HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Government leaders joined industry and academia for discussions on the Air Force’s state of readiness, the Secretary of the Air Force’s operational imperatives, and the future of the Advanced Battle Management System.
Hosted by AFCEA’s Lexington-Concord chapter, New Horizons 2023 was held in Newton, Massachusetts. During the event, leaders held briefings, participated in panels, and shared business opportunities on numerous Air Force programs, all in an effort ensure the service remains ahead of global competitors.
Brig. Gen. Luke Cropsey, integrating program executive officer for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management, or C3BM, provided remarks that addressed the theme of the conference, which asked “Is our national security ecosystem ready for the high-end fight?”
“Our mission is to help operators make faster, smarter decisions, so they come home,” he said. “We can achieve this through ABMS, and on that front, we have a lot of oars going at once and we’re rowing hard. Other teams are rowing with us but we have to be synchronized.”
Maj. Gen. Anthony Genatempo, PEO, Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks, headquartered here, spoke about coordinating with C3BM and other PEOs on this effort.
“The acquisition community has spent a lot of time detailing how C3BM is going to be successful, and C3I&N is 100 percent tied into supporting what Brig. Gen. Cropsey’s team is developing with the ABMS,” he said. “Many of our programs are enabling the hardware and connectivity for a lot of their endeavors.”
Genatempo cited ongoing digital engineering and digital transformation work, the development of the Combined Tactical Edge Network, the procurement of additional E-11A aircraft for the Battlefield Airborne Communication Node, or BACN program, and enterprise solutions, such as Cloud One and Enterprise IT as-a-Service.
C3I&N division chiefs were also on hand to highlight key initiatives and outline business opportunities. Of note was an integrated defensive cyber effort detailed by Col. Michael Dooley, senior materiel leader, Cyber Systems Division.
“We’re in the process of standing up an initial capability that will address a solution to getting after an overall cyber-sensing strategy for the Department of the Air Force,” he said. “This program is critical to the Secretary’s operational imperatives, as it will sense and integrate big data at the tactical edge, which we can then present to the strategic decision makers.”
A New Horizons keynote speaker was Andrew P. Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, who provided virtual remarks on the president’s budget request, aircraft procurement, and other topics. Click here to read more.
Steven Wert, PEO Digital, Perry Hill, deputy director of the Nuclear Command, Control and Communications Integration Directorate, Kristen Baldwin, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Science, Technology and Engineering, Maj. Gen. Heather L. Pringle, commander, Air Force Research Laboratory, Mike Madsen, deputy director and director of strategic engagement at the Defense Innovation Unit, and Dr. Paul Nielson, director and chief executive officer of Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, also provided in-person remarks during the event.