Web page questions/comments can be sent via e-mail to: WEBMASTER or call Gerry Gleckel at 301-737-4482. 

RESERVATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!!! We are pleased to announce that Major General Earl D. Matthews, Director, Cyberspace Operations, Office of Information Dominance and Chief Information Officer, will our guest speaker at our next AFC4A Luncheon. It will be held at the Army Navy Country Club on Thursday 9 February 2012. BIOGRAPHY

Register NOW!!!

Luncheon Registration - Check

Luncheon Reservation - PayPal or Credit Card

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Colonel Warren love. We are saddened to inform the membership of the passing of Colonel Warren Love of the Air Traffic Control community. Colonel Love passed on 11/11/11. His obituary follows: OBITUARY

MAJOR CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP ANNOUNCED. LINK

MAJOR CHANGE IN DISA LEADERSHIP.  CONGRATULATION LT GEN RONNIE HAWKINS. LINK

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!   Lt Gen William Lord named Defense IT EXECUTIVE of the Year. Lt. Gen. William Lord, the Air Force chief of warfighting integration and chief information officer, received the Defense Information Technology Executive of the Year Award. The GCN awards recognize teamwork, public service and the important contributions of the younger generation in improving the quality of systems and services in the public service sector. Link to Story

ACTIVE DUTY AWARDS PROGRAM. The Active Duty Awards Program is AFC4A’s way of continuing to “serve those who are still serving” by providing tangible recognition to the top performers of the Air Force community.  The  AFC4A is proud to announce the distribution of over $15,000 worth of US Government Bonds to the following 133 recipients in recognition of their continue commitment to the Air Force mission in which they served in 2010-2011.  Each awardee was selected for this special recognition for going “above and beyond” by their designated unit leadership.  Congratulations again to all our Awardees! List of Awardees

CONGRATULATIONS!!!   LT GEN NOMINEE RONNIE D. HAWKINS JR. Per the Senior Leadership Announcement for today 26 October, Major General Hawkins has been nominated for promotion to Lt Gen and to be the Director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).

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AFSO21 event improves global communications system-

Link to story.

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SPRING UPDATE BRIEFINGS:

2011 CyberSPACE Hall of Fame videos available for membership's viewing:

 

NEW WEB FEATURE: The new top button on the left side of this page...

...has been established as a link to a list of publications relevant to our community. Feedback invited. WEBMASTER

 

MESSAGE TO CYBERSPACE WORKFORCE- LT GEN WILLIAM LORD

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2012 Air Force Communicators and Air Traffic Controllers Association Convention

REMINDER: This year's convention will be Sept 19-23 in San Antonio, Texas.   Here's the link:  www.afcommatc.org for latest information.

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DISA Opens New Headquarters: The Defense Information Systems Agency last week held the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the official opening of its new headquarters facility in Fort Meade, Md. DISA Director Army Lt. Gen. Carroll Pollett hosted the event in the main building on the new 1.1 million-square-foot campus, which features seven buildings on 95 acres. They include a warehouse, conference center, education center, various office and test and evaluation labs, large dining facility, and fitness center. Approximately 200 DISA employees are transferring from offices in northern Virginia to the new campus each week. When this migration is complete in August, more than 4,000 DISA employees will work at the new campus. DISA is a Defense Department combat support agency that provides command and control capabilities and a global net-centric enterprise in support of the national security apparatus. (DISA release) (4/18)

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First 24th AF Portraits in Courage recipient: 'I was just doing my job'

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MR. BRAD ASHLEY. Mr Brad Ashley recently accepted the Technical Director position at the Air Force Network Integration Center.  In that role, he serves as the Senior Civilian and key advisor to the Commander on all technical and integration issues.  He recently retired after 27 years of active duty in the Air Force as a Colonel.  He has served in multiple critical positions including:  Communications Squadron Commander, Mission Support Group Commander, Air Base Wing Vice-Commander, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Vice-Commander, and most recently as the Air Mobility Command Senior Communicator (AMC/A6).  He looks forward to helping the AFNIC reach its vision of "Forging Integrated Cyberspace".

Communications and Information Hall of Fame to stay at Scott AFB Air Force Space Command officials announced this week that the Communications and Information Hall of Fame will remain at its current location at the Air Force Network Integration Center’s Ludwig Heritage Hall in the Grant Building on Scott Air Force Base, Ill.  Furthermore, the nomination and selection process remains unchanged from last year.  The Communications and Information Hall of Fame was established in 1999.  Through the sponsorship of organizations like the Air Force Communicators and Air Traffic Controllers and the Air Force C4 Association, this program recognizes the historic achievements of past military personnel and civil servants for their technical creativity, application of emerging technologies, and innovative solutions in support of Air Force missions and the national defense. “The Hall of Fame selection committee will be taking nominations again this year and a new crop of communication visionaries will be inducted next spring,” said Brig. Gen. Ian Dickinson, AFSPC director of communications and information. “The wall of fame recognizing these legends in the communication and information fields is at AFNIC headquarters at Scott AFB, where it will remain.” “It’s a privilege to house the Hall of Fame in our center,” said Col. John Odey, AFNIC commander.  “The hall serves as an inspiration and reminder of our heritage.  We’re proud to build upon these innovators’ prestigious achievements as we help to shape the future of Air Force cyberspace operations.”

DOD Announces New Chief Information Officer. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced today his appointment of Teri Takai as Department of Defense Chief Information Officer (CIO).  Takai previously served as CIO for the state of California since 2007 and was a past president of the National Association of State CIOs.  Named one of Government Technology's Top 25 "Doers, Dreamers and Drivers," Takai will assume her new duties effective Nov. 7.

                On Aug. 9, 2010, Gates announced the disestablishment of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration (ASD NII) while strengthening the current CIO position.  As one of the country's most significant users of information technology (IT), it is critical that the DoD streamline its IT management and infrastructure to drive increased information security and agility.  Additionally, the billions of dollars that are spent by the DoD every year must be rationalized to ensure IT is used in the most cost-effective manner.  The new CIO position will be central to these efforts as the DoD continues to transform its IT capabilities to meet the enormous mission critical needs of the U.S. military.

                Takai brings her wealth of experience to this critical task and will help lead the effort to disestablish NII and define the successor CIO organization.  Accordingly, Takai will also temporarily serve as the Acting ASD NII during this transition period.

Etchberger Finally Gets His Due—The Medal of Honor: CMSgt. Richard L. Etchberger will posthumously receive the nation's highest military tribute, the Medal of Honor, from President Obama on Sept. 21, the White House announced Friday. The President will recognize the conspicuous gallantry that Etchberger displayed in combat on March 11, 1968, when North Vietnamese soldiers overran Lima Site 85, a secret Air Force radar facility in the Laotian mountains. During the desperate battle, Etchberger, a ground radar superintendent, kept the enemy troops at bay with an M-16. His courageous action allowed seven of the 19 Americans there to be rescued, but Etchberger was mortally wounded as he boarded the rescue helicopter. Although he was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, the White House at the time declined to award him the Medal of Honor, as it did not want to attract attention to the presence of the clandestine US site in a supposedly neutral country. Etchberger's sons, Cory Etchberger, Richard Etchberger, and Steve Wilson will join the President at the White House for the award ceremony. (White House release) (For more on Etchberger's heroics, read The Fall of Lima Site 85 from the Air Force Magazine archives.)

Richard (Dick) L. Etchberger served in the United States Air Force from 1951 ­ 1968.  Born in Hamburg, Pennsylvania on March 5, 1933, he was inspired to join the military due to his brother Bob enlisting in the Navy in early 1946.  Upon joining the USAF on August 31, 1951, he proved to have a high aptitude in electronics and began long list of training and assignments that he would undergo to become a master in his career field.  On April 1, 1967, he was promoted to Chief Master Sergeant.  He held assignments in Mississippi, Utah, Morocco, North Dakota, Philippines, Illinois and the Republic of Vietnam.

(See also Air Force Hero Authorized MOH and report from WFMZ of Allentown, Penn.)(AFA 9/7/10)

AFC4A AWARDS  PROGRAM FOR ACTIVE DUTY C4 PERSONNEL The AFC4A recently completed its 2009-2010 AWARDS  PROGRAM FOR ACTIVE DUTY C4 PERSONNEL This program provides annual recognition of significant contributions made by USAF Communications and Information personnel throughout the Air Force (officers, enlisted, and DAF civilians).  The AFC4A's objective is to provide an easy-to-administer awards program that will enable the senior official in SAF/XC selected Air Force C4 organizations to reach out and touch deserving C4 professionals in a meaningful way.  This program is not intended to compete with the Air Force’s Awards and Decorations Program, but rather it is a way for the AFC4A to help you serve those who are still serving.This year’s program recognized 163 individuals who received a total of $18,600.00 in savings bonds.  The breakout is as shown in the following linked chart: List of Award Winners (3 Sep 10)

Cyber Hiring Gets Speed Boost: The Air Force has been granted the authority to use streamlined federal hiring practices in order to fill more than 680 cyber-security positions expeditiously, according to officials with the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph AFB, Tex. This hiring authority, known as Schedule A, is granted in special cases where there is a critical need for speed. It allows hiring officials to bypass traditional competitive procedures. This method will be used to fill slots for specialists in the emerging cyber mission area for US Strategic Command, 24th Air Force (USAF's new cyber operations arm), and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Among the positions that the Air Force seeks to fill are cyber-risk and strategic analysis; cyber-vulnerability detection and assessment; cyber-incident response; and incident handling and malware/vulnerability analysis. The Air Force may apply Schedule A rules through December 2012. (Randolph report by April Rowden)

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SEC DEF Memo regarding U.S. cyber command: MEMO

Keesler Gains Cyber Training Role: The Air Force has decided to host cyber warfare training at Keesler AFB, Miss., dashing hopes of at least two other Air Education and Training Command bases—Goodfellow and Sheppard in Texas—that felt they were good candidates for the new mission once USAF announced Lackland AFB, Tex., as its preferred location for 24th Air Force, the new cyberspace operations numbered air force. According to a report by the Standard-Times, the Goodfellow community believes the base may still have a cyber role. "We're still optimistic here that we'll get a significant slice of the cyber training mission, whatever that is, when things settle down in probably ... six months or a year," retired Col. Charlie Powell, a member of the Goodfellow Air Force Base Coordinating Group, told the newspaper. And, the Times Record News reports that Sen. Kaye Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) still believes both Goodfellow and Sheppard are candidates for future cyber roles, saying she would be "making that case to the Pentagon as it plans for Fiscal Year 2011 and beyond." Meanwhile, Keesler will be transforming its current communications and information program to incorporate cyber training and plans to finalize the curriculum during a meeting early next month with representatives from the Air Staff, AETC, Air Force Space Command, and the Air Force Institute of Technology. (Keesler report by Susan Griggs) (AFA)-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=