A collection of news and information specifically for the C4ISR community

Vol. 4, No. 17
May 1, 2008

Precision landing system ready for take off

First Lt. Pat Ris (left) and 1st Lt. Juan Gherardy set up the Man-pack version of the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System outside Hanscom AFB, Mass., in November 2007. The equipment, which can be carried in two rucksacks, consists of two GPS antennas and receivers, a ruggedized notebook computer, networking hardware, and an aircraft data link.(Courtesy photo)

By Chuck Paone
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

After many years of technology refinement, the Electronic Systems Center-led land-based increment of the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System is poised to progress to the system development and demonstration phase.

Known as JPALS, the system uses the Global Positioning System, or GPS, to enable accurate and reliable landing guidance for approaches, including those conducted in low-visibility conditions. It is, in fact, designed to provide precision approach and landing for all the military services in any weather and for virtually any mission, according to 1st Lt. Patrick Ris of the 853rd Electronic Systems Group, the ESC deputy program manager.

The Navy is the Defense Department lead Service for the joint program, and because of its specific needs, the sea service has fully funded and moved its maritime-based increment of the program forward. Now the Air Force seems ready to do the same, according to Brian Pierce, a contractor supporting the program. (More)

By Monica D. Morales
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

The era of analysts who navigated through the world of intelligence data equipped with sticky notes and spreadsheets is being shelved to make room for a new set of tools that make use of Web-based applications.

That’s what the 950th Electronic Systems Group’s Air Force Distributed Common Ground System Block 10.2 aims to ensure after successfully completing its Factory Acceptance Test in concert with prime contractor Raytheon last month.

Immediately thereafter, work began to field this upgraded capability to the first of five Air Force DCGS sites.

The Air Force DCGS consists of global sites capable of receiving, processing, storing, correlating, exploiting and disseminating intelligence feeds from multiple sources.

Despite reaching this success, AF DCGS Block 10.2 experienced its share of setbacks in the past. After two major test failures last summer, the government-contractor team embarked upon an ambitious redesign effort.  (More)

Conference focuses on challenges facing acquisition workforce 

Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds, Electronic Systems Center commander, speaks during a panel discussion on Improving the Acquisition Process at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Nearly 500 government and industry professionals attended Defense Acquisition University's DOD Acquisition Insight Days April 22-23. Also pictured are Dr. James Finley, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition & Technology, moderator Gregory Garcia, director of 754th Electronic Systems Group, and Lt. Gen. Jack Hudson, Aeronautical Systems Center commander. (DAU photo by Susan Shirey)

By Derek Kaufman
88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- As one team of Air Force and industry leaders assembled in Palmdale, Calif. this week to honor and retire the venerable F-117 stealth fighter, another gathered here to chart a course to speed the development and delivery of a new crop of revolutionary weapon systems to joint warfighters.

The Defense Acquisition University's DOD Acquisition Insight Days, held at the Hope Hotel and Conference Center April 22 - 23, focused the acquisition, technology and logistics workforces at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and throughout the mid-west region on challenges the government and industry acquisition community face, said Lt. Col. James Valley, Defense Acquisition University project officer. The event was hosted by the Defense Acquisition University Alumni Association and its many sponsors.

The two-day workshop was attended by nearly 500 government and industry professionals and addressed topics ranging from performance-based logistics and improving supply chain management to incentivizing contractors.  (More)

Electronic Systems Center reunion

Deployed members from across ESC pose with 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander Col. Thomas Harrison Smith Jr. and Chief Master Sergeant Lisa Sirois, 376 AEW command chief (formerly ESC command chief) April 25 at Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan. The ESC members are (from left to right) Staff Sgt. Carlos Cervantes, 850 ELSG; Airman 1st Class Sean McKee, 66 MSS; Senior Airman Tristan Duff, Cryptologic Systems Group; Senior Airman Amanda Carter, 66 MDOS; Staff Sgt. Michael Stephens, 66 MSG; and Airman 1st Class Kosal Thim, Tech. Sgt. Anthony Mello, Senior Airman Krista Schuerhoff, Staff Sgt. Damon Farr and Staff Sgt. David Tsai, all of the 754 ELSG. More than 170 ESC members are currently deployed around the world.  (Courtesy photo)

Government civilians will soon use USA JOBS to apply at Hanscom 

Effective June 1, all current Air Force employees will use the USA JOBS application process to apply for Hanscom Air Force Base positions.

“This is a major change for our own Hanscom AFB employees in terms of the process to be used for merit promotion and most reassignment actions,” said Sheila Brennan, ESC’s Director of Personnel. “Employees will post a resume to the USA JOBS website and answer specific questions related to positions for which they are applying.”

These changes were negotiated with local unions after an initial USA JOBS demonstration from the Office of Personnel Management’s USA Staffing technical advisor and many discussions regarding the implications of the change, Ms. Brennan said. For selecting officials, the major change will be the receipt of resumes over career briefs when making hiring decisions.

“Management officials tell us they want to see resumes like they currently do for external applicants,” Ms. Brennan said. Selecting officials currently receive career briefs from the Air Force Personnel Center which contain occupational skills codes depicting an applicant’s past experience. The skills codes are often difficult to decipher and of limited usefulness to assess the best candidate for the position.  (More)

DEAMS hosts ECSS for three-day workshop

By Toni Duron
DEAMS Change Management

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – Members of two major Air Force Enterprise Resource Planning projects compared notes and learned from each other during a three-day workshop here April 7-9. The Defense Enterprise Accounting and Management System functional management office welcomed counterparts from the Expeditionary Combat Support System Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Attendees included representatives from the ECSS program management and logistics transformation offices; the Air Force Comptroller’s Office; Defense Finance and Accounting Service; and, members of the DEAMS program management office at Wright-Patterson AFB.

The workshop was set up to provide overviews on the DEAMS and ECSS programs, discuss shortfalls, functional designs and transformations that have occurred during DEAMS Increment 1, and to establish a stronger working relationship between the DEAMS Increment 1 team and ECSS.

Seven sessions provided attendees an opportunity to examine how DEAMS will address numerous financial management processes for U. S. Transportation Command and the Air Force. The DEAMS team provided information on general accounting, procure to pay, project costing, orders to cash, the DEAMS transformation engine, common configurations, data conversion, and the Oracle® time and labor module being implemented for Air Force civilian employee timekeeping.  (More)

ESC attendees at the Royal Australian Air Force Ball at Bolling AFB April 26 pose with members of the RAAF. They are (back row left to right): Air Vice Marshall Chris Deeble, program manager AEW&C, Col. Chris Jones, chief of the 551 ELSG International Division; Col. Doug Railey, commander, 551 ELSG; Squadron Leader Russ Barton, RAAF exchange officer & 551 ELSG capabilities lead AWACS system integration engineer; (front row left to right): Denise Williams, deputy of the 551 International Division, Keith Moody, resident project team leader for RAAF Wedgetail, Wendy Barton, Star Zabriskie, and Charlie Zabriskie, ESC honorary commander. (Courtesy photo)

ESC group attends Royal Australian Air Force Ball
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A contingent from Electronic Systems Center’s 551st Electronic Systems Group along with ESC Honorary Commander Charlie Zabriskie and his wife, Star attended the annual Royal Australian Air Force Ball April 26 at Bolling AFB, Washington D.C.

The RAAF Ball is the culmination of a week-long seminar for all RAAF personnel posted to the United States and is always celebrated coincident with Anzac Day. Anzac Day, one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand, is commemorated on April 25 every year to honor members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey, their first major action during World War I.

“The Washington D.C. ball, hosted by the Australian Embassy, also celebrates the fellowship and mutual respect between the RAAF and U.S. Air Force,” said Col. Doug Railey, 551st ELSG commander. “The ESC contingent was invited because of our support to the RAAF Wedgetail 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control Program.”

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Senior Master Sgt. Mark Veomett, enlisted aide to the Electronic Systems Center Commander Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds, uses fresh ingredients to prepare a healthy and delicious main course on April 30. Sergeant Veomett teamed up with Senior Master Sgt. Ibrahim Hamdan, enlisted aide to the Air Force Materiel Command Commander Gen. Bruce Carlson, to represent the Air Force in the Freedom Chefs Challenge. Each service sent a two-person team to Salt Lake City, Utah, to participate in the first all-services “Iron Chef”-style competition, which was part of the 2008 American Culinary Federation Western Regional Conference.  (Photo by Linda LaBonte-Britt)

By Meredith March
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

An alternate Pentagon was the setting for an ambitious military collaboration April 19, when military chefs from all five services, including Hanscom’s own Senior Master Sgt. Mark Veomett, converged on Salt Lake City, Utah, to prove their gastronomic prowess and emerge victorious from the Freedom Chefs Challenge, the first inter-service battle of culinary might.

The “Iron Chef”-style challenge, which pitted a team from each service against each other, was a highlight event of the 2008 American Culinary Federation Western Regional Conference, hosted by the Utah-based ACF Beehive Chefs Chapter Inc. The theme of the conference was, ‘Salute to the Military and Their Chefs.’

Sergeant Veomett, enlisted aide to the Electronic Systems Center Commander Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds, was a member of the two-person team representing the Air Force in the convention center’s pentagon-shaped kitchen. “Each branch had its own side,” Sergeant Veomett said.

Each team was assigned an apprentice to help with basic tasks and had 2 ½ hours to plan and prepare as many or as few courses as they preferred, while at least two courses were required to utilize the mystery ingredient, which turned out to be beef.  (More)

AFA Paul Revere Chapter to hold golf tournament June 17

The Paul Revere Chapter of the Air Force Association will hold its annual Spring Golf Tournament June 17 at the Juniper Hill Golf Course in Northborough, Mass.

Golfer’s registration will begin at 6:45 a.m. Coffee and doughnuts will be available. The tournament begins with a shotgun starting at 8 a.m. An awards luncheon will be held at the Golf Club following the tournament.

Format for the tournament will be a four-person scramble, according to Joe Magnone, AFA golf chairperson.
 
“This years Spring tournament is being held in conjunction with the Air Force Cyberspace Symposium II being held June 16-19 at the nearby Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center, but is open to all interested golfers.”

Proceeds from the tournament will go to the AFA scholarship fund, which provides scholarships for graduating high school seniors from military families as well as to spouses of active duty military.

Interested golfers can go to http://www.paulrevereafa.org/  and register for golf under the Symposium registration process, or they can contact Joe Magnone or Heidi Aronofsky at (781) 505-1600 or 1620.

command comments ...

-- Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne
and Air Force Chief of Staff
T. Michael Moseley

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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