Major General Curtis M. Bedke will be a keynote speaker for SEPG North America 2008. Gen. Bedke, in late October 2007,assumed command of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. AFRL is the USAF's only organization wholly dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of new technologies for air, space and cyberspace forces.

Gen. Bedke served as Commander, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California from 2004 to 2007. His areas of responsibility included the development, test, and evaluation of manned and unmanned aircraft systems in both experimental and proven aerospace vehicles. Gen. Bedke also supported the conduct of test and evaluation programs for the Department of Defense, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the U.S. Air Force Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.

A 1977 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Gen. Bedke is a command pilot with more than 4,300 flying hours in 70 different aircraft. A veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, he also served as the Combined Forces Air Component Commander for Bright Star in Egypt in October 2001 and as U.S. Central Command's senior military representative to Pakistan from February to June 2002.

To read Gen. Bedke's complete bio, click here.