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A collection of
news and information specifically for the C4ISR community |
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General Bowlds presents 'State of Electronic
Systems Center'
Re-org, innovation, customer focus highlight ‘State of ESC’ By Chuck Paone 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Delivering his third annual State of ESC address, Electronic Systems Center Commander Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds talked about impending organizational changes, as well as the need to remain focused on innovation, program execution and customer needs. He delivered the address Jan. 27 at the Marriott Hotel in Newton, Mass., and his speech was simulcast live to Hanscom Air Force Base desktop computers. General Bowlds showed the most recent version of the plan for reorganizing the acquisition structure, which will eliminate wings, groups and squadrons and increase the number of program executive officers to six. The ESC commander will retain the role of PEO for Command and Control and Combat Support, and for many of the major programs within the current C2/CS portfolio. However, five additional PEOs will soon share acquisition authority. There will be a PEO for C2 and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance; a PEO for Battle Management; a PEO for Cyber/Net-centric; a PEO for Enterprise Logistics; and a PEO for Enterprise Information Systems. “The Pentagon wants PEOs to have an intimate knowledge of each program in their portfolio,” he said. “To get that increased focus, you’ve got to reduce what’s in each one’s job jar.” General Bowlds said the projected stand-up date for all of this is June. A lot of paperwork stands in the way of making that officially happen, however, so in the interim PEOs will be named and begin filling PEO responsibilities while still operating in the current structure. “I expect a seamless transition to the new PEO structure with a continued focus on program execution to meet customer expectations,” the general said and also wrote in his 2010 Commander’s Intent (see related article). “The programs that are executing well today need to be executing well tomorrow.” During the course of the hour-long presentation, General Bowlds not only unveiled his 2010 Intent, but took a hard look at progress made on 2009’s objectives. (More) |
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XR team helps ID, grow technologies while reducing risk
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Developmental planning is what lies in the nebulous territory between a good idea and a formal program, according to officials from the organization leading such efforts for the Electronic Systems Center. “There’s plenty of good technology being developed out there by Air Force Research Laboratory and others, but there isn’t enough money to mature and develop it all,” said Dr. Charlie Kelley, director of Capabilities Integration, better known by its two-letter designation, XR. This means some hard decisions have to be made, which in return requires a combination of sound planning, engineering and analysis. That’s where XR comes in. But they don’t come in alone. The XR team brings together AFRL, small businesses doing innovative research and development, program officials and the user community. “And by users, we don’t just mean the ones who control the money, but the actual hands-on operators who know what they need,” Dr. Kelley said. The key in all of this is to work at maturing – or prioritizing the maturation of – the most promising and most required technologies. Even within ESC, it’s important to determine which technology gaps program managers are most desperately looking to fill. “We go out and survey them and ask them to come back to us with their needs,” Dr. Kelley said. “The first time we did it, we kind of got the solve-world-hunger type responses, but since then, we’ve asked them to drill down and get more specific, and now I think we’ve really got a good list to work from.” (More) |
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Team completes 181-site weather system
fielding effort
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Everyone has heard the old saying, “You
can’t change the weather.”
However, being able to predict weather conditions is
a necessity for warfighters. The now-completed fielding of the Joint
Environmental Toolkit (JET), Increment 1, to 181 sites by
the 651st Electronic Systems Squadron will ensure accurate,
timely and relevant weather information is available to
military commanders and decision makers around the world. “Air Force Weather supports both the Army
and Air Force and any time an Airman or a Soldier goes to
battle, they need to know what the weather is going to be.
JET is able to provide that information with cutting-edge
capabilities,” said Capt. Connor Benedict, JET deputy
program manager. |
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Medical Group
wins multiple command honors By JC Corcoran 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs The 66th Medical Group has captured six Air Force Materiel Command awards for 2009, including four individual, one team and one flight award. Recognized as the best in AFMC were: Capt. Kerry L. Ciolek, who was named Public Health Officer of the Year; Capt. Michael B. Elliott, who was recognized as Junior Clinical Dentist of the Year; Master Sgt. Jaime L. Capps, who earned the Senior Master Sgt. Timothy A. Maggard Medical Readiness Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year; and Staff Sgt. Sara E. Hayes, who won the Chief Master Sgt. Lewis W. Dunlap Award for outstanding Mental Health Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. Also, the 66th Dental Flight was named the Small Dental Clinic of the Year, and the 66th Medical Support Squadron’s Resource Management Flight was recognized as the Outstanding Resource Management Team of the Year. As the Public Health Officer for the 66th Medical Group Operations Squadron, Captain Ciolek was hand-selected for the Aerospace Medical Flight command position, overseeing five elements composed of 20 members caring for five Electronic Systems Center wings and over 300 geographically separated units. She oversaw occupational health programs that saw the administering ratio of 575 audiograms and examinations, raising Hanscom’s performance to five percent over Air Force standards. Captain Ciolek’s oversight of the base immunization clinic helped immeasurably in the administration of over 10,000 shots to members of the Hanscom community. (More) |
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Hanscom
lieutenant balances life in Air Force, playing professional
hockey with Lowell Devils
Air Force Academy Media Relations Few people can actually say they have had a dream come true. 2nd Lt. Greg Flynn has had two: the opportunity to serve the country he loves and the chance to play professionally in the sport he loves. A 2009 graduate of the Air Force Academy, located in Colorado Springs, Colo., Lieutenant Flynn is stationed at Hanscom. By day, he is a contract manager in the 66th Contracting Squadron -- an officer diligently working on market research, negotiating contracts and sending them forward through the Air Force process. By night, he puts on the number 37 sweater as a rookie defenseman with the Lowell Devils of the American Hockey League. A fiercely competitive defenseman with a razor’s edge, he goes toe-to-toe with players who will soon be, or have been, in the National Hockey League. “Playing professional hockey is an unbelievable opportunity, but I am an officer in the Air Force and very proud of that,” Lieutenant Flynn said. “I cannot thank everyone involved in the process enough. Everyone has been so supportive and for that I am eternally grateful. To my coaches at the Academy who taught me to play at the highest level, my commanders here at Hanscom who have given me this opportunity and the Lowell administration who took a chance on an unknown. A heart-felt thank you.” (More) |
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Opening New Horizons
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350 ELSW announces fourth quarter award winners
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the news ... . The following items have recently run in commercial news media outlets. They have not been produced by the U.S. Air Force, nor does their use reflect official endorsement. Reproduction for private use or gain is subject to original copyright restrictions. Training, surveillance get top billing for AF -- Air Force Times The Air Force will place greater emphasis on training foreign air forces and surveillance missions in the next five years but will still rely heavily on manned fighters, bombers and mobility aircraft, according to a draft of the Quadrennial Defense Review, a road map for the Defense Department. Concerns Spike As QDR Looms -- Aviation Week Few know everything about what is in the latest Quadrennial Defense Review and the 2011 defense budget plan, but everybody seems to know something. Overhaul of export controls on table -- Washington Times Senior Obama administration national security and trade officials will meet Wednesday with key congressional leaders to seek support for a major overhaul of U.S. export controls, aimed at loosening the restrictions with an eye to economic gains. Defense contractors may face new rules -- USA Today U.S. defense contractors could be denied payments if they fail to correct chronic deficiencies in their systems to track performance on weapons programs. DoD Board: Protect Some Biz Sectors, Merge Others -- Defense News Some U.S. defense sectors deserve special preservation, while others should be encouraged to consolidate as defense spending levels off, a Pentagon advisory board has recommended. Pentagon taps career Navy executive to dissolve NSPS -- Government Executive The Pentagon has tapped a Navy career senior executive to wind down the National Security Personnel System and to design a new performance management system for its civilian employees. |
command comments ... … Our most important air and space mission is supporting our troops and those of our allies on the front lines. More than 100,000 of them wake up each morning in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Tens of thousands more rise in Iraq. Our battlefield success in Afghanistan is to a great degree underwritten by aviation and space platforms. In a land-locked nation with few workable roads, helicopter lift and cargo aircraft provide food, fuel and maneuver support. Combat air patrols and search and rescue teams watch over our troops day and night. Our offense against the Taliban and al-Qaida depends on air power. Because of a significant investment in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, commanders receive actionable intelligence in minutes rather than hours. And unmanned aircraft now combine surveillance with new attack capabilities.
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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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