TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- As the new director of Tinker Air Force Base’s 72nd Air Base Wing Communications Directorate, Kirk Theophanous is determined to support Tinker’s unique mission with a focus on cyberspace defense and a leadership style that is centered on supporting people and prioritizing the mission.
Previously working as chief of IT Transformation for United States Strategic Command at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, Theophanous transferred to Tinker in February after leading the IT transition of Offutt’s Combatant Command to a new $1.3 billion USSTRATCOM Command and Control Facility headquarters. With a background strong in cybersecurity and communications, he said he intends to bring his innovative mindset to maintaining a strong cyber defense and improving the User Experience of Team Tinker.
"We have to defend cyberspace and we have to defend our networks from the adversary," Theophanous said. "With the vital mission that takes place here at Tinker, we have to make sure we don't have any vulnerabilities and, if we do, we are quick to respond and remediate them."
Prior to his assignment at Tinker, Theophanous also served as chief of IT Operations at Offutt, where he was responsible for operating, maintaining and defending USSTRATCOM’s collateral networks, and technical director at the 624th Operations Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, where he was responsible for technical leadership and oversight of Air Force Cyber Command and Control.
Bringing his drive for innovation and pioneering cyber defense in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats, Theophanous said his intention at Tinker is to focus on improving the Team Tinker’s user experience to ensure that work over the Air Force Network (AFNET) is able to expediently support the installation’s mission, while he also intends on redoubling support for the base’s cyber protections.
"A lot of the 21st century threat is in cyberspace," Theophanous said. "Twenty-first century wars are being fought more than anywhere else in cyberspace. Working in the communication and cyber career field allows you to be that pioneer defending our networks from the adversary."
Throughout his various leadership positions at the squadron, field operating agency, MAJCOM, and Joint levels, Theophanous said his leadership style has always had a four-pronged approach of people first, mission always, always ready and have fun.
Theophanous said that he believes it's vital to start with people, because by empowering his team he ensures they are able to take care of the mission. Then he said he always emphasizes mission always, which he said is significant at Tinker where the mission is to support not only the installation's air base wing, but also the Air Force Sustainment Center and the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex.
"I may have the title of director, but I can't do anything by myself," Theophanous said. "I believe strongly in the concept of TEAM and the acronym of Together Everyone Accomplishes More. Those two pillars, people first and mission always, are kind of both number one, because if you take care of the people, they take care of that mission."
As for always ready, Theophanous said this is all about ensuring training is provided for each mission assigned and working to keep Airmen ready to do their job. Finally, he said having fun is all about work-life balance, remembering that the job still works with people and not machines and that people need some time to relax to avoid burnout.
With this leadership style, Theophanous said he intends to spearhead improving Tinker’s network user experience through the formation of a new user experience task force to address any obstacles that might prevent the Tinker network from facilitating the seamless completion of the installation’s overall mission.
“This is something I want to address, and the answer doesn’t just lie within us,” Theophanous said. “It also requires that we work with our Air Force partners to solve problems for both Team Tinker and the Air Force.”