Col Murphy excited about Air Force, new job

  • Published
  • By Chuck Paone
  • ESC Public Affairs
Hanscom AFB, MA, June 28, 2007 --  Col. Mark Murphy is excited about the Air Force. One major reason for that is "the commitment of the men and women of Hanscom."

The colonel recently became vice director of the 653rd Electronic Systems Wing, a job he's already begun to tackle with great enthusiasm.

"From the moment I got here, the professionalism and dedication of the wing team was immediately evident," Colonel Murphy said. "I was very impressed with the camaraderie and esprit de corps they demonstrate. It makes me very excited to be here."

He wasn't all that familiar with the wing and its programs, so he came into the job with an open mind and a desire to learn, he said.

"I've had lots of hardware-based experience," said the colonel, who has worked on the ESC-managed AWACS and Joint STARS programs, as well as on the F-16. He even did a four-year stint as an AWACS operator.

During his most recent job as chief of the Global Command and Control Systems-Air Force Family of Systems Division, he became a bit more familiar with software-based products. Still, the world of datalinks, communication systems, terminals and the horde of additional 653rd-run programs and initiatives is relatively new to him.

"The overarching mission of the wing, to tie virtually all Air Force and joint command and control systems together in a net-centric manner, is extremely important," he said. The theme of integration is embodied throughout the Wing's portfolio of AF and joint systems that provide global connectivity, increased information awareness, and airspace management.

"It's the future. It's where we're headed, where we need to go," he said. "As an operator, I relied on so many different sources for the information I needed. We basically had to integrate it ourselves. This is real improvement, and it's where the greatest benefit to the warfighter can be brought about."

The colonel will take on a significant portion of the wing's organize, train and equip mission, bringing his military experience to bear on critical administrative processes and personnel issues, among other things.

"Whatever the boss wants, that's what I'm here to do," he said.

His own leadership style is based on meting out authority and responsibility in equal measure and letting subordinates perform.

"I probably shouldn't be, but I always am amazed by how people consistently do much more than you actually expect," he said. "We know the challenges. We live and breathe them. We're all being asked to do more with less. But people just keep stepping up."

Colonel Murphy spent nearly four years at Hanscom in the mid-'90s, and returned for this second tour last summer.

"I loved it then, and I love it now - everything about it, the base, the community, all of it." The only difference between the two tours, he said, is that he has a family this time.

Colonel Murphy is a 1985 graduate of Washington State University, where he received a bachelor's in mathematics. He also holds an MBA from Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, and a master of science in military operational art from the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.