A collection of news and information specifically for the C4ISR community

Vol. 3, No. 1
January 11, 2007

ESC ready for smooth transition to NSPS Jan. 21

By Kevin Gilmartin
ESC Public Affairs

Electronic Systems Center is ready to implement the National Personnel Security System for nearly 500 Hanscom civilians Jan. 21, according to the person in charge of managing the change.

Bob Youtt, ESC’s NSPS program manager, expects the transition to the new pay-for-performance system that will replace the current General Schedule system to go smoothly.

“With the help of some last-minute training this week for those who missed earlier opportunities, most everyone transitioning to NSPS and their supervisors will be fully trained, by the time we implement on Jan. 21,” Mr. Youtt said. Also, by now, they should have already written their results-oriented job objectives, which are tied to each organization’s missions and goals. This is extremely important, because employees under NSPS will be rated and compensated based on how well they perform against those objectives.”  (More)

Senior Airman Daniel B. Miller Jr. was an explosive ordnance disposal Airman serving in Iraq and was killed defusing a car bomb when it detonated Jan. 7. He and two others killed were deployed from the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. (U.S. Air Force photo)

By Mitch Shaw
75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Hill AFB leaders reflected on the loss of three Airmen who were killed in Iraq by a car bomb.

Tech. Sgt. Timothy R. Weiner, 35, of Tamarack, Fla., Senior Airman Elizabeth A. Loncki, 23, of New Castle, Del., and Senior Airman Daniel B. Miller Jr., 24, of Galesburg, Ill., died in the Jan. 7 explosion near Baghdad.

"The loss of these Airmen to Team Hill is a true tragedy to our organization, to our base and to the Air Force," said Col. Scott Chambers, 75th Air Base Wing commander. "In the Air Force, we consider ourselves one big family. We care for our colleagues and our co-workers exactly like we do our family. Our Air Force family is grieving right now for the loss of these great patriots."

The tragedy marks the first casualties from Hill since the Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom missions began.

According to Air Force officials, the three Airmen were trying to defuse the explosive device when it detonated. One other Airman not assigned to Hill was also injured in the explosion.

The three Airmen were members of the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight. The flight is responsible for defusing military and improvised explosives and working with chemical and biological weapons.  (More)

Army colonel to discuss 'cultural battlespace,’ other topics Tuesday  

Army Col. Thomas Wilhelm

By Monica D. Morales
ESC Public Affairs

Defining present-day cultural battlespace and detailing experiences as an Army foreign area officer will be among the featured topics of Army Col. Thomas Wilhelm’s upcoming presentations scheduled for Tuesday at the O’Neill Auditorium.

Colonel Wilhelm presently holds the post of associate dean for Eurasian Studies at the George C. Marshall Center for Security Studies.

His discussions, entitled “Cultural Battlespace in the 21st Century” will be held 9 to 11 a.m. and again from 1 to 3 p.m. All base personnel are invited to attend.

The speech will explain the role of culture in military activities – from peacetime events to wartime operations. The colonel will also present a case study of the Pakistan side of Operation Enduring Freedom and discuss aspects of technology integration in the context of the cultural battlespace.  (More)

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By Patricia Martone
350th Electronic Systems Wing

Brig. Gen. Peter Hoene, commander of the 350^th Electronic Systems Wing, announced the wing’s fourth quarter winners Dec. 19.  The winners are:  (More)

Airman 1st Class Nader Matinnia
Tech. Sgt. Francisco Limardo Jr.
Senior Master Sgt. Cassandra Crawford-Bice
Capt. Jamieson Pierce
Lt. Col. Scott Boyd
GS-9, Holly Beavers
GS-12, Michael Gamble
GS-13, Laura Dionne
DCGS Block 10.2 Hybrid Team

Registration ongoing for New Horizons Symposium

By J.C. Corcoran
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

The Lexington-Concord Chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association in participation with the Electronic Systems Center will hold its annual New Horizons Symposium Jan. 24 and 25 at the Bedford Glen Hotel, Bedford, Mass.

The symposium provides a forum for the Electronic Systems Center and industry personnel to exchange information on new business directions and specific business opportunities.

The planned focus for this year's event, "Modernizing the Force for Tomorrow," will be the new and emerging business opportunities in ESC's portfolio of programs and how ESC plans to procure these systems.

"The New Horizons Conference provides ESC a great opportunity to share with industry our expectations for future acquisition work," said Col. Bruce Johnson, ESC's Plans and Programs director.  (More)

Book of the Month Club meeting to be held Jan. 16

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Everyone is invited to attend the next Book of the Month Club Meeting on Jan. 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hanscom Minuteman Club. This month’s discussion features a presentation on the book “Imperial Grunts: The American Military on the Ground” by Robert D. Kaplan.

Leading the discussion will be special guest Army Col. Thomas Wilhelm, associate dean for Eurasian Studies at the George C. Marshall Center for Security Studies. People need not read the book to attend, and are welcome to bring a lunch or buy lunch at the club.

The Book of the Month Club is sponsored by ESC Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Arthur Rooney.

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Air Force band plays final tribute for President Ford
-- Air Force Print News
The U.S. Air Force Band of Flight accompanied by the Air Force Band of Liberty performed in the cold rain Jan. 3 to honor Gerald R. Ford, the 38th U.S. president.

USAF Battle Control System takes wing for NORAD
-- Defense News
A $108 million network of early warning computers is now helping guard North American airspace, with nodes at North American Aerospace Defense Command posts in Alaska, New York state, Washington state, Hawaii and Canada.

Save the Date for two briefings at the National Press Club
 -- SOPnewswire
Save the Date for two briefings at the National Press Club on Thursday, January 18, 2007.

Northrop lands $256M contract, but will project fly?
-- Orlando Sentinal
Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Melbourne unit has reeled in a $256 million contract from the Air Force for advanced airborne-surveillance technology ...

AF defends National Airspace Security Plan, says initial auditors' comments off base   -- Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
The U.S. Air Force says its plan to prevent another terrorist attack using hijacked jets is on track, despite service auditors' comments that the program is over budget and behind schedule.

Northrop Grumman keeps E-10 hopes alive with $256M pact
-- Dow Jones Newswires
Northrop Grumman Corp. on Monday sought to bolster its hopes for the E-10 surveillance plane by announcing a $256 million Air Force contract.

That first look
-- Air Force Magazine Online
For modern military forces, the significance of airborne early warning was clear right from the beginning.

Space Radar faces technical, budgetary hurdles
-- C4ISR Journal
Development of data-processing algorithms able to distinguish between ground moving target indicators and background clutter ...

VSP deadline extended
-- Air Force Times
There aren’t enough captains and majors taking pay incentives to voluntarily leave the service, so the Air Force is preparing to force them out.

Robins unit wins award
-- Houston Daily Journal
The 116th Air Control Wing has been awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.

Gun coast
-- Military Information Technology Online Edition
A Navy vessel prepares to enter a waterway in a hostile part of the world. Concerned about threats in the region, a commander submits a query via a Web-based interface to find out about high-value ...

U.S. Air Force: No Set Date For Final Tanker Bids Request
 -- Dow Jones Newswires
The U.S. Air Force on Wednesday said it did not have a firm target date for when it might release a final request for bids in its high-profile, $20 billion-plus tanker competition.

command comments ...

Americans will observe what would have been the 78th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 15.
Had Dr. King lived 78 years, one can only imagine the additional contributions he would have made to our country and our society.
Sadly and tragically, his life was cut short by an assassin's bullet on April 4, 1968 and we lost the youngest person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (for his work as a peacemaker, promoting nonviolence and equal treatment).
As a tribute to Dr. King, I hope we will all take at least a few minutes on Monday to reflect on Dr. King's message and then spend some more time thinking about what we can do to spread his message as we go about our daily routines.
It may be as simple as telling our children about Dr. King or it may be as significant as giving a commanders call briefing on the importance of respect for others, the positive power of diversity and the need for equal treatment.
For Air Force members -- civilian and military -- Dr. King's message of respect for others is an essential cornerstone to our three core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.
That's why the Air Force promotes an environment free from personal, social or institutional barriers that prevent Air Force members from rising to the highest level of responsibility possible. This type of environment starts with respect for every member of the Air Force team regardless of race, color, national origin, religion or gender ..
 

-- Col. Tom Schluckebier,
66th Air Base Wing Commander

The Integrator is a weekly product of the Electronic Systems Center Public Affairs Office designed to give ESC decision makers a snapshot of news affecting the C4ISR community.  This e-publication is approved by Kevin Gilmartin, Director of Public Affairs, (DSN) 478-4110 or commercial (781) 377-4110.  Back issues are available online.  To facilitate service, please select a link for your e-mails:  
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