LCMC commander calls for staying, building on current course

by Justin Oakes
66th Air Base Group Public Affairs

10/14/2014 - HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- The Life Cycle Management Center's new commander, Lt. Gen. John F. Thompson, visited Hanscom for the first time, after assuming his leadership role just last week, and took the opportunity to highlight the center's current and future direction during an All-Call Oct. 9, 2014.

"Knowing the mission here and all the great things that all of you have delivered to the warfighter makes it truly my honor to be the commander of this organization," said the general as he began his address to base support, functional and program office members.

In order to put the audience's mind at ease and quell any apprehension of significant change within the center, Thompson reassured the Hanscom team to "not worry about changing course and having to learn something new about our vision and mission." It will remain the same, he said.

The commander's vision, like that of his predecessor, is to forge one team delivering integrated, innovative, dominant airpower capabilities ... on time and on cost. It complements the ultimate goal and mission of acquiring and supporting war-winning capabilities.

Thompson spent a moment speaking about the origin of LCMC -- or at least Hanscom's portion. What began in 1961 as the Electronic System Division then grew to the Electronic Systems Center in 1992 and is now part of the LCMC we know today. In the process, he relayed a number of crucial technology developments and programs that paved the way for Air Force operational successes.

He also offered six high-priority objectives. They include the following:

1. Deliver cost effective acquisition solutions;
2. Deliver affordable and effective product support;
3. Launch high confidence sustainable programs;
4. Standardize and continuously improve center processes;
5. Deliver and place right person at right time; and,
6. Assure a safe, secure and quality work environment.

Objective four, which focuses on standardization of processes, received a good amount of attention from the general.

"Standardization has great promise and benefits to all of us," Thompson said. "I'd like to see a little more of that continued process improvement on the standardization work we've started."

During the course of the last two years, more than 40 different processes have been standardized across the center, a feat that received high praise from the new commander.

Shifting gears from standardization, the next topic focused on finding the right person at the right time: a topic most units consider a priority unto itself -- manpower.

"You're going to see a little more from me in terms of the basic hiring processes and getting positions filled," Thompson said. "It's a bizarrely long process for civilian hiring, and we're going take it on and try to fix it."

There are approximately 1,000 open civilian vacancies currently within the center. LCMC members make up 4 percent of the total Air Force, but provide equipment and materiel for all the service's airpower.

While the final topic centered on personnel, it was less about job openings and more in line with the health and well-being of the current force.

Chief Master Sgt. Doreen Losacco, LCMC command chief, addressed resiliency and promoting a culture of Comprehensive Airman Fitness.

"You have to have balance," said the chief. "In order for us to be resilient, we must make sure we have balance in our lives."

Comprehensive Airman Fitness is designed to improve an Airman's quality of life by focusing on mental, physical, social and spiritual health. It is an approach the Air Force recently adopted and highly encourages amongst its ranks.

Before the event concluded, the commander left the group with one final compliment and thought.

"What makes a difference whether an organization lives or dies is that you have an important mission and you've delivered on it -- something the team here at Hanscom clearly does," the general said.