505th CCW/CC: "Mission and People"

  • Published
  • By Col. Mustafa R. Koprucu
  • 505th Command and Control Wing commander
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Commanders and superintendents from across the 505th Command and Control Wing's 13 different operating locations attended the annual 505 CCW Commanders' Conference here at Hurlburt Field from Feb. 6-10.

This year's conference focused on "Mission and People." In light of current fiscal constraints, attendees examined and prioritized every aspect of the 505 CCW's mission to improving warfighting capabilities through command and control testing, tactics development, and training.

"My goal was to conduct a thorough analysis of all our missions", said Col. Mustafa Koprucu, commander of the 505 CCW. "Each of our squadrons and groups looked at everything we do, from exercises, to training, to operational test & evaluation. We prioritized every event and then split the tasks into the three categories of relative importance that the ACC Commander, Gen. Mike Hostage, uses to make resource decisions."

The attendees then presented this prioritized list to the commander of the USAF Warfare Center, Maj. Gen. William Hyatt, on a video conference. "This is exactly what I need all of us to be doing," Maj. Gen. Hyatt said. "We need to be constantly examining our priorities, looking for savings and ways to combine resources to be more efficient."

In addition to mission priorities, the attendees examined how the wing takes care of its people through leadership development, assignments, civilian personnel and manpower.

Briefings and discussions addressed: officer promotions, writing performance reports, civilian hiring and development and manpower actions to resource units with the right types of billets. The conference concluded with a set of goals and milestones to guide the wing's activities through Fiscal Year 2013.

The 505th CCW concluded their annual commander's conference with their annual awards banquet, recognizing the exceptional work and accomplishments of Airmen, officers and civilians in the past year. This year's theme was "A Commitment to Airmen," a term used by Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz in his 2011 Vector.

"Our CSAF said it best," said Col. Koprucu. "Underpinning and embedded in each of our Air Force's contributions to National Security is Command and Control. Airmen are the world's recognized experts in executing effective high-volume command and control of air, space and cyber operations. The men and women of this wing are privileged to have the best jobs in the United States Air Force and to be recognized as the Air Force's experts in training, testing, and tactics development of operational command and control. We deliver command and control combat capability each and every day. Many other nations have air forces, but none have the ability to command and control them like the United States Air Force!"

The following individuals were honored as the 2011 505 CCW Annual Award Winners:

  • Airman of the Year: Airman 1st Class Spencer Barkey, 505th Communications Squadron
  • Noncommissioned Officer of the Year: Staff Sgt. Denise Warren, 84th Radar Evaluations Squadron.
  • Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year: Master Sgt. Gregory Mills, 605th Test and Evaluations Squadron, Det. 2
  • Additional Duty CCF: Tech. Sgt. Kenneth Herazo, 605th Test and Evaluations Squadron, Det 1
  • Company Grade Officer of the Year: Maj Christopher Petek, 505 CCW, Det. 1
  • Field Grade Officer of the Year: Maj. Jayvin Arbore, 505th Training Squadron
  • Civilian Category 2 of the Year: Ms. Jeanie McArthur, 505th Combat Training Squadron
  • Civilian Category 3 of the Year: Ms. Laura Bevans, 505 CCW, Wing Staff
  • Civilian Category 4 of the Year: Mr. Greg Palmertree, 505th Combat Training Squadron
  • Team of the Year: Project Night Owl, 605th Test and Evaluations Squadron, Det. 2