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A collection of
news and information specifically for the C4ISR community
Vol. 4, No. 36
September 18, 2008 |
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Commentary
UCI is our
opportunity and our obligation
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Gen. Ted Bowlds |
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By Lt. Gen. Ted
Bowlds, Commander
Electronic Systems Center
Make no
mistake; we are at a unique time in our Air Force and in Air
Force acquisition. Our chief and secretary "get" acquisition and
its key role in providing Air Force capabilities. They have made
acquisition one of their top five pillars and are backing it
with manpower increases and coming down hard on the requirements
side.
Both of these actions are unique in any history I can remember.
They are also rebuilding our credibility with Congress, our
joint partners, and the American people. One of their pillars to
build that credibility is through high standards and compliance
with them.
Specifically, they discuss standards and compliance in
acquisition. Recent acquisition protests and integrity issues
within our own ranks have caused additional scrutiny on Air
Force acquisition and cost us significant delays in war-critical
weapons systems: combat helicopters, tankers, and cargo
aircraft.
(More) |
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Evans: Lots of money devoted to,
challenges facing ISR community
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Martha “Marty”
Evans, director for Information Dominance Programs
within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the
Air Force for Acquisition, speaks to a
government-industry gathering at Hanscom AFB, Mass.,
Sept. 11. Ms. Evans told the group that the Air
Force is spending lots of money on C4ISR, and is
looking for big results. (Photo by Rick
Berry) |
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By Chuck
Paone
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Command,
control, computers, communications, intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance, collectively referred to as
C4ISR, is a very large business, Martha "Marty" Evans told a
government-industry crowd assembled at Hanscom AFB's
Minuteman Club Sept. 11.
"When you look at the portfolio for C4ISR, it's only
slightly smaller than the entire budget for the nation of
Georgia, and it's a lot bigger than the entire [gross
domestic product] of a lot of other small countries in the
world," said Ms. Evans, who is the director for Information
Dominance Programs within the Office of the Assistant
Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition.
Her main point was that defense leaders aren't just talking
about C4ISR, but are also putting a lot of money into it.
"We have the responsibility to spend that money wisely," she
said, addressing a luncheon crowd at a forum sponsored by
the Lexington-Concord Chapter of the Armed Forces
Communications and Electronics Association.
(More) |
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Heritage of
Freedom program to highlight stories of courage tomorrow
Three local veterans will share their compelling, first-hand
stories of courage and valor with the Hanscom community tomorrow
in the kick off of the free Heritage of Freedom speaker series
from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Minuteman Club.
Joseph Poshefko, an armorer with the legendary Flying Tigers
during World War II, Maj. (Ret.) William A. Guenon, Jr., who was
a C-130 pilot during the daring raid on North Vietnam's Son Tay
prison, and Lt. Col. (Ret.) Dale Zelko, an F-117 pilot who was
shot down over Serbia, will each offer short presentations on
their personal experiences during the Heritage of Freedom event,
coinciding with the celebration of the Air Force's 61st
birthday.
The Heritage of Freedom program will highlight compelling
accounts of service by different speakers once a quarter. The
format will include a 15-minute presentation by each speaker
followed by a question and answer session. There is no cost to
attend, and free refreshments will be served. Everyone is
invited.
"This event is a great opportunity for all of our Airmen, both
military and civilian, to share in the history and camaraderie
that joins us together in service to our great country," said
Col. David Orr, 66th Air Base Wing commander. "This speaker
series will help uphold and promote our Air Force heritage and
pass on stories of character and courage from our Airmen,
Soldiers, Sailors and Marines of the past to those of the
present. I strongly encourage everyone to attend. You won't be
disappointed."
The colonel said that, while each presentation is short and
concise, he encourages people to engage with the guest speakers
afterwards while enjoying interaction with Hanscom personnel
joined in the vocation of military service. |
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551 ELSW Warrior Day
Hanscom Airmen
quickly don Mission Protective Posture gear and gas masks
during the 551st Electronic Systems Wing's Warrior Day Sept.
12. During the day's events, Airmen practiced various
battlefield skills including weapons handling, Self Aid and
Buddy Care techniques and wearing MOPP gear, which protects
wearers from chemical and biological agents. Following a
biological or chemical attack, every second that people
remain exposed to the toxins greatly reduces their chances
for survival. (Photo by Mark Wyatt) |
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Gen. Schwartz addresses Air Force
future at AFA Convention
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Air Force Chief
of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz presents opening
remarks at the 2008 Air Force Association Air &
Space Conference and Technology Exposition Sept. 15,
in Washington D.C. (Photo by Scott M. Ash)
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By Staff Sgt.
J.G. Buzanowski
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON -- The chief of staff of the Air Force addressed Air
Force Association Air and Space Technology Convention delegates
Sept. 16 here to share his vision for the future of the service.
"The work we must accomplish is serious stuff," Gen. Norton A.
Schwartz said, "but I know we are up to the task."
Part of the joint fight
Overall, his message stressed the importance of the role the Air
Force plays in supporting combatant commanders and operations
around the world. Further, General Schwartz shared anecdotes and
stories of Airmen to illustrate his points, many of which are
featured in the current Portraits in Courage.
"Every day, I come to work as the chief and I ponder 'what are
we doing to support the joint fight?' and there is never a
shortage of impressive answers," General Schwartz said. "You'll
find the Air Force on every continent. There are 33,000 Airmen
deployed to contingencies across the globe."
The general outlined several initiatives that will bolster
ongoing Air Force missions, particularly air refueling, unmanned
aerial systems and nuclear operations.
(More) |
Purchasing program celebrates five
years of AF cost avoidance, savings
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE-GUNTER ANNEX, Ala. –
Now in its fifth year, the Air Force program which strategically
manages purchases of the service’s desktop computing assets
continues to deliver substantial cost savings, high-quality
products and convenience for end users.
The Quarterly Enterprise Buy program is co-sponsored by the
Office of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer
and Deputy Assistant Secretary for contracting, and managed by
the Air Force’s Information Technology Commodity Council.
“The QEB has surpassed our expectations in terms of the cost
savings and other benefits it has brought to the Air Force,”
said Dorothy Priest of the ITCC. “We are pleased to see the
widespread adoption of the QEB by Air Force personnel as the
most efficient and cost effective way to purchase computers and
ensure they can be easily managed over their life-cycle. That
acceptance is really the ultimate testament to the program’s
value.”
The ITCC reports that more than 568,000 computers have been
purchased through the QEB since its inception in 2003. During
this time, the Air Force has saved more than $167 million on IT
hardware purchases -- with $8 million in savings recorded during
the first half of the 2008 fiscal year. Current QEB offerings
include business-class desktop models for as low as $418,
including a three-year warranty.
(More) |
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Happy
61st Air Force Birthday!
Hanscom will
celebrate the Air Force birthday at its Minuteman Club
Friday afternoon in conjunction with the inaugural
Heritage of Freedom Speaker Series event. See next
week's Integrator for coverage of the event. Every issue of
the Integrator is carefully prepared to bring our
readers the news they need to keep informed.
Subscription is free and easy --
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click this link
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in
the news ...
Use of these articles does not
reflect official endorsement. Reproduction for private use or
gain is subject to original copyright restrictions.
Hanscom's Electronic Systems Center to develop OA concept beyond Air
Force
-- Defense Daily
Following the release last year of a directive for implementation of
open technology development and acquisition, the Air Force is
beginning to apply it to all phases of life cycle, everything from
how fees are awarded to how the service does investment across
different programs, an Air Force official said.
NECC
forges joint command and control with SOA
-- Defense Systems Magazine
As the Defense Department moves toward a network-centric approach to
communications, the department is modernizing its
command-and-control (C2) infrastructure ...
National Guard would exit Milford for
Hanscom base
-- Boston Globe
The Massachusetts National Guard plans to move its headquarters from
Milford to Hanscom Air Force Base, with a promise of boosting the
area's economy ...
Schwartz looks to repair USAF-industry
relationship
-- Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
Gen. Norton Schwartz, the new chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force,
says he wants to repair the "unfortunate deterioration" of the
relationship between the service and its contractors ...
Lord: Future of Air Force Cyber Command
may be decided within 45 days
-- Inside the Air Force
Air Force officials hope to make key decisions regarding the makeup
and missions of Cyber Command by mid-October ...
Air
Weapons Article Index: 21st century AWACS
-- Strategy Page
The U.S. Air Force has completed testing its latest E-3 AWACS (Air
Warning And Control System) upgrades.
BAE Systems to unveil new candidate for
objective gateway contract
-- Flight International
BAE Systems, Inc will challenge Northrop Grumman for a major
contract to develop one of the central nodes in the US military's
evolving airborne communications network.
USAF chief slams retired generals over
tanker
-- Defense News
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz took aim at
retired generals working for defense contractors involved in the
tanker dispute ... |
command comments ...
... First and
foremost, we need to be certain about who we
are, what we do for the Joint team, and how we
must transition for the future. The national
security environment is evolving, and we are
adjusting our force structure and skill sets
accordingly.
The Air Force is smaller and busier than ever.
With the today's tempo and the daily adjustments
in our force structure and workforce each day,
it is sometimes difficult to step back and view
these changes from the Airman's perspective of
30 thousand feet, 22 thousand nautical miles or
as a holistic, interconnected network. Yet these
daily adjustment are contributing to the major
trends influencing the Air Force.
We need to understand not just who we are, but
who we are becoming. We are not only operators
of aerospace platforms delivering people, cargo,
and weapons. We are also providers of a
tremendous capability for command and control of
the air and space picture ...
--
Acting Secretary of the Air Force
Michael B. Donley at Sept. 15 Air Force Association's 24th Annual
Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington, D.C.
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