ESC becomes part of AFLCMC; Mission work remains at Hanscom

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HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  The Electronic Systems Center officially became part of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center during a ceremony here July 16.

Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, officiated the ceremony.

The change is part of an AFMC effort that consolidates the command's number of centers from 12 to five. Announced in November 2011, it is a major part of AFMC's response to a Congressional challenge to find efficiencies and save tax dollars. By eliminating overhead, the command will improve the way it accomplishes its mission, ultimately providing better support to the warfighter. The restructure will standardize processes and save about $109 million annually.

"Hanscom AFB and its people will continue to be critical to AFMC achieving its mission of providing warfighter support," Wolfenbarger said. "The work done here is important not only to the AFMC mission, but to the greater Air Force mission as well."

Core mission capabilities of Hanscom will continue at the base, but without added layers of management overhead. The Hanscom mission will align to the AFLCMC at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The consolidation is focused on making the command more efficient while ensuring each AFMC location maintains core mission functions.

"As we transition to become part of the AFLCMC, our crucial mission of providing command and control, information and cyber systems to the warfighter will continue with the work being done in the Battle Management and C3I and Networks program executive offices," said Rich Lombardi, acting C3I&N program executive officer.

Establishment of the AFLCMC at Wright-Patterson and the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker AFB, Okla., along with the re-designation of the Air Force Test Center at Edwards, AFB, Calif., are the first major steps of a transition phase during which center frameworks will be built and units will be assigned, leading up to initial operational capability on Oct. 1. Full operational capability is planned for mid-2013.

The life cycle management, sustainment and test centers will be joined by the present Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson and the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland AFB, N.M., to complete AFMC's five-center line-up.