Q&A: Lieutenant General William T. Lord

Written by Harrison Donnelly

A 1977 graduate of the Air Force Academy, Lord holds a bachelor’s degree in biological and life sciences, and master’s degrees in business administration and national resource strategy. He held various duties with tours in Europe, U.S. Central Command and the White House, and has commanded at the detachment, squadron, group, wing, major command and joint levels. Prior to his current position, Lord was commander, Air Force Cyberspace Command (Provisional), Barksdale Air Force Base, LA.

Lord was interviewed by MIT Editor Harrison Donnelly.

Q: First can you please explain the structure of your organization and what its primary functions are?

A: The Air Force Chief of Staff set up the Office of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer [SAF/XC] in 2005. The office consolidated all Air Force information technology organizations under a single umbrella by combining the former deputy chief of staff war fighting integration [AF/XI], Air Force chief information officer [AF-CIO], and Directorate of Communications [AF/ILC]. The consolidation brought the strengths of each previous organization together. In addition to those roles, SAF/XC also has responsibility for AF/A6 [communications and information] on the Air Staff. As the chief of war fighting integration, I am responsible for developing, implementing and enforcing Air Force strategy and policy that enables delivery of integrated war fighting combat support capabilities to the joint warfighter.

The Clinger-Cohen Act of 1986, which mandated the position of CIO for all executive branch agencies in the federal government, created SAF/XC’s chief information officer role. In this role I am responsible for the development of Air Force IT policies, guidance, architectures and standards. The CIO also oversees the Air Force IT budget and ensures all Air Force IT systems are certified and accredited in accordance with law and DoD guidelines.

As AF/A6 I provide the chief of staff with independent advice on communications matters across the Air Force and most importantly, I am responsible for communication and information [C&I] force development.

Q: As you assume your new position, what do you see as the most pressing issues facing the Air Force in terms of information technology and war fighting integration?

A: Resources. We are in an environment where competition for resources—money and personnel—are very dynamic. As we look at how to support today’s fight and modernize, we look for the highest value technology to leverage our combat power. That will mean we’ll watch the trade space between various systems, business and combat, to ensure highest bang for buck.

Q: Based on your recent experience as head of Air Force Cyber Command (P), how would you evaluate the cyberthreat facing the Air Force, and what will your first steps be to address it in your new job?

A: I’d evaluate the threat as both growing in magnitude and sophistication. Better defenses and treatment of Air Force networks as critical assets are the first orders of business, and we have terrific leadership support to do both.

Q: What role will SAF/XC play in terms of organization, policymaking and coordination with the new 24th Air Force?

A: The stand-up of 24th Air Force, under AF Space Command [AFSPC] is truly historic and provides the Air Force with a cyberfocused organization with the responsibility to defend our vital networks as well as conduct offensive operations. SAF/XC will work with our fellow Air Staff elements to ensure that Space Command receives the support it needs to get the job done.

Q: What do you see as the future of Air Force space-based communications in light of the cancellation of the Transformational Satellite program? What other current or planned programs can meet the needs it would have filled?

A: We’re evolving our broader communications architecture to leverage the complementary aspects of the terrestrial, aerial and space-based layers of the network. As we move forward it’s increasingly important that we treat each layer as crucial, interconnected and mutually supporting pieces of the larger war fighting network.

When Secretary of Defense Gates announced the termination of the Transformational Satellite [TSAT] program in April, he also committed to two additional Advanced Extremely High Frequency [AEHF] satellites. These satellites, along with the four already funded, will provide global, highly secure, survivable communications for the war fighter and the national command authorities. It’s important to note that we’ve relied on our MILSTAR satellite program to provide many of these capabilities for the last 15 years. However, today’s highly data-centric war fighting environment requires increased bandwidth over our SATCOM links and much greater total satellite capacity.

If you look at the Wideband Global SATCOM [WGS] and AEHF systems, I think you’ll see that the Air Force is putting a lot of emphasis on fielding highly capable SATCOM capabilities over the next decade. For instance, WGS introduces enhanced capabilities, and operations in the Ka-band, which will pump data to our troops in the field at up to 137 Mbps. The AEHF system will provide protected data rates more than 500 percent greater than what we have now with today’s MILSTAR system. These capabilities will ensure our warfighters receive critical information such as air and space tasking orders, real-time ISR, and logistics information on a timelier basis. Higher data rates, compression techniques, and improved waveforms enable transmitting a range of data types we couldn’t previously share in real-time.

We also have a great deal of advanced technology that was developed by the TSAT program. General Kehler was on target when he told Congress in May that the Air Force should look for ways to harvest some of that work for use in other programs— possibly in AEHF or WGS. While those decisions haven’t yet been made, we have a lot of very smart people looking at options. In any case, I’m confident the knowledge gained from that program will still be very useful to us.

I also want to emphasize our continued partnership with the commercial satellite communications industry. Today, about 80 percent of the bandwidth provided by SATCOM is provided by commercial providers. Even if we somewhat reduce that number in the future, I think it’s safe to say that commercial capabilities will continue to be an important element of our space-based communications architecture long into the future.

Q: How would you evaluate the significance and progress of the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node [BACN] program?

A: In my opinion, BACN is a true Air Force success story in combat support to today’s fight and joint force warriors. BACN’s genesis began when our Global Cyberspace Integration Center tactical data link team began looking across a number of aircraft weapons systems to integrate tactical data link equipment in the Air Force and other services. Our first BACN flight demonstration was in 2006, when we integrated our proof of concept payload into a NASA aircraft with some initial success. Afterwards, we continued to demonstrate the BACN payload and flew it again in Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2008 with even better results.

Since BACN was first deployed in the fall of 2008, it has made great strides in joint and coalition interoperability. Data collected from missions has shown significant reduction in the “kill chain” timeline while BACN is operating. Because of the success BACN has achieved, a joint urgent operational need was issued calling for added BACN capability. We are currently scheduled to have sufficient BACN assets to provide round-the-clock capability in the AOR by the middle of fiscal year 2011.

Q: What are some of your other priorities in the area of airborne networking technology and communications interoperability?

A: In order to provide joint commanders with the information they need, XC needs to champion the rapid insertion of cutting-edge IT through rapid prototyping and experimentation to improve our networks, both airborne, space and terrestrial. We are currently working on an Air Force vision for airborne networking that will provide direction for warfighter networking. This will be followed up with a flight plan that will provide the guidelines for building this important network.

We are also a major contributor to the study of advanced tactical data links, and have had a major role in writing the joint aerial layer initial capabilities document, which will provide the benchmark for all of the services for networking in the aerial layer, including net-enabled weapons and ISR. Ultimately this network will allow the services to move from our current stovepiped tactical data link-based network to the next-generation IP-based network that allows the services to leverage off of each other’s capabilities.

Q: There have been substantial successes in recent years in shortening the “kill chain” and “sensor to shooter” loop. What technologies can take the Air Force to the next level in this vital area?

A: The “kill chain” has been shortened substantially in recent years with streamlined processes and advancements in support tools throughout the “sensor to shooter” loop. For example, the MISREP Analysis Tool shortened the ingestion and processing time of mission reports from more than 24 hours to a few minutes. Going forward, Air Force developers and experimenters need to continue working closely with the hands-on warfighters to rapidly prototype and address their most pressing C2 priorities.

Building a robust aerial network of networks will allow tactical users to have the right information at the right time in the right format. This aerial network will be essential in the event of a denied-space environment. A robust airborne network will allow for greater access to information in a secure manner, with antijam capability. We are leveraging our experience with the BACN and other programs to assist in building this network.

Q: How do you see the new DCGS Integration Backbone [DIB] contributing to Air Force war fighting integration?

A: The DIB provides data exposure for the entire intelligence community, not just the Air Force. This enables us to move toward the more responsive TPPU [task, post, process, use] model instead of the older TPED [task, process, exploit, disseminate] model where appropriate. Increased machine-to-machine interfaces will further reduce the kill chain cycle and enhance our ability to engage time-sensitive targets with our joint partners. The DIB moves us away from stovepiped legacy systems to netenabled capabilities that have already proved themselves in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Q: What changes would you like to see in the way the Air Force operates its financial, medical and other business information systems?

A: We need to work toward more integration of the financial, medical and even personnel systems so our military members can continue to focus on the mission. What we have works well, but by leveraging the latest technologies there is considerable room for improvement.

Integration of the financial and personnel systems can allow our Air Force members to conduct even more “self-help” financial actions. For example, airmen are limited on some allotment actions they are able to conduct online, so instead they have to actually walk down to the base accounting and finance office. If we can integrate these systems, we can keep our airmen on the job and lower support manpower requirements at the same time.

Similarly, further integration of the medical and personnel systems will allow us to be more efficient in our approach to combat readiness from a medical perspective. Right now, across the Air Force, our numbered air forces and wings track the status of the medical readiness of their troops such as the status of their vaccinations, health assessments, lab work and dental status. This effort requires a lot of human intervention to track and notify individuals, as well as report to leadership on a regular basis. Using new tools and technology, we can take the man out of the loop in several places and allow the systems to automatically generate e-mail alerts to the airman as well as reports in whatever format leadership wants. If we get this right, our airmen will resolve any number of medical requirements long before they become due, while at the same time, we will spend a lot fewer man-hours tracking and reporting.

Q: What role does your organization play in Air Force IT procurement? Where would you like to see the NETCENTS program go in the future?

A: Our role in SAF/XC is to define the Air Force policy on the standards, architecture and management practices of the IT equipment and software we need to make the Air Force mission more efficient and effective. We now do that in conjunction with the chief management officer. The acquisition community focuses on the actual process of procuring that equipment and software, and we are highly dependent upon and teamed with their expertise.

As the Air Force CIO, our role in IT procurement is to ensure we have the right requirements identified to purchase the right IT that fits with our Air Force enterprise and meets our strategic Air Force objectives. Working hand-in-hand with SAF/AQ, we are working to ensure the proper governance is in place for IT procurement vehicles such as NETCENTS.

Regarding NETCENTS, we are continuing to grow this service and provide the products and services we need to fulfill our IT strategic goals. My vision for NETCENTS and its follow-on NETCENTS 2 is to provide the Air Force community at large with competitive, cost-effective vehicles that meet local base contracting goals while at the same time adhering to our Air Force enterprise strategic objectives. We need to be more responsive to the needs of our users, which means acquiring and delivering capability in a short amount of time. Users can’t wait 18 months for a system or product to be delivered—they need it now. Our vision for NETCENTS is to provide that rapid acquisition capability.

Q: What messages would you most emphasize to industry in its partnerships with the Air Force?

A: The first message is that we, the U.S. Air Force, are dependent on a strong partnership. The solutions to our problems are provided by a vibrant U.S. industry, both large and small. As the resourcing becomes more difficult, big leverage items are the ones we are looking for. The return on investment will be closely scrutinized for high percentage returns. We need products that can be quickly deployed to enhance current ops and are netcentric from day one.

The second message is a big “thank you” for the help our industry partners give us every day!

The third message is that we depend on our industry partners to help us with the innovation that they are so wonderful at fostering—and bringing that innovation to us.

The final message is to invite them to offer us their advice on what we can do to make our relationship better for both. The environment is at the “perfect storm” point to change processes and rules that are obstructive to both of us.

Q: What can the Air Force do to strengthen training and development of its IT professionals?

A: The increased focus on the cyberdomain is forcing us to take a hard look at how we structure our entire C&I career field [both civilian and military], and we will be making some major decisions in the near future. We must offer education and tailored training to develop our IT professionals throughout their careers, and ensure that training is producing the professionals needed to support our COCOMs. We must also develop a deliberate funding strategy based on training requirements. The fielding of IT systems is always accompanied by a corresponding training requirement, which if unfunded, jeopardizes the very effectiveness of the capability the new technology delivers.

Some current initiatives include transforming our basic skills training courses. Graduates of these courses will receive the necessary fundamentals and be primed for follow-on specialized training. Organizationally, this new training paradigm requires the establishment of formal training units that focus on teaching the skills needed to deliver the capability to establish, operate, defend, exploit, and attack in, through, and from the cyberdomain. One of the challenges we have to confront is that the same highly specialized skill sets needed within the Air Force are also highly desired within industry. Since we are in fierce competition for these skills, we must maintain a focus on personnel retention measures.

At the same time, we also need to recognize that the leading edge in this arena can often be found outside the Air Force within other services, industry, and/or academia. Expanding our existing partnerships can only benefit our people. Identifying and partnering with IT centers of excellence enables knowledge transfer and better prepares our professionals to meet and conquer the unique challenges presented by the cyberdomain.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: This is an exciting time to be in our Air Force and in the IT/ cyberbusiness. I am honored to be placed in a position of responsibility where I may effect positive change to assist our forces engaged in combat today. We are also engaged in a cultural change as the cyberdomain takes the stage with air and space— and that will be historic. Everything we do will be focused on our Air Force mission: Fly, fight and win ... in air, space and cyberspace! ♦

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