America’s last ace strikes chord during all-call

  • Published
  • By Benjamin Newell
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- Cesar Rodriguez, who shot down three enemy aircraft as an F-15 pilot during Operations Desert Storm and Allied Force, said that Hanscom must continue to deliver an unfair advantage to American Airmen.

Rodriguez addressed the Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks Directorate as guest speaker during the Program Executive Officer-led all-call Dec. 10 at the Hanscom Theater.

“Your new technology will change the nature of war,” said Rodriguez, who goes by the moniker ‘America’s Last Ace’, because some aviation experts doubt if there will ever be a chance for air-to-air kills again, thanks to technological advancements and sustained American air dominance. “Trust me when I say that each and every one of you have your fingerprints on the kill chain. Your daily work to deliver these tools makes the difference for people on the front lines.”

Rodriguez retired from the Air Force as a colonel, having led fighter units throughout the Air Force. He now works for a major defense contractor, helping to bring advanced variants of some of the same types of weapons systems he used in combat to today’s Airmen.

Junior officers from each division within C3I&N tied Rodriguez’s exhortation to Hanscom’s workforce to continue delivering high end capabilities by outlining their recent achievements. These division-level accomplishments demonstrate the types of advantages Hanscom brings to the Air Force.

Over the past year, C3I&N has helped deliver upgrades to America’s nuclear communications architecture, while increasing communications security by fielding network analysis programs that can spot breaches in real time. Aircraft like the E-11A and EQ-4 have flown more than 12,600 missions, providing Battlefield Airborne Communications Node support to areas where allied forces must communicate using disparate equipment. A program named the Combat Identification Server has provided between 1,000 and 5,000 friendly identification notifications per week since fielding, decreasing the chances of friendly fire incidents. More than 500,000 workstations now also have the emergency mass notification system, making the Air Force more responsive to weather events, active shooter incidents and other safety related announcements.

“This is just a small sample of what you’re doing to build a stronger Air Force,” said Brig. Gen. Michael Schmidt, PEO for C3I&N. “My number one job as PEO is to get obstacles out of your way so you can continue delivering, innovating and growing.”

C3I&N attendees filled the venue to capacity, with many standing at the rear for the all-call.