HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- The Battle Management Directorate’s financial managers gathered Wednesday in an office atrium here to mingle and learn about each other’s impact on weapons systems.
The event, which included food and boards describing weapons systems overseen at Hanscom, resembled a social lunch hour at a high school cafeteria, where different groups of professionals mixed outside familiar circles.
“We’re looking to do something like this annually,” said Vince Siwicki, chief financial officer for the directorate, who organized the event with Ann Tuite, deputy CFO for budget. “There’s such a variety of things we work on. It’s important people get a sense of what is out there, so if they want to switch divisions and work on something else, they know what the options are.”
A group of FM personnel assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, who oversee the nation’s test and training ranges took the chance to meet fellow financial experts at Hanscom and arranged a temporary duty trip. They learned about different acquisition techniques and raised awareness for their division.
“We’re kind of isolated, and sometimes there are positions we need filled,” said Amanda Davidson, a supervisory financial specialist for a Battle Management division at Hill. “One of the things we’ve seen is how agile software development, which we’re using on a small scale, is being used on bigger programs like the Air Operations Center.”
While the event was primarily advertised to FM personnel, it’s location in a major Battle Management office building meant passers-by could quiz representatives and learn about major programs.
“I’m a tech person, so I came out just to learn about more programs,” said Norman Ma, a data architect contractor working on the AWACS 40/45 upgrade, who was quizzing Deb Bibeau, a program integration chief working on Space Fence. “Everyone is so supportive and it’s great to see this type of event, specifically for spreading awareness of how we contribute to the mission.”