Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Located at Eareckson Air Station, Alaska, the Cobra Dane radar can collect metric and signature data on foreign ballistic missile events from up to 2,000 miles away. The Cobra Dane radar is one of multiple radar systems supported by the Strategic Warning and Surveillance Systems Division, which has branches at both Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., and Peterson AFB, Colo.Located at Eareckson Air Station, Alaska, the Cobra Dane radar can collect metric and signature data on foreign ballistic missile events from up to 2,000 miles away. The Cobra Dane radar is one of multiple radar systems supported by the Strategic Warning and Surveillance Systems Division, which has branches at both Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., and Peterson AFB, Colo. (U.S. Air Force photo)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Digital Directorate team wins major acquisition awardPublished July 2, 2021
                    
                    By  K. Houston Waters
                    
                    
                    66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
            **HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (AFNS)  --**The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force honored a **Hanscom Air Force Base** Digital Directorate team with a major acquisition award earlier this month.
The Strategic Warning and Space Surveillance Program Office, which has operating locations both at Hanscom AFB and at **Peterson AFB**, Colorado, earned the 2020 Dr. James G. Roche Product Support Excellence Award. The team was recognized for its dedication to accelerated product support strategies and increased reliability, availability, and maintainability of its Upgraded Early Warning Radar systems, Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System, and Cobra Dane radars.
“This honor is reflective of the individuals we have in this outstanding organization,” said Col. Joshua Williams, Strategic Warning and Surveillance Systems Division senior materiel leader. “With incredible focus, direction, and leadership, they went out and got the job done. At the end of the day, it’s the people in the trenches doing the work, and all the credit for this award goes to them.”
Throughout the year, the team digitally modernized their radar systems, reduced operating costs by 90 percent, and saved operating space. They also eliminated cyber risks by implementing software countermeasures at a number of overseas operations locations, resulting in less maintenance time and higher availability of their systems.
Bradley Leonard, Product Support Branch chief, says his team leveraged real-time data, algorithms, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to predict when parts needed to be replaced, which reduced maintenance time and ensured the systems were always in the fight. By pairing an agile mindset with DevSecOps tools and real time collaboration, they provided valuable support to the warfighter, he said.
“Our Strategic Warning and Surveillance Systems Division has been hitting on all cylinders last year and this year,” said Steven Wert, Digital program executive officer. “We have a process of identifying critical events for every program, and keeping score. This division has delivered on time or early for every single critical event this year. It’s hard to beat that, and great to see them recognized.”
Not only does the team work on the acquisition, program management and sustainment of the radar systems, but its members also provide continuous command and control, which provides senior leaders with critical operational warfighting data in real-time.
“Knowing that our systems provide battlefield commanders with the data necessary to protect American and allied lives gives us a great deal of pride,” Williams said. “We always try to remember our commitment that we have to the warfighter, and that really gives us extra motivation to come to work and do a great job for them.”
Leonard believes the agile mindset of the division was the catalyst for this year’s honor.
“One of the things that makes us so successful is that we’ve always embraced a learning culture,” he said. “We are always willing to try something new to provide capabilities in a different and more efficient way. Sometimes you have to take some risks, and really push the envelope.”
Named after the 20th Secretary of the Air Force, who served from 2001 to 2005, the Dr. James G. Roche Product Support Excellence Award is given annually to a program management office for significant accomplishments in the development or execution of product support strategies. The award recognizes the premier office that demonstrates excellence toward attaining effective and affordable product support.FS 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



AFMC 



Air Force Materiel Command 



Hanscom AFB 



2020 Dr. James G. Roche Product Support Excellence Award 



acquisition 



contracting 



Digital Directorate 



Strategic Warning and Space Surveillance Program Office 



Peterson AFB Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil