By Michael Sirak
Charles Riechers, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition since January, was found dead in his Virginia home this past weekend, the victim of an apparent suicide.
While the Air Force said yesterday the details of Riechers’ death are under investigation, there was increasing speculation by press time yesterday that Riechers may have taken his own life based on wire reports citing police officials.
“Charles Riechers was a vital part of our Air Force team,” the Air Force said in a statement that it issued Oct. 15. “We are deeply saddened by his death and we mourn with his family.
“Those who served with Mr. Riechers knew him as an experienced leader, a dedicated servant of this nation, and a great friend,” the statement continued. “Mr. Riechers served the United States of America admirably for 25 years as an Airman and senior civilian official.”
Riechers’ death comes roughly two weeks after a Washington Post article on Oct. 1 accused him of being on the payroll of Commonwealth Research Institute (CRI), a non- profit firm with ties to the Pentagon, between November 2006 and the assumption of his Air Force post. The newspaper claimed that Riechers was paid by the firm, but did not actually perform any duties for them.
The Air Force has denied these claims and there was no information released by press time that tied his death to the publication of the article.
“Prior to his current position, Mr. Riechers worked for the Air Force under a contract with Commonwealth Research,” the Air Force’s Oct. 15 statement said. “During his two month employment with CRI, Mr. Riechers was employed in a scientific and engineering technical assistance capacity to the Air Force and made recommendations that were instrumental in engineering our acquisition transformation and continuing the Air Force’s modernization of our aging fleet.
“He provided technical advice on various programs such as the [Air Force] Active Denial System, UAV integration into the National Air Space, program development for a new aerial refueling tanker and the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program,” the statement continued.
In his role as principal deputy, Riechers was a key adviser for the Air Force’s highest priority acquisition programs such as the KC-X tanker aircraft, CSAR-X rescue helicopter, next-generation bomber, and the service’s F-22 and F-35 modern fighter jets.
“His extraordinary technical expertise and his polished leadership style were well respected in the Pentagon,” the Air Force said yesterday. “His work there led to many successes in Air Force acquisition transformation, including progress on high-level initiatives such as open architectures, directed-energy programs, alternate fuels programs and process improvements to increase the speed, agility, and cost effectiveness of major acquisition programs.”
Riechers’ boss, Air Force Acquisition Executive Sue Payton, recognized his contribution last week during a speech at the Air Armament Symposium in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.
“I couldn’t ask for a better person to be the principal deputy in acquisition for the Air Force,” she said. Riechers was in attendance.
Riechers entered the Air Force in 1982 and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2002. During his time as an airman, he flew more than 1,900 hours as an electronic weapons officer and navigator in the B-52 Bomber and EC-130H.
He deployed to locations around the world and was a decorated veteran of the first Gulf War, the Air Force said yesterday.
From December 2002 to November 2006, Riechers worked within the Office of the Secretary of Defense as special assistant and senior technical advisor on networks and information integration and as chief of operations for the Advanced Concept and Technology Demonstration Program.
In November 2006, he began his stint as a senior technical adviser to CRI, which is located in Johnstown, Pa.
Riechers was the first person to fill the Air Force’s number two acquisition post since Darleen Druyun held the position in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Druyun served a prison term after she admitted in federal court to illegally favoring aerospace giant Boeing [BA] in competitions in exchange for jobs for herself and family members.