Ryan Kaono-Wedemeyer

I'm Ryan Kaono-Wedemeyer, founder of Romeo Kilo Defense Systems, a service-disabled veteran-owned startup building automation tools for government and defense. Our flagship product, SAM-D, digitizes the military’s outdated support agreement process, replacing decades-old PDFs with a smart, workflow-driven system. Backed by my career in Air Force logistics and support policy, I'm building tools that reduce friction, increase compliance, and save millions. We’re currently demoing to DoD and industry partners while preparing for launch.

Veteran | Strategist | Builder | Founder of RKDS

Ryan Kaono-Wedemeyer is a mission-driven innovator, veteran, and systems thinker with a career built at the intersection of national defense, logistics, and digital modernization. A former Air Force Chief Master Sergeant and Department of Defense civilian, Ryan brings nearly three decades of hands-on experience managing complex operations, authoring policy, and building teams that thrive in high-stakes environments.

Throughout his military and civilian service, Ryan became known as the “go-to problem solver” — the person leadership turned to when the mission demanded more than checklists and status quo. Whether accelerating multi-billion dollar support agreements, streamlining base-level logistics, or helping write the definitive DoD policy on interagency support (DoDI 4000.19), Ryan led with precision, principle, and relentless resolve.

Now as the founder and CEO of Romeo Kilo Defense Systems (RKDS), he is building the solutions he wishes he had in uniform. RKDS reflects Ryan’s core values — Secure. Loyal. Sustainable. — and his belief that defense systems should empower people, not bury them in bureaucracy. His flagship platform, SAM-D, is a ground-up reinvention of how support agreements are managed across the Department of the Air Force. With SAM-D, he’s bringing automation, transparency, and true accountability to a process long plagued by manual workarounds and organizational churn.

Ryan’s leadership philosophy blends warfighter practicality with entrepreneurial boldness. He doesn’t build for the boardroom — he builds for the field. And whether he's demoing SAM-D to AFWERX, guiding his AI assistants at RKDS, or mentoring fellow veterans on their startup journeys, his north star remains constant: serve the mission, serve the people.

He currently lives in Springfield, VA, where he continues to lead RKDS, support national innovation pipelines, and supporting disabled veterans and rescue dogs.

Romeo Kilo Defense Systems (RKDS) is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) delivering secure, sustainable, and scalable automation for the Department of Defense and industry partners.

Our flagship platform, SAM-D (Support Agreement Management – Digital), modernizes how the DoD manages support agreements — replacing outdated paper processes with a digital, AI-driven workflow that improves compliance, accelerates approvals, and reduces risk.

Backed by decades of defense logistics expertise and an integrated AI ecosystem, RKDS builds solutions that are mission-ready, cybersecure, and future-focused, helping government and enterprise customers streamline operations and unlock efficiency.