Kyes was responsible for the division in the period in which transit buses overtook streetcars as the primary form of public transport in most large American cities.

[6] Upon becoming Deputy Secretary of Defense, Kyes criticized the United States military-defense establishment as dominated by "unrealistic requirements, poor planning and inefficient execution .

waste of money, poor utilization of manpower, unnecessary drain of materials from the civilian economy, and the inefficient use of tools, equipment and facilities.

"[5] He slashed the defense budget in an attempt to improve efficiencies, in the process gaining himself the nickname of "Jolly Roger" because of his piratical ruthlessness.

[2][3][5] The Algoma Compass (formerly the Roger M. Kyes) and (Adam E. Cornelius) is a self-unloading bulk carrier lake freighter built in Toledo, Ohio in 1973 for the American Steamship Company.

An American Steamship Company vessel was christened the Roger M. Kyes in his honor on July 28, 1973 by his wife at Toledo, Ohio.