New ESC vice commander puts focus on people, mission

  • Published
  • By Kevin Gilmartin
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  Col. Terry Feehan brings a "people first" leadership philosophy to his new job as Electronic Systems Center vice commander that can be summed up with a phrase he coined as a squadron commander and has relied upon in every job since: "One Airman at a time."

"Each individual, whether enlisted, officer or civilian, has different motivations, interests and backgrounds," he said. "By harnessing that and nurturing and developing them, each can blossom into the best they can be. There's no cookie cutter approach to leadership."

Colonel Feehan, who has been selected for promotion to brigadier general, also brings an impressive set of qualifications gained over a 24-year Air Force career to his new job. He has significant leadership experience in both acquisition and base support, having commanded a training squadron, a mission support group, an air base wing and specialized center, as well as serving as wing director of the F-15 System Program Office.

The colonel, a 1984 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, comes to Hanscom from Kirtland AFB, N.M., where he served as commander of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center for nearly two years, and before that, as commander of Kirtland's 377th Air Base Wing. So far, his impressions of Hanscom have been nothing but positive.

"My wife, Becky, and I have been received wonderfully, and truly feel welcome," he said. "Hanscom is a beautiful base. We've gone from a base in the desert that's all brown to one that's all green. Clearly, we have a very dedicated air base wing that works hard to make our patch here a great place to work and live."

The colonel is also impressed by the people and the mission of his new organization.

""Hanscom has a huge mission with extremely talented and dedicated people who clearly act as one team," he said. Considering ESC has four acquisition wings with similar responsibilities, I thought it would be a lot more competition, but what I've seen so far is an approach that puts the mission first."

Colonel Feehan hopes to draw on his F-15 acquisition experience as well as what he learned as commander of the Nuclear Weapons Center in his role as the center's vice commander, and he believes his past air base wing and mission support group experience will serve him well in his additional role as deputy for support.

Serving as F-15 program director in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom gave Colonel Feehan an appreciation of how critical it is to deliver capabilities to the warfighter on time and on cost, while his time as a center commander gave him insight into how Air Force Materiel Command operates.

"Being a center commander while still a colonel allowed me to see the more intricate workings of AFMC headquarters, something I hope to leverage for our own center," he said.

The colonel sees his job as deputy for support being primarily about empowering people.

"Right now, we are all coping with manpower cuts, and there is no pipeline for replenishment," Colonel Feehan said. "There are also financial challenges and shortfalls. To manage these challenges, we have to develop enterprise-type solutions so we can focus on providing the necessary tools and capabilities to the warfighter while still maintaining our quality of life here at the base."

In the short time since he arrived at Hanscom in late April, the colonel is already impressed with what he has seen, including how ESC has implemented Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century, or AFSO 21, developing "meaningful process improvements in our back shop processes." He also sees Hanscom as the command's "clear frontrunner" in implementing the Voluntary Protection Program in an acquisition-centered organization, and is pleased with how the Directorate of Personnel is "attacking our hiring challenges to ensure we have the appropriate work force for the future."

The colonel also believes strongly in respecting everyone, especially those who play a role in national defense.

"When I've written columns for the base paper or other publications, I always signed off 'with my greatest respect,' and I mean that sincerely," he said. "I strongly believe that people who have dedicated themselves to service to our nation are unique and special people, worthy of our greatest praise."