To maintain tempo with the ever-evolving know-how panorama, Air Pressure Materiel Command is making a single software program engineering collaboration group throughout the Air Pressure Sustainment Heart. This group will combine the huge and various expertise from throughout the command to make sure the wants of the warfighter proceed to be met now and sooner or later.
“We delight ourselves on having a various and gifted workforce and this new group will showcase the work of our wonderful Airmen,” mentioned Lt. Gen. Stacey Hawkins, commander, Air Pressure Sustainment Heart. “The power of this crew to take an thought and convey it to fruition is monumental. This group is the primary of its variety and can significantly profit the whole software program enterprise by revolutionizing our processes and fostering unbridled innovation.”
“This resolution will align and combine our software program ecosystem capabilities to Air Pressure priorities and quickly tackle the expansion in quantity and complexity of software-enabled DAF weapon programs,” added Lt. Gen. Shaun Morris, commander of the Air Pressure Life Cycle Administration Heart. “The brand new group will play a key position in posturing us for an period of nice energy competitors, essential to deterring and defeating our pacing nation problem, China.”
Presently, there are three Software program Engineering Teams. One is situated at every of the Air Logistics Complexes, that are at Hill Air Pressure Base, Utah; Robins AFB, Georgia; and Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. This consolidation is meant to extend effectivity and effectiveness of processes and prioritize the supply of software program whereas increasing agility and innovation.
Planning for the brand new group has been underway for greater than a 12 months. In line with Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, Air Pressure Materiel Command commander, it aligns completely with the command’s strategic plan centered on extra built-in functionality supply.
“This retooling of our AFMC software program factories is an ideal instance of an enterprise resolution that’s laser centered on the warfighter,” Richardson mentioned. “We’re anticipating this consolidation will permit seamless integration of different AFMC software program factories sooner or later and function a mannequin for software program improvement in different main instructions.”
The stand-up of the present directorate will eradicate duplication of efforts throughout the Sustainment Heart.
“With software program work being performed throughout three completely different software program engineering teams we run the chance of conducting duplicate work and never working collectively on new and legacy initiatives,” mentioned Wayne Ayer, director of the AFSC Software program Engineering directorate. “This group will permit for a extra streamlined method and collaborative effort throughout the workforce and create a one-stop-shop for patrons.”
The quantity and complexity of software-enabling capabilities inside Air Pressure weapon programs has grown considerably and reveals no indicators of slowing down. Standing up this new software program group will speed up the software program engineering mission.
“With the continued development in weapons programs, the necessity for extra complicated software program has elevated considerably. We’re supporting not solely new plane, however legacy programs that require updates to be suitable with at the moment’s programs. This group is aimed toward offering real-time options sooner and extra effectively to satisfy the wants of the warfighter when and the place they want it,” mentioned Col. Trauna Jones, army deputy, AFSC Software program Engineering directorate.
The AFSC Software program Engineering directorate shall be staffed with present Software program Group staff suited to the distinctive software program manufacturing mission. These staff will stay at their present places however will start consolidating workload and resourcing choices via the brand new group.
“We’re fixing complicated software program points throughout all of our software program engineering teams, with the outcomes usually being left in a vacuum of kinds. This realignment will allow us to unfold the workload and permit for an elevated circulate of idea-sharing. Working collectively to unravel complicated points will significantly speed up our capability to help the warfighter,” mentioned Michael Jennings, senior technical chief, AFSC Software program Engineering directorate.
In a speech given to the Air Pressure Affiliation’s Air, House and Cyber Convention in September of 2021, Air Pressure Chief of Workers Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. mentioned, “Collectively we should work to perform what appears not possible. We should rise to the challenges of at the moment to arrange for tomorrow.”
Jennings feels this workload consolidation is aimed toward doing simply that, working collectively to satisfy the challenges of the longer term and make sure the U.S. is protecting tempo with adversaries.
“We face important real-world threats that require us to redefine how we scale to satisfy our warfighter wants sooner, whereas leveraging experience and functionality that exists throughout our ecosystem. Through the use of clever options that facilitate well timed and cost-effective supply of software program options we will quickly ship a product to our warfighters,” mentioned Jennings.
The Air Pressure Sustainment Heart is certainly one of six facilities within the Air Pressure Materiel Command. It prepares the Air Pressure’s most refined weapons programs for future competitors. AFSC offers sustainment and logistics readiness; depot-level upkeep; provide chain administration and operations; and set up help.
