HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. - Col. Fred E. Garcia II assumed leadership of the Cyber and Networks Directorate’s Enterprise IT and Cyber Infrastructure Division during a ceremony at Hanscom Air Force Base, July 19.
He succeeds Col. Justin Collins, who is preparing to retire. The division is part of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Cyber and Networks Directorate that develops, delivers and sustains war-winning IT and cyber capabilities for the Air Force.
Maj. Gen. Anthony W. Genatempo, program executive officer for the Cyber and Networks Directorate, welcomed Garcia and his family to Hanscom. Genatempo noted the colonel’s diverse background and leadership roles, and how Garcia’s background and dedication position the division well moving into the future.
“Col. Garcia has touched every aspect of Air Force leadership the service has to offer,” Genatempo said. “He has not just been around the block but has defined the block.”
Garcia enters the senior materiel leader role after serving as director of the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate, and Detachment 4 commander, at AFRL in Rome, New York. He expressed his gratitude on Friday for being selected for the job, and said he is at Hanscom to help meet the need as emerging technology is incorporated into future missions.
“My passion really is on the cyber side,” Garcia said. “Thank you for letting me lead this team.”
The Enterprise IT and Cyber Infrastructure division’s goal is to provide secure and reliable communications, and access to data. It delivers sustainable war-winning capabilities to U.S. and international partners. Ultimately, the portfolio is involved in every aspect of Air Force missions and has lines of effort geared toward increasing mission effectiveness and improving program control.
This work is accomplished with approximately 750,000 airmen and guardians across 200 active, guard and reserve bases, with every major command and combatant command supported.
Garcia, a Colorado native, achieved his current rank on April 1, 2019. He received his commission through the Air Force ROTC program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1997. In his prior role, Garcia led an information directorate providing strategic and technical guidance to more than 1,216 military, civilians and on-site contractors to develop and deliver command, control, communications, computers, intelligence and cyber technologies while overseeing a $1.6 billion annual budget.