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A collection of news and information specifically for the C4ISR
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PEO restructure
approved; program execution to remain top focus The Air Force service acquisition executive approved a program executive officer restructuring plan affecting Electronic Systems Center-managed program portfolios Sept. 22. ESC had proposed the restructuring plan this summer, after receiving direction to reduce the number of PEOs to four. The center will now enter a transition phase, but ESC Commander Lt. Gen. Charles (CR) Davis wants personnel to know that program execution is still the main priority. “Program execution is the only thing that matters now, and who sits in the PEO chair is less important than you and your own aggressive leadership in delivering capability,” he wrote in a Sept. 22 email to his workforce. The four program executive officers will now be responsible for all aspects of program execution for their new portfolios, including milestone decision authority for Acquisition Category (ACAT) II and III programs.(More) |
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ESC provides modern air traffic
control system for Iraq
66th Air Base Group Public Affairs The Electronic Systems Center completed work in September that improves and upgrades Iraq's air traffic control system. The completion of this foreign military sales effort involved the delivery of two new air traffic control tower systems along with state-of-the-art radar and ATC-tower simulators to the Iraqi government. "These FMS cases play an important role in providing a critical aviation infrastructure that will aid the Iraqi government in securing its airspace," said Rainy McIntosh, FMS program manager. "It also helps meet U.S. National Security Strategy security assistance and cooperation goals." The tower systems were installed at Tikrit and Taji Airbases and will allow the Iraqi personnel to manage their airspace in accordance with FAA guidelines. The simulators will allow the Iraqi government to train their military and civilian air traffic control operators so they can gain and maintain proficiency. (More) |
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ESC team looks to improve AWACS
capabilities
66th Air Base Group Public Affairs A team at the Electronic Systems Center, working in conjunction with the Boeing Co. and personnel from several Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Army bases, is working to get important warfighter-requested capabilities onto the AWACS platform.
During a proof-of-concept demonstration at Tinker AFB, Okla., the AWACS Netcentric-Communications Capabilities team demonstrated three different components that would improve the capabilities of a current AWACS Block 30/35. All three are on the operational AWACS user’s detailed Requirement Priority List.
Getting linked
The first was a Situation Awareness Data Link (SADL). Crews on AWACS have long requested the capability to have onboard connectivity with Air National Guard F-16’s, A-10’s and other close air support aircraft, including Army aircraft. Currently, this interoperability is only possible through an external ground node “gateway” and voice communications. (More) |
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The Air Force today announced that John Lyle has been promoted into the ranks of the Senior Executive Service and will become the new Electronic Systems Center director of Contracting. He had previously served as ESC Contracting director from 2004 to 2006, as a colonel, in his final active-duty Air Force assignment. Mr. Lyle is currently the deputy director of Procurement for the Special Operations Research, Development, and Acquisition Center, United States Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
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Joint STARS hits 70,000-hour mark in
AOR
A squadron deployed from the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., recently reached 70,000 flight hours in support of operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The 7th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron reached the milestone Sept. 25 in an E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, or Joint STARS. To put it into perspective, the unit has flown an average of 19 hours each day since Sept. 11, 2001, or the equivalent of being airborne for eight years. This incredible pace has shown no signs of slowing down in the past three years either. The squadron took seven years to hit the 40,000 hour mark and only three to climb to 70,000. The Air Force fleet of 17 Joint STARS has combined for more than 6,300 sorties, according to Lt. Col. Curt, 7th EACCS commander. The squadron's mix of Georgia Air National Guard, active duty Air Force and Army aviation officers and enlisted personnel continuously provide troops on the ground with command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information. "Every day as a squadron commander at a deployed location there is something new to learn," Curt said."Being able to take care of nearly 150 people who are flying and fighting for the freedoms and interests of our country -- supporting the troops on the front lines to keep them safe -- makes me proud." (More) |
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in
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. Automatic intelligence -- C4ISR Journal After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, government officials warned that the U.S. was threatened by a poor ability to make sense of a flood of human and technical intelligence collections, fuse information with other bits of data and transmit it to the military and civilian leaders who needed it. USAF Weighs Which ISR Programs To Cut -- Aviation Week The U.S. Air Force’s fleet of intelligence-collection aircraft—from the high-flying U-2 to a bevy of newer unmanned vehicles and mainstay Boeing 707-based platforms—has undergone substantial change owing to a funding windfall and urgent requirements since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Army's new network strategy to guide acquisition, budget decisions -- Federal Computer Week The Army’s Network Integration Evaluation, a semi-annual exercise that kicked off in July, is more than just a way to test and develop technologies and capabilities – it’s also being used to address budget pressures and improve the acquisition process. Air Force Commanders: Enough With the Budget Cuts -- National Defense If Air Force generals each had to reduce their respective command budgets by 25 percent, what could they cut? U.S. Army Intel Software Crashes During Exercise -- Defense News Intelligence software that the U.S. would rely on in a war with North Korea froze up repeatedly during a joint military exercise in South Korea in August, hampering the ability of U.S. and South Korean commanders to watch the movements of simulated enemy forces, a senior intelligence official said. Budget chief won’t rule out more sacrifice for federal workers -- Washington Post Federal workers could be asked to sacrifice more than they already have to help reduce the deficit, budget chief Jack J. Lew said Tuesday. |
command comments ...
"As you know, the
department has been undergoing a strategy-driven
process to prepare to implement the more than
$450 billion in savings that will be required
over the next – (audio break) – as a result of
the debt ceiling agreement. While this review
is ongoing and no specific decisions have been
made at this point, I'm determined to make these
decisions strategically, looking at the needs
that our Defense Department has to face not just
now, but in the future, so that we can maintain
the most dominant military in the world, a force
that is agile, ready, capable and adaptable.
These reductions will
require hard decisions, and those decisions will
force us to take on greater risk in our mission
of protecting this country. My goal is to try to
make those risks acceptable, but that is a
reality. …"
--
Remarks by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
at the Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on Iraq
and Afghanistan, Washington, D.C., Sept. 22, 2011
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The Integrator
is a
weekly product of the 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs Office
designed to give ESC decision makers a snapshot of news affecting
the C4ISR community. This e-publication is approved by Chuck
Paone, Chief of Public Affairs, (DSN) 845-1686 or commercial (781)
225-1686.
Back issues are available online. To facilitate service,
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