CERDEC Director Outlines New ACOM's Plans

Patrick O'Neill, director of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC), spoke at the chapter's September luncheon about the organization's priorities. He emphasized both the importance of command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities to enable and protect warfighters and the vital role industry can play in sustaining and supporting in-theater equipment. O'Neill also presented information on the newly formed U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC), the fourth major Army command (ACOM). The ACOM, established in July, will include three subdivisions: Futures and Concepts, Combat Development, and Combat Systems. It also will focus on the Army's six modernization priorities, including long-range precision fires; next-generation combat vehicles; future vertical lift; network and command, control, communications and intelligence (C3I); air and missile defense; and soldier lethality. Cross-functional teams for the AFC also will tackle assured positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) and the synthetic training environment. O'Neill fielded many questions and concerns about the AFC and its effect on the current environment, and he reassured the crowd that the mission at Maryland's Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) will not change. O'Neill said both he and Maj. Gen. Randy Taylor, USA, commanding general, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, and senior commander, APG, are confident that this new division will lead to more jobs at Aberdeen. The September luncheon also included a small-business presentation from Mary Jane Jernigan of Adams Communication & Engineering Technology (ACET).

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