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A collection of
news and information specifically for the C4ISR community |
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Flight tests set
course for improved airborne comm capability
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs A series of early March flight tests has validated a two-and-a-half year effort and set the course for significantly enhanced airborne communications capability. A team of specialists from the Electronic Systems Center, MITRE Corporation and MIT Lincoln Laboratory used a 707 test bed aircraft to test out the transmission capabilities of a prototype waveform developed as part of the High Data Rate Airborne Terminal program, known as HDR-AT. It was the first time an airborne system has successfully accessed the high-capacity Ka-band portion of the new Wideband Global Satellites, which offer wider bandwidth and higher throughput than other military satellites. This development is especially important for the “Global Hawk-class of unmanned aerial systems,” which will be first in line for receiving the capability once it’s been perfected and transferred to the defense industry, said Dr. Tom Macdonald of Lincoln Lab. (More) |
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Senior leaders focus
on smooth transition By Chuck Paone 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs On March 11, ESC Senior Leaders held the second of three daylong off-sites specifically geared to laying out plans on how best to transition smoothly to the new Program Executive Officer structure planned to take effect on July 1. As presented at the “State of ESC” luncheon, ESC will transform from the current structure of one PEO to an organization comprised of six PEOs: Command and Control and Combat Support (C2&CS), Command, Control Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C2ISR), Battle Management, Cyber/Net-centric, Enterprise Logistics and Enterprise Information Systems. “This new structure is intended to help achieve the goals set forth in the Air Force’s Acquisition Improvement Plan,” said Col. George Barber, director of Plans and Programs. “A main focus of the reorganization is to establish clear lines of authority and accountability within acquisition organizations. Senior acquisition managers would have those clear lines, because the six PEOs would manage a smaller portfolio of programs and they would report directly to SAF/AQ (the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition).” Along with the additional PEOs, the roles of Center Senior Functionals, or CSFs, such as Engineering, Contracting, Comptroller, Personnel, Program Management and Life Cycle Logistics, are expanding. Under the new construct, the CSFs will be responsible for the direct supervision and training of employees in their respective career fields. The center stood up multiple Transition Working Groups, referred to as TWGs, in January to address the many changes that must be captured and dealt with to ensure a smooth hand-off. The TWGs are focusing on specific areas, including: PEO operations, CSF common operations, Unit Support, Center operations, Foreign Military Sales operations, Enterprise Integration and Developmental Planning. (More) |
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Acting assistant secretary for the Air Force appoints new program executive officers
David M. Van Buren, acting assistant secretary for the Air Force (acquisition), yesterday appointed Senior Executive Service member Steven D. Wert, Electronic Systems Center's director of engineering, to become the program executive officer for Air Force Command and Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Programs, effective April 2, 2010.
David M. Van Buren, acting assistant secretary for the Air Force (acquisition), yesterday appointed Col. Roger D. Thrasher, commander of the 635th Supply Chain Management Wing, to become the program executive officer for Air Force Battle Management Programs, effective July 15, 2010.
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ESC people, teams
earn AFMC contracting honors
66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Two individuals from Electronic Systems Center's Contracting Directorate and two ESC teams have earned recognition with 2009 Air Force Materiel Command Contracting Awards. First Lt. Peter Foster, an infrastructure
support contract manager in the 66th Contracting Squadron,
was named AFMC's Outstanding Contracting Officer, and Alicia
J. Gettman, a procurement analyst, won the AFMC Outstanding
Contract Staff Award. The 651st Electronic Systems Squadron
was selected as AFMC's Outstanding Contracting unit, and the
642nd Electronic Systems Squadron's Force Protection
Security Systems Source Selection Team was named Outstanding
Source Selection Team. |
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Registration set to
begin for AFITC 2010 MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE-GUNTER ANNEX, Ala. – The number one information technology conference in the Air Force, slated for later this year, will soon begin online registration. The Air Force Information Technology Conference 2010 (AFITC 2010) is scheduled for Aug. 30 through Sept. 2 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa Convention Center in Montgomery, Ala. Attendee registration for the conference is scheduled to open March 22, and will be open to Department of Defense personnel, military retirees, government contractors, College Educators, students, and local and state employees. AFITC 2010 will highlight how we are using IT hardware, software, and services today and in the future to assist the Air Force in accomplishing its air, space, and cyberspace missions. AFITC is the premier conference for keeping Air Force IT users, developers and managers current on the latest technologies. Attendees also receive a “vector check” from leading government and industry experts on the direction of IT in the Air Force while learning about future industry offerings and advances in technology. This year’s AFITC theme of “Dominance at the Speed of Need” emphasizes how streamlining the acquisition structure is vital to keeping pace with innovations in the IT world, and putting those dominant capabilities into the hands of our Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines faster. The needs of our warfighters continue to change at a rapid pace and the acquisition process needs to change with it. (More) |
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Congratulations to ESC's colonel selects The following lieutenant colonels from Electronic Systems Center were selected for promotion to colonel by the Calendar Year 09D Colonel Board:
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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. Tardy, but Twice as Precise -- Defense News The U.S. Air Force is preparing for a May launch of the first of a new generation of Global Positioning System satellites. Dark cloud: Study finds security risks in virtualization -- Government Computer News Government IT upgrade projects may soon have a new wrench thrown into the works. U.S. Cyber-Combat Needs Rules -- Aviation Week The Pentagon and intelligence agencies are at loggerheads about the rules that will control the unleashing of cyber-counterattack, a mission that could, with more investment, be conducted from aircraft against targets a half-world away. Air Force to add high-speed satellite communications link to Global Hawk UAV -- Military and Aerospace Electronics U.S. Air Force military communications experts are looking for companies to help them develop a high capacity satellite communications (SATCOM) link for the high-altitude, long-endurance RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Panel Submits Ideas for DoD Weapon-Buying Reforms -- Defense News A U.S. House Armed Services Committee panel issued its final report on defense acquisition reform March 23, after more than a dozen hearings over the past year on the issue. Predator Gains Put Focus On Data Overload -- Washington Post By 2015, U.S. Central Command could have 65 modern versions of the Predator unmanned aircraft simultaneously flying combat patrols over Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. Hanscom use hits new low -- Boston Globe For the second year in a row, air traffic at Hanscom Field in Bedford fell by almost 10 percent in 2009, hitting the lowest level the airport has seen in more than 25 years. |
command comments ... " ... Joint force commanders require robust Command & Control (C2) capabilities that enable agile decision-making and information flow from the operational to tactical level across today's global domain. This domain encompasses cyberspace, all wired and wireless communications, and fixed and mobile warfighting customers, to include the networks that support them down to the tactical edge. Robust C2 implies a degree of reliability, redundancy, and agility necessary to effectively operate, both independently and with our coalition partners and allies, in degraded and/or austere conditions. Developing enhanced, robust C2 capabilities in the near-term requires adoption of an integrated C2 triad network approach; specifically the blending of surface (including maritime), air and space systems into a resilient network. ..."
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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.
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