New 350 ELSG commander takes cues from previous leaders, events

  • Published
  • By Monica D. Morales
  • Electronic Systems Center Public Affairs
Hanscom Air Force Base --  Running to solve challenges rather than running away from them is but one of the approaches Col. Steven Webb will embrace as he takes on his latest position as 350th Electronic Systems Group commander.

"When something challenging comes up, I always try to take the time to take a step back," Colonel Webb said. "I use my bike riding to and from work or my running to try to decompress and think about it."

Borrowing this "make-decisions-in-the-light-of-day" philosophy from the leadership styles of senior officials he's worked for, he said that he takes his cues from a mix of qualities he has respected in others.

"I've seen a variety of senior leaders that I've really admired," he said. "I've tried to pull out their best character or leadership traits and incorporate them into how I deal with my command responsibility here."

For Colonel Webb, that responsibility translates into a 290-person team located not only at Hanscom, but also at Langley Air Force Base, Va. The 350 ELSG develops, tests, fields and sustains 23 Air and Space Operations Center sites and close to 100 Theater Battle Management Core Systems worldwide, as well as running a variety of Foreign Military Sales programs.

An AOC Weapon System is a command and control center that plans, executes and assesses aerospace operations during a contingency or conflict and TBMCS is the planning and execution engine of each AOC for any air campaign.

As commander of the group, Colonel Webb's primary focus comes in the form of organizing, training and equipping personnel to better support the 350 ELSG mission. Rolled into that objective, he said, "is effectively communicating with the people in his organization."

For Colonel Webb, this is best accomplished by going beyond the perimeters of e-mail exchanges and speaking one-on-one with people.

"I try to talk to people, and try to find out what's going on with them," he said. "I have brown bag lunches with folks and hold commander's calls. My door is always open."

While delivering, fielding and sustaining quality command and control systems tops the list of Colonel Webb's goals, he also aims for all organization members to take pride in the roles they play at work.

"I want to build this group to be an organization that each member is proud to be a part of and one that makes them feel like a true member of the team," he said.

Colonel Webb's Air Force career spans more than 26 years of active-duty experience, including previous assignments as chief of the Special Projects System Program Office and chief of the Information Exploitation System Division at Hanscom.

His most recent position was as Armaments Cooperation Division chief for the U.S. Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels, Belgium. In this job, he wore several hats to include acting as the permanent representative for the Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition Technology and Logistics, and handling armament matters connected with industry, acquisition and member nations and partners.

In addition, he represented the U.S. on matters related to weapons and systems standardization, NATO air defense and missile defense. As such, he found himself dealing with the activities of TBMCS, in addition to the Air Sovereignty Operations Center -- another 350 ELSG program.

"That's where it comes back to roost," Colonel Webb said. "My international experience really helped me understand the political-military aspects that we encounter on a daily basis here within the group."

His current assignment here brings with it an added dimension of reward in that he has witnessed the evolution of programs like TBMCS and the AOC Weapon System after having had experience with them in their earliest stages.

"I am excited about being here, and it's amazing to come back, see how some aspects of my previous job have evolved and now be intimately involved with them again," he said.