HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – As New Horizons stays virtual this year, the event will still have Department of Defense and Air Force senior leaders, including all three of Hanscom’s program executive officers, sharing information and insights.
The Lexington-Concord chapter of AFCEA runs the event, which brings together personnel from government, industry and academia to discuss emerging topics of interest and business opportunities, all to ensure the U.S. Air Force continues to be the world’s premier Air Force.
In order to accommodate as many virtual participants as possible, New Horizons will once again take place during two separate weeks, the first being April 5-6 and the second April 12-14. And while last year’s event focused not only on accelerating change, but also strengthening partnerships and securing the future, discussions this year will focus on “Accelerating Change: Delivering Capability to Operations, Faster.”
“The goal of New Horizons this year was to build an agenda with military and government senior leaders, industry experts and members of academia to focus on operational need, acquisition speed, and how to achieve delivery of capability by leveraging innovation,” said Patrick Hamilton, New Horizons Committee chair.
Hanscom’s senior leaders are also looking at the event as an opportunity for collaboration.
“Our directorate is laser-focused on accelerating change and innovation in modernizing our Air and Space Forces to maintain a competitive advantage against our adversaries,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Schmidt, Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks PEO. “New Horizons is a great opportunity for us to continue to foster, expand, and capitalize on the teamwork we have with our industry partners and the other Hanscom directorates, and we are excited to participate this year.”
While organizers are still finalizing the schedule, they said they are “excited” to have Dr. George Ka’iliwai III, the director of Resources and Assessment for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command as their kickoff speaker on April 5. Ka’iliwai facilitates the development of USINDOPACOM requirements for the Future Years Defense Program.
Steven Wert, program executive officer for Digital, is also slated to speak on April 5. In addition, there will be a Digital Engineering Panel that day.
On April 6, Randall Walden, Rapid Capabilities Office PEO, will present, and the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Lt. Gen. Duke Richardson will participate in an Innovation Panel. Also taking place April 6, because of the popularity of these type of sessions last year, Wert will participate in a fireside chat.
The following week, on April 12, Schmidt will present. It is anticipated that the director of the C4/ISR Division in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Arsenio Gumahad will also speak that day.
April 13, Cordell DeLaPena, PEO for Military Communications (MilComm) and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), will speak, and Schmidt will take part in a fireside chart. Organizers are also working details of a probable industry panel for that day.
Nuclear Command, Control and Communications will be the focus on April 14, with Scott Hardiman, NC3 PEO presenting and participating in a fireside chat.
“We’re looking to build on the success of last year and develop a diverse program that appeals to both government and industry attendees,” said Jamie Thurber, AFCEA Lexington-Concord Chapter president. “Having the operational community participate in multiple portions of the event has been a goal of the team, and we hope that it adds a bit more of the 'why' to the 'how' of the traditional New Horizons agenda.”
The event is free for military and government personnel, who also have the ability to earn continuous learning points for symposia/conference attendance, but registration is required. For more information about New Horizons, or to register, visit https://www.afcealexcon.org.