The Integrator

A collection of news and information specifically for the C4ISR community

Vol. 5, No.37
September 24, 2009

Leaders call for balance at Net-centric conference

A participant at this year’s Net-centric Operations Conference, held Sept. 21, asks a question of Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds, Electronic Systems Center commander. During the conference, leaders stressed the need for balancing user needs with network defense requirements. (USAF photo by Rick Berry)

By Chuck Paone
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

NEW CASTLE, N.H.-- Finding the right balance between user needs and network protection is essential, senior officials from the Air Force, the joint community and other organizations said during a conference here Monday.

Addressing the 7th annual Net-centric Operations Conference, Air Force Electronic Systems Center Commander Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds said that protecting the entire Air Force network is practically impossible.

"Maybe we don't have to protect everything," he suggested. "Maybe we ought to decide what the crown jewels are and focus on protecting them."

Lt. Gen. William Lord discussed what he called the cyber paradox: the perception that fully utilizing the network puts it at risk and that protecting it requires limiting its utility. (More)

Final weekend to register for C2ISR symposium

By Kevin Gilmartin
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Registration is still open for next week’s C2ISR Symposium and Technology Exposition Sept. 28-30 at the MGM Grand Hotel at Foxwoods in Ledyard, Conn., which will feature addresses by a number of prominent military and industry speakers, including the Air Force Secretary and the Chief of Staff.

The symposium, co-sponsored by Electronic Systems Center and the Paul Revere Chapter of the Air Force Association, will feature Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, U.S. Strategic Command Commander Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, and Air Force Space Command Commander Gen. C. Robert Kehler. Also addressing the symposium will be leading edge industry speakers, including retired Gen. John P. Jumper, who served as Air Force chief of staff from 2001 to 2005, Google’s chief technology officer, Michael Jones, who co-founded Google Earth, and noted futurist Dr. James Canton of the Institute for Global Futures.

A number of other speakers from government and industry round out the two-day agenda, including panel discussions on C2ISR operations of today and tomorrow. Retired Gen. William Looney, who served as Electronic Systems Center commander from 2002 to 2003, will serve as moderator of the symposium. (More)

Celebrating 'Star' status

Marthe Kent, Occupational Safety and Health Administration Region One administrator, presents a plaque in honor of Hanscom earning Voluntary Protection Program ‘Star’ status to Electronic Systems Center Commander Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds and 66th Air Base Wing Commander Col. David ‘Iron’ Orr this morning. The ceremony marked the culmination of a three-plus-year effort by base leaders and personnel to earn star status, OSHA’s highest safety rating. Hanscom became the first Air Force base to do so. (Photo by Linda LaBonte-Britt)

ESC team building on Empire Challenge successes

By Chuck Paone
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

An Electronic Systems Center team is busy incorporating technical improvements and lessons learned from this summer's Empire Challenge to improve intelligence distribution, processing and inter-service sharing.

Empire Challenge 2009 (EC09) was a truly global test event, with more than 2,000 participants from seven countries, plus NATO. Many of those participants spent much of July verifying the interoperability of the ISR processing, exploitation, and dissemination capabilities of the Distributed Common Ground System Family of Systems.

Now the DCGS Management Office, or DMO, is using the results to enhance the future DCGS Integration Backbone, known as the DIB. (More)

Changes ahead for Air Force acquisition

Gen. Donald J. Hoffman addresses Air Force Materiel Command and defense industry leaders at an Air Force Association Technology Symposium Sept. 3, 2009, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. General Hoffman is the AFMC commander. (U.S. Air Force photo by William Pugh)

By Derek Kaufman
88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

More than 275 Air Force and defense industry leaders met here Sept. 3 to discuss military technology acquisition challenges and opportunities facing the nation.

The Air Force Association Technology Symposium was timed to immediately follow the semi-annual Air Force Materiel Command Senior Leaders Conference held Sept. 1 and 2.

Gen. Donald J. Hoffman, the AFMC commander, called the symposium's timing, mix of senior leader presentations and focused breakout sessions "a good nexus of events" to help enhance the government-industry partnership and the team's ability to more quickly develop and field new capabilities.

He used the analogy of nurturing a garden, noting that when resources compete or are limited, not every seed planted in support of a new technology or system will bear fruit right away. Acquisition, research and development and sustainment experts -- from both government and industry -- need to be patient, he added.

"I think we all share the same frustration: that there are a lot of noble ideas that don't get all the way to the finish line," General Hoffman said. "Whether we're fighting today's fight or preparing for tomorrow's, technology will be a part of the solution. It's in our culture as a nation and certainly in our culture as an Air Force." (More)

62 and going strong

Lt. Col. Greg Foster and 2nd Lt. Patrick Gernert, both of the 642nd Electronic Systems Squadron, cut into a cake Sept. 18 during a squadron celebration of the Air Force's 62nd birthday. "The heart and soul of our Air Force is not found in the platforms we operate or the technologies we employ; it is in our Airmen and their families," Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz wrote in their Air Force birthday message last Friday.

CPSG engineer wins top Air Force honor

Angela Nadem-Mollaei

By Larry Kishur
CPSG

Ms. Angela Nadem-Mollaei of the Cryptologic Systems Group was named winner of the Dr. Paul G. Kaminski Most Promising Systems Engineer of the Year Award.

This Air Force-level award, named for the former undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology, recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to the United States Air Force in systems engineering within the acquisition process.

As the project lead for the Wireless F-22 Concept Refinement Project, Ms. Nadem-Mollaei works closely with Air Combat Command, the National Security Agency and the F-22 system program office. She led teams of more than 15 personnel to develop and field a wireless system in less than 18 months for the F-22 community. (More)

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in the news ...
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ISR Cuts May Serve Technology Growth
-- Aviation Week
Interrelated technology improvements—all involving advanced radar designs—are driving U.S. defense budget changes and program delays in Fiscal 2011 and beyond.

How the Air Force Is Solving Its 3 Biggest Problems
-- Popular Mechanics
The Air Force has been knocked around recently. The service has generated some bad press about the way it operates, flies, fights and plans for the future. At last week's Air Force Association annual convention, held outside of Washington, D.C., senior leadership discussed the ways the service is working to stay relevant and bolster its reputation.

Cyber threat calls for flexibility in command model
-- Defense Systems
Technology's dark side has created a new battlefield in cyberspace, and that brings new considerations to the way military commands should be structured, according to Lt. Gen. William Lord, chief of warfighting integration and chief information officer of the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.

USAF Mulls Formation Of ISR Command
-- Aviation Week
The U.S. Air Force is pondering the creation of a major command focused on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR).

Is SOA DOA?
-- Federal Computer Week
The fact that government isn’t run like a business has rankled more than a few politicians, voters and business professionals. But in the world of service-oriented architecture, or SOA, there are good reasons why a business executive and a government executive would classify success and failure in completely different ways.

command comments ...

... First, just about all of our military forces – land, sea, and air – now depend on digital communications and the satellites and data networks that support them. With cheap technology and minimal investment, adversaries operating in cyberspace can inflict serious damage on our command and control, ISR, and precision strike capabilities. The recently activated 24th Air Force under the service’s Space Command – working with other military and non-military partners – will make an important contribution to protecting this key domain.

Second, the role of space and satellites has never been more crucial to military operations – from GPS-guided munitions and navigation to missile defense and communications. … Our forces around the globe could not succeed without the satellite-based capabilities provided by the Air Force 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

-- Secretary of Defense
Robert M. Gates at Sept. 16
Air Force Association Annual Conference

To read complete transcript,
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Angela Nadem-Mollaei By Larry Kishur CPSG Ms. Angela Nadem-Mollaei of the Cryptologic Systems Group was named winner of the Dr. Paul G. Kaminski Most Promising Systems Engineer of the Year Award.

Angela Nadem-Mollaei

By Larry Kishur
CPSG

Ms. Angela Nadem-Mollaei of the Cryptologic Systems Group was named winner of the Dr. Paul G. Kaminski Most Promising Systems Engineer of the Year Award.