Platform One’s chief operating officer to depart

The chief operating officer for the Air Force’s Platform One software factory will step down from the office he helped found.

Maj. Austen Bryan will rotate off Platform One’s leadership and will be replaced by Maj. Camdon Cady, an Air Force engineer who has worked on a range of emerging technology projects. Cady has already begun shadowing Bryan as he prepares to take over the role, sources familiar with the matter told FedScoop.

A spokesperson confirmed the news and said the move is a part of “standard rotations” for airmen. The transition date was Dec. 1, but Byran is still in the process of transitioning out and continues “providing guidance.”

In the role, Bryan oversaw the Platform One team of service members, civilians and contractors that work to deploy its coding environment to DOD customers. Bryan was one of its most visible leaders, especially after the departure of Nic Chaillan, the Air Force’s chief software office who helped spearhead the effort.

Before helping to start Platform One, he co-founded LevelUP, another Air Force software factory. It’s unclear what his next move will be.

“There were multiple times that Platform One was within days of coming crashing down, and every single time, Austen was the one who found a way to keep the dream alive,” Rob Slaughter, Platform One’s former director, told FedScoop. “Not only would Platform One not be where it is today without him, it wouldn’t even exist.”

Cady has been a program manager at the Air Force Research Lab, where he worked on cross-domain networks. He also has had a hand in developing tech for the Advanced Battle Management System, the Air Force’s contribution to the connect-everything concept of Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2).

Slaughter described Cady as the “probably most talented engineer within the active-duty ranks.”