Interview with Colonel Stephen A. Smith, Commander of the 88th Communications Group

Author: Andy Hickey

April 2009

What is your role at Wright-Patterson AFB?

Response:  I am the Commander of the 88th Communications Group for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, located near Dayton, Ohio.  I command the largest Air Force base communications unit supporting a MAJCOM (major command), Center, numerous tenant organizations and over 25,000 personnel.

Our mission is to support a variety of base missions with wide area voice and data communications as part of the Air Force Enterprise.  We also support our customers with information technology project management, frequency management, information management and mail distribution.

What roles did you have before this position?

Response:  I've held a variety of positions throughout my 26 years in the Air Force to include commanding two communications squadrons that provided similar support at Shaw Air Force Base, SC and Buckley Air Force Base, CO.
I've also held positions in Air Force Space Command where I provided strategic planning and managing their annual communications budget as well as leading 14th Air Force's Communications and Logistics Division support all Air Force Space Operations.

What are the unique challenges of your position and your group?

RESPONSE:  Our challenges within the Air Force and Wright-Patterson are like other information technology organizations. Providing accurate, reliable and secure voice and data to allow our customer to accomplish their missions.

What are your top 3 initiatives for 2009?

RESPONSE:  As part of the Air Force Enterprise Transformation efforts, we are working to collapse our infrastructure overhead and provide a single focal point for our customers to call and obtain resolution to their information technology concerns.  This endeavor has been in the planning for some time and we hope to begin operations shortly.  Security of our infrastructure and the reliability of our data is always our goal.  We work extremely hard with our partners in the Air Force Enterprise to keep our systems protected at all times.  Finally, maintaining a high quality work force and safe work environment does not just happen. It takes planning and resources to ensure our employees have all the tools and skill they need to accomplish their mission.

How do you measure IT effectiveness?

RESPONSE:  Customer satisfaction and a knowing we have secure reliable data is critical to our success. Without each, neither is achievable.

How is your group and the Air Force a technology leader in its industry?

RESPONSE:  The Air Force and my group team with our industry partners provide the best possible IT environment for its users.  In many forums I attend it  seems network security, data reliability and validity are critical to mission or business success.  The Air Force has made great strides in creating this environment and developing a culture among our customers so they understand they too are a part of our security strategies.

What will be different about the 88th Comm Group's operations in 3 years?

RESPONSE:  As the Air Force Enterprise Transformation takes hold, my unit will look slightly different in 3 years.  We will rely on the Air Force Enterprise to ensure our data in and out of the installation is secure, reliable and valid.  Our Core Services will continue to be consolidated and our role with be more on-scene touch maintenance when needed, however we will have a consolidated service desk to resolve up to 80% of our trouble calls.
What can the civilian IT community learn from DoD and your group?

RESPONSE:  The Air Force has made great strides in building a team of  military, civilian and contractor information technology professionals to operate and maintain our information technology services. The one thing that can be learned is that it takes a team of well trained professionals and you must invest in this resource to keep your mission or business operating successfully.  Failure to invest could lead to information failure and the downfall of operations.