WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has named nominees for two key roles overseeing US government space programs, according to a pair of White House nominations posted Tuesday.
Erich Hernandez-Baquero, a Raytheon executive, has been selected to serve as an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, which a separate congressional notice says means taking over the job of Frank Calvelli, the former Space Force acquisition czar. The post is formally the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration.
Additionally, Roger Mason, an executive at defense contractor V2X, has been tapped as the next director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Mason would succeed former director Christopher Scolese. Both Hernandez-Baquero and Mason require senate confirmation for their posts.
Hernandez-Baquero currently serves as the vice president of space intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems at Raytheon, an RTX subsidiary, according to his LinkedIn profile.
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A graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Hernandez-Baquero holds a doctorate degree in imaging science from the Rochester Institute of Technology, according to the university. Prior to his industry post, he achieved the rank of colonel in the Air Force, where his government career included stints at the NRO.
If confirmed, Hernandez-Baquero would preside over Space Force acquisitions during a historic ramp-up in funding. Officials revealed April 21 that the Space Force is requesting $19.1 billion for procurement alone in fiscal 2027, a 342 percent increase compared to FY26.
Mason, for his part, has held various industry posts more recently at corporations like Peraton, his company biography says. Earlier in his career, he served as the first assistant director of national intelligence for systems resource and analyses. He holds a PhD in engineering physics from the University of Virginia.
