A collection of news and information specifically for the C4ISR community

Vol. 4, No. 27
July 17, 2008

Hanscom drivers express interest in alternate transportation options

Hartwell Avenue commuters to Hanscom are looking for new transportation alternatives. (Photo by Linda LaBonte-Britt)

By Kevin Gilmartin
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Looking to find new ways to cope with rising gas prices, nearly 1,500 Hanscom employees who drive on Hartwell Avenue in Lexington responded to a recent online survey about their commuting habits and willingness to participate in alternate forms of transportation to the base.

In all, 1,441 people responded to the survey, which was conducted by Transaction Associates, Inc. of Waltham, Mass. Not surprisingly, a large percentage of the respondents comes to work Monday to Friday between 7 and 8 a.m. (48.5 percent) and leaves the base between 4 and 5 p.m. (49 percent).

“Anyone who drives on Hartwell Avenue knows that these are peak traffic times, and we often see backups,” said Col. Tom Schluckebier, 66th Air Base Wing commander. “One way to alleviate that congestion would be for eligible employees to take advantage of the flexible work schedules that are available to some Hanscom employees.”

A whopping 86.3 percent of the survey respondents commute to work each day alone, with only 12.2 percent carpooling.  (More)

ESC commander to provide opening remarks, speaker intros at AFITC

Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds

Electronic Systems Center Commander Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds will provide opening remarks and keynote speaker introductions on the first day of the Air Force's number one information technology conference scheduled to begin Aug. 25 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala.

The four-day Air Force Information Technology Conference 2008, slated to run through Aug. 28, is designed to keep Air Force IT users, developers and managers current on the latest technologies, and will provide targeted training seminars and showcase product demonstrations from industry, academia and government.

Confirmed government keynote speakers include Brig. Gen. Michael Basla, Vice Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems, Joint Staff; Lt. Gen. Michael Peterson, Chief of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force; Dr. Lani Kass, Special Assistant to CSAF for Cyberspace; Maj. Gen. William Lord, Air Force Cyberspace Command (Provisional) Commander; Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, U.S. Strategic Command Commander; and the Honorable Dale Meyerrose, Associate Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Officer. Maj. Gen. John W. Maluda, Director, Cyberspace Transformation and Strategy, Secretary of the Air Force Office of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer, will host the C&I Town Hall Meeting.  (More)

Air Force Chief of staff retires after 37 years of service

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley addresses the audience July 11 during his retirement ceremony at Bolling Air Force Base, D.C. General Moseley retired after 37 years of Air Force service.  (Photo by Scott M. Ash)

BOLLING AIR FORCE BASE, D.C. -- In a ceremony filled with military tradition, the 18th chief of staff of the Air Force, General T. Michael Moseley, retired July 11 after 37 years of service.

"We honor here today the career of a warfighter, diplomat, historian and Airman," said former Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne, who officiated at the ceremony on the U.S. Air Force Ceremonial Lawn. "We lose a participant, a creator and a valuable member of today's Air Force."

Mr. Wynne spoke of General Moseley's leadership over the years and presented him with personal letters of appreciation from President Bush, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and acting Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley.

General Moseley said he was excited about going to work at the Pentagon every day since his September 2005 appointment, walking down the hall, "seeing the portraits of the previous chiefs of staff who set the bar so high." (More)

Secretary of the Air Force establishes annual international affairs award 

WASHINGTON -- The secretary of the Air Force has established an annual award to honor outstanding and innovative contributions to international affairs.

Launched in January, the Air Force International Affairs Excellence Award recognizes the one Air Force person judged to be most effective in building, sustaining, expanding and guiding enduring international relationships.

“It highlights the achievements of someone who has worked diligently with our Air Force’s international partners to build the capacity, interoperability and the will necessary to support coalitions that benefit common security interests,” said Bruce S. Lemkin, the Air Force’s deputy under secretary of international affairs.

“In today’s dynamic security environment, there is no substitute for cooperation with allies and friends,” Mr. Lemkin said. “Each day, Airmen support global partnership programs that help shape the operational environment for our expeditionary air, space and cyberspace forces.”  (More)

J-STARS sticks around
-- Florida Today
A new Air Force study on the Joint-STARS military surveillance planes bodes well for continued work at Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Melbourne plant.

Wynne speaks out
-- Military Times
The June 5 forced resignations of Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley — the first time in U.S. history the top uniformed and civilian leaders of any service were ousted simultaneously ...
 
AFSO21 progress report
-- Air Force Magazine
AFSO21—the efficiency drive once widely regarded as a grab bag of lofty goals and fuzzy concepts—has turned into something very different.

Gates calls for more UAVs, fresh thinking
-- C4ISR Journal
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates continues to criticize military leaders for what he says is too slow a response to his order to deliver more UAVs and other surveillance systems to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rising oil prices change USAF ops
-- Defense News
When the U.S. Air Force leadership met last month, the top agenda item was how to reduce the service's energy consumption, an effort that will change how the world's leading consumer of fossil fuels flies, trains and even fights.

command comments ...

...  Despite this, our troops have persevered and overcome incredible obstacles. Often, they live in spartan quarters, work in combat theaters, and face the uncertainties of nontraditional war in an era when any mistake, even the perception of a mistake, can be transmitted around the globe in seconds. In these campaigns, our troops have assumed the roles of warriors, diplomats, and development officers. The pressure is unrelenting, and the stakes are incredibly high.

But, in the face of these challenges, they have maintained a steely resolve. On numerous occasions, skeptical reporters have come back from Iraq and Afghanistan amazed at the high morale and discipline they see in our troops. Recruiting targets are being met. And high retention rates continue to be nothing short of remarkable, especially when considering that those most likely to re-enlist are those most often deployed. ...
 

-- Secretary of Defense
Robert M. Gates
at July 11 DAR speech

The Integrator is a weekly product of the 66th Air Base Wing 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, Chief 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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