New PEO for C3I&N pleased to be taking on role

  • Published
  • By Patty Welsh
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  The new program executive officer for Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks believes he's very fortunate to lead and serve in this position.

Maj. Gen. Craig Olson, who formerly was PEO for Business and Enterprise Systems, feels that taking on this new portfolio is extremely important, as the work that is done with regard to cyber, networks and information technology is relevant to every Airman.

"It's a privilege and a blessing to do something that matters to everyone," he said.

He said he sees four main parts of his job. First, he will provide a vision, which he has not yet formalized, but he does see as being the network infrastructure provider. Next, he wants to motivate personnel to carry out that vision. Third, he needs to provide the resources and, fourth, remove obstacles.

"It's all about making them [the personnel] successful," he said. "They are the ones who get the work done."

Olson said he feels the current PEO organizational structure is the correct path, as it was more fragmented in previous iterations. He continued by saying that work cannot be done in a vacuum. The PEOs must all work together. For the C3I&N role, he feels they are the network provider for terrestrial, air and space.

"Other PEOs rely on the network, and as the provider of the network, we have to talk to everybody," he said. "The network itself can't do anything. Rather, it provides a means of hosting the applications which provide capabilities for our Airmen."

He sees the greatest challenge ahead to be financial uncertainty. Because of this, the network infrastructure must be provided in a much more effective and efficient manner. One way to do this is in a "commoditized" fashion such that common services are made available to the greatest number of users possible.

Another challenge is the constancy of change.

"We need to acknowledge and validate the frustrations of multiple changes," Olson said. "It's exhausting for members of the organizations effected, and for the leaders as well."

However, he said personnel need to understand that the changes have been thought out and were made for the right reasons. Olson emphasized that he feels the Air Force Materiel Command five-center restructure was absolutely the "right thing to do."

As PEOs, we need to look at a program's life cycle, he said, which is all the way from conception to sustainment.

This leads to an additional challenge of providing an identity for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

"We've come a long way in the space of a year and a half - AFLCMC is now in transition to IOC [initial operational capability] and heading towards FOC [full operational capability]," he said.

IOC for the new center is anticipated to be Oct. 1.

Olson said leaders and personnel need to learn about each other in order to take advantage of strengths. He said that when he meets employees he asks about career information, but will also ask them to talk about some things outside of that role that he wouldn't necessarily know about. He relayed a story about how, by doing this, he found out that an employee's relative received a medal of honor in the Civil War.

"I have found that knowing and appreciating the various dimensions of each other's lives can increase the effectiveness of a team."

For himself, he wants others to know that he truly thanks God and feels it's a privilege to put on the uniform every day, and he wants to be a "good steward of that gift."

Other key roles to him include being a good husband to wife, Dayna, and father to four boys, three of whom are serving in the military. He wants to get involved with a local church, and he also wants to connect with the community, both on-base and off-base. Olson added that he likes to run, ride bikes, go to the gym and hike, preferably with his family.

"The big challenge is trying to balance it all," he said. "Carrying out my duties as PEO and investing in all the other areas."

Olson said that the best job is always the one you are currently in.

"The passion, energy, intelligence and experience of the personnel in C3I&N was immediately inspiring to me."