Stanhouse brings broad experience to diverse portfolio

  • Published
  • By Daryl Mayer, AFLCMC Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio (AFLCMC) – The 2,700 members of the Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Special Operations Forces team delivers unique capabilities to U.S. and international partner warfighters across the globe.  Under the direction of Program Executive Officer, Col. William Rogers, they manage a broad range of systems from helicopters, medium to high altitude unmanned aerial systems as well as multiple unique sensor platforms and special warfare systems.    
 
Ed Stanhouse is very familiar with the portfolio having served as the Director of the HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopter program just prior to being selected as the new Deputy Program Executive Officer.  He brings a great deal of acquisition experience from his prior military and civilian service as the directorate looks for ways to deliver capabilities faster.     
 
“I’m thrilled at the opportunity to work with this great team.” Stanhouse said.  “It’s an honor to provide support to our Air Force customers in Air Combat Command, Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Force Special Operations Command and others to include our foreign military partners.”
 
 Stanhouse said his interest in aviation began with visiting his uncle at a guard unit at Lambert Field in St. Louis. 
 
“I remember he put me in the cockpit and I was hooked.” 
 
Unfortunately for his dreams of a flying career, he lost his flying status in his senior year at the Air Force Academy.  As an engineer, what followed was his first assignment working on cruise missiles for the Air Force Research Laboratory. 
 
“My first job at AFRL developing missile guidance systems helped me decide I wanted to focus on a program acquisition career,” he said. 
 
He then went on to get a degree in Systems Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology followed by an assignment in the space world and then into acquisition. 
 
One of his highlights was working on the C-17 program – a platform that recently was critical in the evacuation of forces from Afghanistan. 
 
“It was extremely rewarding to see the brave Airmen that operate that aircraft have a tool that really fulfills their mission.  We had some challenges in the early days of the program, but what you saw here was a great evolution of a system and our aircraft capabilities.  It shows the importance of the work we do every day here in AFLCMC.”
 
Applying this example to the vast ISR/SOF portfolio shows the impact his team will have on Air Force operations for the next 20 years.  The important role digital acquisition will perform in that work is clear. 
 
“It’s really leveraging emerging digital engineering opportunities both for our legacy airplanes through sustainment and modernization as well as supporting development and test of new systems,” Stanhouse said.  “Speed of capability and affordable life cycle support of our weapons systems are essential.”
 
From a leadership perspective, he said the key is creating a culture that values innovation.          
 
“I think AFLCMC has done some really good things about partnering with other organizations, so that they see a little bit of that ‘art of the possible,’” Stanhouse said.  “We need to then empower our teams to come up with some of those solutions and be willing to listen.” 
 
It’s about being willing to take calculated risks.
 
“The basics of acquisition – the blocking and tackling of how you do cost, schedule, performance program planning hasn’t really changed,” he said.  “It's now about incorporating some of the new tools, some of the capabilities we have today and not being afraid to try to use those for fear of failure.”