that we as a naval team, Navy-Marine Corps team, can also benefit.”
Rothenhaus also said he and his team are “dedicated” to putting a small business focus on contract awards.
He offered some key potential solutions to common complaints about the process, including the Small Business Innovation Research initiative, broad area announcements, an improved user experience for internet portals and clearer advertising.
“I think the best thing we can do oftentimes is…give industry a little bit more time to prep for when that broad-area announcement or other engagements are available so that they can prep a little bit better, so that when the time comes, the announcement lands, they got what they need to be able to have an effective proposal in front of the government,” according to the RADM.
Kurt Rothenhaus to Keynote 2024 Navy Summit
Rothenhaus will expand on this outreach to the contracting community at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Navy Summit on Aug. 15. POC events are the most productive spaces for GovCon dialogues, project-building and networking in the Capitol region.
“I look forward to meeting with and addressing the Potomac Officers Club. As we strive to deliver advanced capabilities to the sailors and Marines we have the privilege of serving, we are operating with a sense of urgency to adapt in an era of rapid technological change and increasingly dynamic battlespace,” Rothenhaus told us.
“Among other topics, I’m excited to discuss how the Office of Naval Research is increasing its outreach to industry, academic and other partners both home and abroad, and integrate better with the fleet and Force to drive accelerated learning,” he continued.
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to speak with and learn from RADM Rothenhaus! The all-day event will feature Navy luminaries in keynote sessions and panel discussions, plus ample windows for Q&A and conversation with GovCon competitors and colleagues. Browse the full lineup and reserve your seat at the Navy Summit now!
