U.S. Air Force Col. Robert Bongiovi became the launch systems services enterprise director one year ago, after serving as the office’s acquisition chief.

The move marks the next battle in the long-running tanker aircraft competition, as three of the biggest aerospace companies fight for a key market.

The Pentagon’s head of research and engineering is making it his mission with the new Congress to advocate that science and technology funding is not a “red or blue” issue but is instead the colors “red, white and blue.”