Gen. Hoffman lauds Hanscom, ESC as central to team effort

  • Published
  • By Chuck Paone
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Saying that the equipment the Electronic Systems Center delivers to warfighters forms "the sinews of our entire military operation," the commander of Air Force Materiel Command lauded the center and all members of Team Hanscom during his two-day visit to the base March 10 and 11.

"I applaud the people who work here," said Gen. Donald Hoffman in an interview March 11. "I fully understand and appreciate the complexity of the task, because you're dealing with intangible things. We're talking about electrons moving through networks; we're talking about radio waves; we're talking about how sensors behave."

All the planes and missiles in the world wouldn't be effective without the command and control systems ESC provides, the general said. "If we couldn't tie them all together, and tie the human element in with the entire enterprise, then it would all stop."

General Hoffman, who prior to assuming command of AFMC in November had served as military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, said his Pentagon experience has proven invaluable.

"As it is, there are parts of the AFMC mission that I'm still learning, even in terms of the acquisition mission; but the three years there in the Pentagon really prepared me for the issues and challenges this command faces."

The general also noted that the relationship between AFMC and SAF/AQ is solid, but he stressed that he wanted to make sure it endures, regardless of who is leading either organization.

"Policy cannot be made in a vacuum, and execution should not be done unmonitored," he said. "There are roles for both of us to play throughout the life cycle of a program."

The general acknowledged that AFMC has several unique traits, one of them being a predominantly civilian workforce, and another the discrete mission-focus of each center. But he emphasized that he sees all of AFMC as one team, which includes equally dedicated military and civilian members.

"I have to make sure I don't carry any biases into the job," he said. "I can't favor one part of the team over another."

He said that each component of the AFMC workforce adds to the team's overall strength, and that looking too much at differences is both counterproductive and irrelevant.

"Military members and civilians signed different contracts," he said. "We all have to understand that."

The general also talked about diversity in broader terms, saying that no one should ever fear it.

"Diversity is strength," he said during a March 11 commander's call here, which was telecast to each Hanscom desktop computer.

At the commander's call, General Hoffman also highlighted three broad categories that he thinks constantly about: conducting AFMC missions professionally and safely; consuming, conserving and protecting resources "as if they are our own;" and positively motivating himself and others toward continued Air Force service. He said he wants each member of the command to make these things priorities, as well.

Having recently toured Air Force units in Southwest Asia, General Hoffman noted U.S. service members' "intensity of motivation to accomplish their mission."

While he observed many positives in the AOR, he also saw that warfighters don't have all the tools they need.

"They're making due with good old American ingenuity, but they shouldn't have to work as hard as they are," he said. He cited improved situational awareness for pilots in the cockpit as a capability he thinks AFMC and ESC need to help provide.

He also stated that he has received a lot of positive feedback from fellow major command commanders and combatant commanders. He mentioned U.S. Strategic Command's gratitude for the ESC-managed Integrated Strategic Planning and Analysis system as an example.

He also offered his own thanks for all the hard work being done at Hanscom to support U.S. warfighters and acknowledged those from the base who have deployed in direct support of ongoing operations.

"I also want to say thanks to all of Team Hanscom for everything you did to make this visit so terrific," the general said. "I know how much work goes into these visits, and I really appreciate everything the people of Hanscom did to make it happen. They did a great job."