ESC inactivates wings, embarks on new era

  • Published
  • By Chuck Paone
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Five Air Force wings - the center's four acquisition wings and the air base wing at Hanscom - were formally inactivated during a ceremony June 30 at the Hanscom outdoor track and parade field.

The 66th Air Base Wing, the 653rd Electronic Systems Wing, the 350 ELSW, the 554 ELSW and the 551 ELSW were all inactivated. During the ceremony, the new 66th Air Base Group was activated.

The four acquisition wings have now been reorganized into directorates, each led by a program executive officer (PEO).

Most programs and personnel formerly in the 554 ELSW have been realigned into one of two directorates: Enterprise Logistics and Enterprise Information Systems. The majority of people and programs formerly part of the 350 ELSW have been realigned into the Command, Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C2ISR) Directorate. Most former 551 ELSW people and programs are now part of the Battle Management Directorate; and most personnel and programs formerly within the 653 ELSW have transitioned to the Cyber/Net-centric Directorate.

This new acquisition structure is intended to help achieve the goals set forth in the Air Force's Acquisition Improvement Plan, officials have said. A main focus of the reorganization was to establish clear lines of authority and accountability within acquisition organizations. Senior acquisition managers now have those clear lines, with six PEOs each managing a smaller portfolio of programs and reporting directly to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition.

"Having multiple PEOs gives us a better span of control," Electronic Systems Center Commander Lt. Gen. Ted Bowlds said during the ceremony. "This will allow our most senior acquisition managers to focus on ESC programs more comprehensively than ever. Without micromanaging, we should be able to use this enhanced senior focus to predict, avoid and, when necessary, solve problems before they become so big that they derail the programs themselves."

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, have also expanded. Under the new construct, the CSFs are now responsible for the direct supervision and training of employees in their respective career fields.

Because the Air Base Wing did not meet new manning standards that require at least 1,000 active-duty and/or civilian members, the Air Force decided that an air base group would be stood up in its stead.

Col. Stacy Yike, who assumed command of the ABG during the ceremony, said that ESC can continue to count on the same high level of support it's always received from the 66 ABW.

"The 66th Air Base Group exists to make sure the ESC mission is realized," she said. "We, as a base, must be very tightly integrated, and I want to continue to drive towards that. Seeing our individual missions as supporting each other, and not just as individual contributions, helps us better support the overall Air Force mission."

General Bowlds acknowledged that no transition is truly seamless, but emphasized the need to make this one with absolute minimal disruption to the center's warfighting customers.

"We are a nation at war, and our warfighters are counting on us to deliver the best possible C4ISR and combat support capabilities, as quickly, as efficiently and as economically as possible," he said. "I implore you all not to lose focus on this very critical fact."