march 2011 NEWSLETTER - Chapter - Society of American Military ...

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march 2011 NEWSLETTER 12 One of the general’s priorities is to ensure cyber operations are integrated into our daily lives and cyber ops planning is treated with the same importance as the work done in space operations. In the past, cyber was viewed as a commodity - computers, telephone lines, wireless connections, he said. “We’ll put the same rigor, the same discipline, the same operational processes into the cyber business that we’ve got in the airplane business,” he said. “We will make, I hope, leaps and bounds in bringing this business along.” It won’t be without challenges, General Shelton said. The No. 1 issue facing the command, and the Air Force, is the Department of Defense budget. Even if the DoD budget remains flat in the coming year, the cost of health care is rising, thereby squeezing the money left for other programs, he said. “There is just ...no more money to apply to programs,” he said. “The challenge to all of you is to help us find ways, to be more efficient. If there is one thing that drives me crazy it’s Gen. William L. Shelton, Air Force Space Command commander, had lunch with 20 Airmen from the 21st Space Wing at the Aragon Dining Facility Feb. 11 on Peterson AFB. General Shelton, who took command of AFSPC Jan. 5, visited the 21st SW, including stops at the 16th and 76th Space Control Squadrons. General Shelton hosted a commander’s call in the base auditorium where he discussed his priorities and expectation, and answered questions from Airmen. (U.S. Air Force photo/Duncan Wood) doing things just to be doing them.” PAGE AFSPC, like the rest of the Air Force, will reduce the number of officers in the coming year through the 2011 Force Shaping Board. Force reduction will not be pleasant and the cuts will vary across career fields, but it is necessary. Currently, any overmanned positions are paid for from the operations and maintenance budget, he said. “These are not things, please understand, that the Chief and the Secretary of the Air Force wanted to do,” General Shelton said. “They agonized over these decisions.” Budget issues and multiple deployments add stress to the job and General Shelton said he wants to ensure that Airmen are taking care of each other so that stress does not manifest in suicide. This year, AFSPC will provide training to first level supervisors, who set the tone, enforce standards and decide whether someone will move forward or out. “We will do everything we can to provide education and training for first level supervisors,” General Shelton said. “Because, it is the right thing to do for each and every one of our people.” Part of enforcing Air Force standards means enforcing the law, General Shelton said. He spoke candidly to Airmen about the December 2010 Congressional repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and said that no matter what an Airman’s position on the issue he expects them to enforce and uphold the new law. “We are a nation of laws; we are a military of laws,” he said. “We enforced the old law, and we will enforce the new law and we will lead our way through this.” Although there will be tough budget issues and stress in the coming year, there still is much to be excited about, General Shelton said. And, the 21st Space Wing is integral to the command’s growth. “I really do think this command is on the verge of some real breakthroughs,” he said. “Over my time in AFSPC, I’ve seen the tactical relevance of what we do in this command go up exponentially. It’s just been incredible, the things that have been done in a few short years.”
march 2011 NEWSLETTER 13 VA to Verify Vet-Owned Small Businesses The Department of Veterans announced Monday its intention to begin requiring veteran-owned small businesses to verify their vet-owned status to gain priority for certain VA contracts and maintain their eligibility for exclusive setaside contracts. More than 13,000 veteran-owned businesses were contacted by e-mail in December to notify them of the requirement. The businesses have 90 days from the date of notification to provide specific business documentation to confirm their status. “VA is committed to doing business with as well as supporting and protecting veteran-owned small businesses,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki in a VA press release. “Although the verification process may initially be a challenge to some small business owners and to VA, it’s a necessary step to eliminate misrepresentation by firms trying to receive contracts that should go to service-disabled and other veteran-owned vendors.” The expanded verification process was among the requirements set forth in the Veterans Benefits Act of 2010, which was signed by President Barack Obama in October. Companies seeking preference for VA contracts must provide the required documentation to be listed in the VA’s VetBiz.gov “Vendor Information Pages” (VIP) database. According to the VA press release, priority processing will be given to those veteran-owned firms that are in line to receive a set-aside contract from VA, those that already conduct business with VA and those that have already filed an application for verification. SMALL BUSINESS CORNER The SAME Small Business Committee l is committed to keeping SAME Members informed with the most up–to–date information from the world of small business. The Committee regularly communicates updates to help you stay ahead of the latest trends and take advantage of current developments in growth and partnerships. Our long term goal with our Small Business Committee, is to work hard to enhance relationships to achieve the mission at hand, and provide for greater partnering within our Post. And, on another note, if you would like to be our Small Business Spotlight, during one of our monthly meetings, please contact Amanda Clark at amandaclark@cooverclark.com. PAGE You can read the press release in its entirety at the VA website at http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2028 ICS-200 (DHS-103-RESP) 5—6 April Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Registration is now open on the UASI website www.denver-uasi.com . For questions contact: Tom Witowski Training Program Administrator (First Responder) Denver Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) 1437 Bannock St, Room #3a, Denver, CO FELLOWS The Academy of Fellows, organized in 1995, brings together all Fellows to further SAME’s missions and goals, and to take a lead role in support of the SAME mentoring programs. As a Fellow, members are expected to be actively involved in providing support, assistance and guidance to future engineers. The Academy now numbers more than 600 Fellows.
Page 1 and 2: march 2011 NEWSLETTER THE SOCIETY O
Page 3 and 4: APRIL, 2011 Pikes Peak Post Members
Page 5 and 6: march 2011 NEWSLETTER 5 SAVE THE DA
Page 8 and 9: march 2011 NEWSLETTER 8 INSTALLATIO
Page 10 and 11: march 2011 NEWSLETTER 10 And while
Page 14 and 15: SAME PPP Recognizes the Graduating
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Page 18 and 19: march 2011 NEWSLETTER 18 Additional
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march 2011 NEWSLETTER - Chapter - Society of American Military ...

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