Goal is finding tech to ‘deter war,’ says new leader for Texas A&M Army test center

When Texas A&M University went looking for a leader for its new military innovation complex, it didn’t have to look far.

Army Col. Rosendo “Ross” Guieb, who has been a senior staff member at the Army Futures Command center in Austin, will be the first executive director for the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex, which is on Texas A&M’s RELLIS campus in Bryan.

The complex, which broke ground in October, is the Army’s main hub for testing and evaluating its future-of-war technologies. Its mission is to work hand-in-hand with Army Futures Command to increase the pace of military innovation and accelerate the technology procurement process to more closely match the private sector.

The Army Futures Command, a public-private initiative that will lead modernization projects for the Army, is the largest reorganization of the military branch in decades. The Army in 2018 chose Austin as the site for the center.

Futures Command last year announced that it had selected the RELLIS campus for its testing site. The $200 million complex will feature an enclosed-tube testing facility for hypersonic and laser technologies, as well as laboratories and outdoor testing grounds for air and land vehicles.

“This is the time to really dig in with research and science and data to ensure that we're able to deter war. That's our first goal is to deter war.” Guieb said. “But if necessary, fight and win.”

Guieb (pronounced Gibb) served in the Army for 29 years before retiring this month. He served as an executive officer at Army Futures Command, and prior to that was an executive officer on the task force that created the Army Futures Command.

Guieb said taking the job at Texas A&M is partly a personal decision. Two of his sons currently are in the ROTC at Texas A&M and plan to make the military their career. A third works in the technology sector.

Guieb spoke with the American-Statesman about his new role and the future of military innovation in Texas.

How does this new campus at Texas A&M compare to the work being done at Army Futures Command in Austin?

Our relationship University in Texas is focused on certain specific research areas, and at RELLIS campus and Texas A&M we're focused on other research areas. We're focused on things like hypersonics, directed energy and resilient networks. Then lastly, an innovation proving ground. Basically, think about testing new equipment, think about a soldier center designed to allow soldiers to provide feedback early in the development process. So when we eventually deliver it will be what soldiers want and what the soldiers need, and not something that somebody very senior who won't be doing what they're doing thinks they want.

What is your vision for the new center?

It's really the perfect convergence of world class researchers, the passion to do national security work and patriotism... I see it as is the use of science, technology and innovation research to secure our nation's nature. I really think that we're a world premiere research facility that will develop advanced technologies and unique prototypes for our national security challenges.

We're also going to be working on the most complex technical areas, which Texas A&M is capable of doing. As an example, we're going to build out the largest United States hypersonics tunnel, one kilometer long. Those are the types of things that we're going to need.

What is it about Texas that draws the Army to it?

When we came to Texas it wasn't about what the Army could do for Texas, it was really about what what can Texas do for the Army. This is my third time being stationed here. There is a sense of patriotism that you don't really find in a lot of other places. I've moved 23 times in my Army career so I think I have at least a good sampling of places that I’ve lived. I can tell you that the feeling in Texas is strong about patriotism.

What can we expect to see coming out of Army Futures Command or RELLIS in the future?

The ecosystem here in Texas at large is maturing. I think we're fertilizing that with all the right things. I'm from the west coast, from San Francisco, and the cost of living, and the cost of doing business in California is really driving a lot of young entrepreneurs to to Austin... It is a place that accepts new ideas, accepts bright thinkers, and the cost of doing business is not as great as places on either coast. That’'s a good thing for Texas, and that's one of the things that we picked up on coming here to Texas and then seeing what we saw on our initial visit, you really could tell that the ecosystem was moving in the right direction and in the direction that at least the Army was looking at.

Why is it so important for the Army to stay cutting edge?

One of the things we want to do is ensure that we have the right concepts for the future, we have the right operating environment for the future. Technology is moving very fast. We know that our concepts tell us it's going to be more lethal, more precise, we'll be able to do things from a longer distance. In order to stay a preeminent power you need to ensure that you're moving along the digital age ahead of your adversaries.

What will the hypersonics tunnel be used for?

We're going to test material. Hypersonics are projectiles that go Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) or faster. So in order to ensure that we're providing the right equipment, the right tools... you have to ensure that you do all the testing for the materials. For example, heat is a big issue when you're going that quickly. So that's one of the things that you have to be able to test and model in order to ensure that you're giving the right research and technology to the customers.

Where do you see Army innovation in Texas in the future? What should we keep an eye out for?

We have organizations within Army Futures Command that work with our nontraditional industry partners, so think startups, think people that have novel ideas and novel technology. Army Applications Lab, that's the component from Army Futures Command that helps curate and translate what the Army's problems are to people that never dealt with the Army, or government. You may think your technology is good to do things for the commercial space, but you’re just not exposed to the military to understand that it perhaps has a dual use. Army Applications Lab can help build that bridge for the young entrepreneur or the up and coming on entrepreneur.

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