Colonel Dennis takes command of 551st ELSW

  • Published
  • By Cuck Paone
  • ESC Public Affairs
Hanscom AFB, MA June 21, 2007 --  Standing next to the P-40 Warhawk display that he helped bring to Hanscom during his first tour at the base nearly 20 years ago, Col. Dwyer Dennis assumed command of the 551st Electronic Systems Wing Tuesday morning.

With brilliant sunshine reflecting off the plane and the aluminum stands set up for attendees, the colonel talked about service and significance, and the connection between them.

"I like to focus not on success in life, but on significance," he said. "Each day that I come into the office and serve my country, I'm trying to be significant. I know that each of the people in this wing wants to be significant. We don't do what we do just for a job, or just for fun."

Focusing on and gaining motivation from achieving significance will, in turn, bring organizational success, he said.

"The mission is number one, but we know that the mission will be accomplished as we focus on the significance of others, and as we focus on serving others," he said.

Mission success has been a hallmark of the 551st, said the colonel, who had for the previous two years served as commander of the 851 ELSG, which reports to the wing. During that stint, Colonel Dennis steadily executed the high-profile E-10A Multi-sensor Command and Control Aircraft program and the attendant Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program.

Lt. Gen. Chuck Johnson, the Electronic Systems Center commander, referred to that job as a "roller coaster ride" during his remarks at the ceremony over which he presided. The E-10 itself, which like many new programs faced numerous hurdles from inception, ultimately fell victim to a funding shortfall earlier this year. But the work done so far to refine the technology and reduce risk will have lasting value, whether or not a new wide-body platform is built.

"It was consistently one of our best performing programs, green in every category," General Johnson said. "It shows the caliber of this great leader."

Both the general and Colonel Dennis spoke during the ceremony about the "great tradition" of the 551st, which was reconstituted last April. The precursor organization to the current wing was the 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, which was stationed at Otis ANGB, Mass.

The wing, which was activated in 1954 and inactivated Dec. 31, 1969, was responsible for tracking air and sea activity along the United States eastern seaboard. In aircraft known as RC-121s, members of the wing patrolled the skies over much of the Atlantic Ocean.

"They flew continuous missions over the Atlantic 24/7 for 10 years," Colonel Dennis said. "That breaks down to eight 12-hour missions a day, sustained for 10 years. That's pretty incredible work."

That reminds the colonel of the work done at ESC today.

"Sometimes it can take a long, long time to bring a system to fruition," he said, noting that endurance and unwavering commitment are critical factors, and reflecting on his own experience with the E-10. He spoke of the program's "bridge plan" as being quite critical.

That bridge work involves continuing to do "focused risk reduction" and maturing the critical technologies for both the sensor and the battle management command and control capabilities, the colonel said.

"This will allow the Department of Defense to leverage the substantial investment already made and accelerate future applications of the technology," he said.

He also spoke about the "great work going on throughout the wing," which in addition to the E-10 also includes ESC's other platform-based programs, the E-3 AWACS and E-8 Joint STARS, as well as mission planning and weather systems.

"Five-Five-One, second to none - it's a bold, powerful statement," the colonel said of the wing's rallying call. "But there's an awful lot to back it up." The most recent example of that, he said, was the 551st earning an "Outstanding" rating in the just-completed Operational Readiness Inspection at Hanscom.

"A highlight that I took away from the Wartime Materiel Support exercise in which the 551 (AWACS) ELSG and the 751 (Joint STARS) ELSG performed so brilliantly is the incredible teamwork, the sharing of tasks and expertise," he said.

The two groups worked to provide an integrated "enterprise" solution, he said, adding that "their outstanding performance defines greatness."

During the ceremony, Colonel Dennis quoted Winston Churchill, who said, "The price of greatness is responsibility."

"Our responsibility now," the colonel said, "is to make such enterprise solutions a reality." Colonel Dennis looks forward to helping effect that reality in his new position, and to continuing to live and work at Hanscom.

"My wife and I are thrilled to be continuing our service here with the Hanscom community and the great 551st," he said.