Q&A: Brigadier General Craig Olson

Written by Harrison Donnelly

MIT 2010 Volume: 14 Issue: 7 (August)

Brigadier General Craig S. Olson currently serves as program executive officer, enterprise information systems (PEO EIS), Electronic Systems Center, Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Ala.

Previously, Olson was chief of the Office of Security Cooperation, U.S. Forces-Iraq, which is responsible for advising the Iraqi security ministries on more than $15 billion in foreign military sales cases; coordination of all international military education and training of Iraqi military servicemen and civilians; and management of the end-use monitoring program for defense articles sold to the government of Iraq.

Olson was commissioned in 1982 following graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has extensive operational, flight test and acquisition experience. He has flown operationally as a weapon systems officer and electronic warfare officer in the F-4E and F-4G, and as a flight test weapon systems officer in the F-15E. His acquisition tours include the JSTARS Joint Program Office, the Air Staff Special Programs Directorate, and the Navy-led V-22 Joint Program Office. He has commanded at the group and wing levels, and served as vice commander, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Olson was interviewed by MIT Editor Harrison Donnelly.

Q: How would you describe your mission in your new role as head of the Air Force PEO EIS?

A: I feel humbled and privileged to have the awesome responsibility of leading the newly formed PEO for Enterprise Information Systems. First and foremost, our mission is to acquire, field and support secure integrated business, network and combat support information systems that are critical in meeting the needs of warfighters today. This includes providing mission capability in many command and control and combat support areas such as network operations, financial management, contracting, medical, civil engineering and force projection. I saw firsthand during my recent deployment the critical role these IT systems played in supporting combat operations in Iraq. The Deliberate Crisis Action Planning and Execution System [DCAPES] was used to create my deployment orders and tell the transportation systems when I needed airlift. Once in country, personnel teams used DCAPES to account for and manage deployed airmen, reporting their status, identifying rotations and requesting replacements. Additionally, DCAPES and other force projection systems like Logistics Module and the Base Support and Expeditionary Planning Tool are critical to supporting other military operations like those supporting Haiti and Hurricane Katrina.

Of course, these systems could not remain operational and provide that critical support without our combat support infrastructure programs like Global Combat Support System, or the cost savings realized through our Information Technology Commodity Council [ITCC], or the leveraging of our enterprise services contracts like Network Centric Solutions [NETCENTS]. Simply stated, we could not go to war effectively without these IT systems.

Q: The PEO EIS is a new organization. Why was it created, and what existing organizations does it replace?

A: Although this is a new PEO structure, the underlying organization has played a pivotal role in deploying and sustaining capability to the warfighter for decades by providing tools, products and services to enable enterprise solutions to other organizations across the DoD.

The PEO EIS was established as part of the acquisition improvement plan [AIP] approved by secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force [SECAF/CSAF] in May 2009. The AIP was crafted to recapture acquisition excellence by rebuilding an Air Force acquisition culture that delivers products and services as promised: on time, within budget, and in compliance with all laws, policies and regulations. The AIP established five goals: revitalize the Air Force acquisition workforce; improve requirements generation process; instill budget and financial discipline; improve Air Force major systems source selections; and establish clear lines of authority and accountability within acquisition organizations.

This commitment was reiterated in September 2009 in a SECAF/CSAF memo with direction specifically addressing the goal of clear lines of authority and accountability. One of those directions was the establishment of new program executive officer positions, which provides a greater number of experienced, senior leaders to oversee the execution of our major acquisition programs. It also addresses span-of-control concerns associated with all of our weapon systems programs being aligned under the product center commanders. PEO EIS is one of six newly established PEOs formed from the work previously managed by a single PEO at the Electronic Systems Center. The programs aligned under PEO EIS were formerly aligned to the 554th Electronic Systems Wing [ELSW] at Hanscom AFB, Mass., and were from the former 554th Electronic Systems Group [ELSG], the 754th ELSG and the 643rd Electronic Systems Squadron. Additionally, the programs from the logistics portfolio previously aligned to the 554 ELSW, were realigned to the new PEO for Enterprise Logistics as part of this restructure.

Q: How will the new office be organized? Do you foresee significant changes in the structure of the component units?

A: With the realignment from the current wing/group/squadron structure, PEO EIS is aligned in a directorate/division/branch structure. I report directly to the service acquisition executive [SAE]. From a program execution perspective, the program offices will be structured much like they are today, with program offices residing within the branches or divisions. One major change is that the former wing responsibilities related to work force management and development and unit administration of military personnel has been divested from the PEO to the maximum extent possible. This allows me as the PEO to focus on acquisition execution. Key to this divesture is the implementation of strong functional management, allowing the functional communities to leverage their expertise in defining and fulfilling the force management and development needs of their work forces.

Functional management will enable a better alignment of functional expertise in our acquisition organization, allowing PEOs to focus on program execution and supporting the Office of the Secretary of Defense policy on independence of contracting. The five functional disciplines identified to be aligned under the mandatory functional management areas are: program management, contracting, financial management, science and engineering, and manpower and personnel. This realignment implements another one of the SECAF/CSAF directions in the September 2009 memo. Implementation of a matrix-management organizational structure will better align functional expertise in our acquisition organization.

Q: What do you see as the chief opportunities and challenges as this new organization is created?

A: The real challenge in implementing this new structure is to ensure we deliver as good or better capability to the warfighter as we enhance our acquisition organization and skills to meet the objectives of the AIP. There are many opportunities afforded by the new organization, including a reduced span of control and clearer lines of authority and accountability which will increase the visibility of each PEO into program execution and facilitate improved performance. Furthermore, a direct line between multiple PEOs and SAF/AQ will clearly expedite our key acquisition decisions. Finally, the functional management process of assigning organizational senior functional who work alongside the PEO in five major areas will provide the required level of insight to insure key functional processes are being followed while at the same time allowing the PEO to focus on program execution.

Any organizational restructure poses some implementation challenges. For example, natural “stovepipes” or seams between organizations could emerge. The commander, along with each PEO and senior functional leader, is well aware of the highly interconnected nature of IT systems and has already taken many steps to institutionalize effective communication across ESC and with its customers, which will mitigate this possibility and maximize the opportunity for improved acquisition excellence.

Q: What principles or ideas will be uppermost in your mind as you oversee development and implementation of Air Force IT contracts?

A: President Obama’s administration is committed to eliminating all forms of government waste. Like other DoD contracts, the IT arena also has room to contribute to the president’s goal of realizing cost savings through increasing efficiencies in our IT acquisition processes. For example, we have the ITCC, which has been able to leverage the Air Force’s buying power and reduce the total cost of ownership for commercial IT products and services. This is done through developing strategies to shape commodity management behavior. Current initiatives of the ITCC are client computing and servers for the purchase of mainstream desktops, laptops and monitors, the semi-annual buy for digital printing and imaging products, and the optimization of CONUS cellular lines of service to drive rate plan changes and reduce spending on cellular services and devices.

Another area in which we have been generating savings in taxpayer dollars is in Air Force software management. The most prominent issue regarding software management is the diversity of terms and conditions in software license purchases, which lead to an endless number of unique software management processes. To tackle this issue, we have established the Software Enterprise Acquisition Management and Lifecycle Support [SEAMLS] office. The SEAMLS office’s goal is to document a consolidated software management process to use for all enterprise software purchases. This is done by using existing Air Force enterprise software purchases and their associated software management processes. The SEAMLS office has achieved one of their goals by taking charge of the front end of software management and acting as the Air Force’s procurement and management arm in the Enterprise Software Initiative [ESI] and other Air Force enterprise software purchases. Through the SEAMLS office, we are taking control of software management by decreasing the diversity of enterprise software contract terms and conditions and consolidating the multitude of existing software management processes.

ESI is an official program sponsored by the DoD chief information officer to save time and money procuring commercial software, IT hardware and services. Through its joint team of experts, requirements are consolidated and agreements are established with IT providers, resulting in a unified contracting and vendor management strategy across the entire department. ESI leverages DoD purchasing volume power into contracts with prices lower than GSA. In its first 10 years of operation, DoD ESI achieved a cost avoidance of more than $3 billion off prices established on the GSA Federal Supply Schedule [FSS]. Each service manages different categories of software. The Air Force is the executive agent for four categories: information assurance, records management, enterprise management/software asset management and geographical information systems. As an example, the Air Force established and manages the data at rest [DAR] contracts. Since the original award in 2007, over $30 million in DAR encryption software products have been acquired through these contracts, resulting in avoided costs of more than $98 million through negotiated discounts up to 85 percent off FSS prices.

Q: What changes can we expect to see between NETCENTS and NETCENTS 2 contracts? What goals do you hope to accomplish with the changes?

A: The NETCENTS contract has been a major success since it was initiated in 2004. With NETCENTS, we have been able to provide a flexible contract vehicle that covers the entire range of networking and telephony products and services for the Air Force. The ease of use and efficiencies our customers have gained within this program by being able to place task orders against a contract already in place have allowed them to increase focus on directly supporting the warfighter. Although NETCENTS has been a big success, we are always looking for ways to improve the way we do business and better serve our customers.

One of the limitations of NETCENTS is in the scope of IT products and solutions covered. The existing NETCENTS uses a single contract, but after reviewing Air Force spend data and updated requirements it was determined that a better design under NETCENTS 2 would be to break out the scope/requirements to best match commercial capabilities. NETCENTS 2 has eight sets of contracts covering net-centric COTS products, legacy telephony products and solutions, application services, and NetOps and infrastructure solutions. These multiple-award indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity [IDIQ] contracts cover the scope of the existing NETCENTS contracts, while at the same time allowing for newer requirements and technologies. For example, the existing NETCENTS contract did not support advisory and assistance [A&AS] requirements. Through lessons observed and input from customers, it was decided the Air Force needed IT-specific A&AS contracts.

NETCENTS 2 will have two A&AS multiple IDIQ contracts. Furthermore, the existing NETCENTS used one multiple award IDIQ contract with eight awards, while NETCENTS 2 will cover the IT products, solutions and A&AS requirements in eight multiple award IDIQ contracts, with the expectation of having 50 or more awards. The expectation is that the change in structure will allow Air Force customers to contract more directly with the providers actually doing the work which should cut down or eliminate excessive pass-through charges resulting in an overall cost reduction and increase in performance. Since the prime awards are expected to increase from eight to 50 or more awards, the Air Force anticipates more efficiency and savings from increased competition.

Finally, the increased focus on individual requirements areas will also better facilitate agile and rapid acquisition events since the requirements can be met by teams experienced in that particular area, such as COTS products acquisition, network operations, building applications and so on. A strong post-award team of program, contracting and technical resources will provide the oversight and governance structure necessary to ensure rapidly delivered capabilities remain secure, architecture compliant and standards compliant. The team will use due diligence checklists, policy and technical guidance, and performance work statement templates to achieve the following strategic objectives:

• Meet or exceed operational net-centric requirements

• Ensure technical compliance with Air Force and DoD standards

• Meet or exceed required delivery timeframes

• Leverage Air Force buying power to meet strategic sourcing goals

• Promote small business/support “Beyond Goals” vision.

Q: What do you see as the most pressing information technology issues facing the Air Force?

A: I believe the most pressing IT issue facing the AF is cybersecurity and the associated costs. With hundreds of thousands of network and software application probes/attacks taking place on a daily basis, cybersecurity is a constantly moving and evolving target. Defending against such a massive threat requires investment in ever-stronger security hardware and software applications. The Air Force’s decision to invest in the establishment of the Application Software Assurance Center of Excellence [ASACoE] here at Gunter Annex shows how serious the service is about cybersecurity. The ASACoE team is dedicated to hardening our applications and eliminating possible avenues for attack before they can be exploited by hackers. To date, ASACoE has assessed more than 600 applications from 140 separate program management offices [PMOs]. We have identified approx 3.8 million software vulnerabilities and have given the PMOs the training and tools to fix those vulnerabilities and to prevent future vulnerabilities. These threats, combined with creating, testing and applying the latest cybersecurity tools, require the Air Force to also increase its investment in the education of its work force.

Another cost driver has been the implementation of DoD 8570, a 2004 directive that significantly increased the cost of security by requiring commercial information assurance certifications for all IA, network administration and network security personnel. This in turn drives up the costs to hire certified contractors, as well as the costs of training and certifying our government civilians and military members. However, with this additional education comes a greater sense of awareness and attention to detail that inevitably leads to a more secure Global Information Grid.

I believe one other issue important to mention is the relative inexperience of the Air Force and DoD with fielding true enterprise IT systems. This is something we are just beginning to do, and it has been complicated by the wide variety of legacy systems and interfaces between them, stringent security requirements, rapid technology turnover and the necessary controls of the DoD acquisition process. To rapidly improve our ability, we will be working closely at the strategic level with industry counterparts and those who have achieved great success in the commercial world.

Q: What are your goals for the Air Force Information Technology Conference [AFITC]?

A: The first and overarching goal of every AFITC since it began as the Air Force Small Computer Conference in 1983 is to learn how to best apply the latest cutting-edge technology and to keep the Air Force the most advanced fighting force in the world. This is the vision the team puts together each year for the conference, and we can never lose sight of it. It is this goal that brings more than 6,000 Air Force, DoD, academic and industry professionals to Montgomery nearly every August for the last 27 years.

This year, the focus of AFITC involves figuring out how government and industry can work together to improve the IT acquisition process. Our theme is “Dominance at the Speed of Need.” We recognize that streamlining the acquisition process is vital to keeping pace with innovation in the IT world, and we need to discern how to get those dominant capabilities more quickly into the hands of our Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps personnel. AFITC plays an integral role in this process by bringing new information technology solutions and procedures together with the people who provide support to the cyberspace domain. AFITC provides the perfect forum for government and industry attendees to exchange ideas and issues about how information technology can better support Air Force and DoD missions. The conference offers a week of interaction with superb military and industry leaders, more than 100 in-depth technical seminars, and an exhibition hall consisting of more than 200 IT vendors showcasing the latest technologies.

AFITC also features a small business portion consisting of town hall and matchmaking sessions. This serves as an opportunity for small IT businesses, large companies and government agencies to gather for the purpose of communicating mission requirements and capabilities, as well as identifying future business opportunities. Finally, this year AFITC will also present a career fair. The purpose of the career fair is to bring together job seekers with employers and recruiters within the defense technology, intelligence, scientific, contractor, academic and government communities. We hope this will serve as a great start to these future government and industry leaders. In summary, AFITC is a fantastic annual opportunity of which the Air Force takes full advantage to ensure our capabilities and skills remain on the pinnacle of technology and expertise. ♦

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