 |
Dick Fox |
In Pursuit of Cross-Service Interoperability
Dick Fox
October 2007
Airborne artillery jumpmaster, computer science instructor at West
Point, information technology (IT) consultant in the private sector—these
are just some of the jobs listed on Dick Fox's resume. Fortunately
for MITRE, Fox's unique blend of IT expertise coupled with his 20-year
military career give him an ideal background for his current work
at MITRE's Norfolk, Virginia, site supporting the Joint Forces Command
(JFCOM) in its pursuit of true "cross-service" interoperability.
Fox, an information systems engineer, first came to MITRE in 2002
to work at Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB) in Massachusetts as the
Electronic Systems Center (ESC) deputy chief architect. His job
involved coordinating the selection of standards across Air Force
programs and synchronizing the migration to that standard. Three
years later, when the Air Force wanted to expand its presence at
the new JFCOM in Norfolk, they asked Fox if he would represent the
ESC there. After a quick consult with his family, Fox agreed.
Promoting Integration across the Services
Established in 1999 and headquartered in Norfolk, the JFCOM is
responsible for promoting integrated warfighting capabilities and
establishing a "coherently integrated joint force." While his previous
experience at Hanscom focused on coordinating the integration of
Air Force programs, Fox's new position has a broader mission—improving
cross-service integration and interoperability.
MITRE's Norfolk, Virginia, site
Established in 1981, the MITRE site in Norfolk, Virginia,
has more than 30 staff supporting a broad range of initiatives
for the Department of Defense and the Joint Forces Command
(JFCOM). |
|
| |
He explains, "In my job as a liaison officer, I represent ESC and
the Air Force for multiple venues. I identify JFCOM jobs where we
can leverage both past engineering success and the engineering knowledge
base at Hanscom to help JFCOM raise its engineering standard more
quickly and economically. I also identify where JFCOM is heading
and keep ESC and the Air Force in synch with future joint warfighting
techniques and processes."
Being co-located at JFCOM headquarters is a definite plus from
Fox's perspective. "Since I work with many different staff groups
on a daily basis, I hear about problems when they come up—not
after JFCOM has spent days or weeks preparing a staffing action
to request help," he says. "I often call back to ESC and MITRE and
identify similar issues and quickly apply what we've already learned
to the problem. I think the staff here appreciates the ability to
leverage Air Force and MITRE success without flailing around trying
to figure out how to frame the questions."
Fox is also quick to point out the benefits of MITRE's corporate
knowledge and resources. "For me, the best thing about MITRE is
the incredible talent and the willingness to share the corporate
experience to help solve any customer problem," he adds. "I know
that I can find a MITRE engineer who has worked a similar problem
and use that knowledge to find a solution."
Norfolk Amenities
Having made many trips to Langley (located across the river
from Norfolk) in his first few years at MITRE, Fox had no qualms
about relocating to Norfolk in 2005. "As a retired military member,
Norfolk is a great place to live because there are major Air Force,
Army, Navy, and Marine installations, with all of the support structure
each provides," he explains "Plus, while I love snow skiing, I'm
happy to be done driving on Route 128 in rush hour in the snow!
I remember taking a trip to Langley before I was asked to move here
when they got about three inches of snow in the morning and everything
closed down. By the time I walked back from dinner across from my
motel, all of the snow had melted. And I thought then that I really
liked it here."
In lieu of snow skiing, Fox now participates in a number of warm-weather
sports including golfing, cycling, and various water sports. "My
wife and I go kayaking from the dock in our back yard and power
boating in the bay," adds Fox. "In addition, I belong to a golfing
league, fly miniature helicopters, and provide lots of manual labor
to back up my wife's landscaping of our beautiful yard."
Fox also reserves a portion of his non-work time to share his IT
expertise with the community. "Part of my civic payback is teaching
computer classes at my local library. I have a standard four-session
evening class where I start with how to use a mouse and end up with
the students able to browse the Web for travel or information, share
digital photos, and exchange emails with attachments."
Having been in Norfolk a couple of years now, Fox has no regrets
about relocating. "The weather is so great in Norfolk that I get
to ride my motorcycle to work almost every day," he says. His job
satisfaction is apparent as well. "The Joint Forces Command is almost
the epicenter of new thinking about true 'cross-service' interoperability—it
is really an exciting place to be working right now."
—by Kay M. Upham
Related Information
Articles and News
Technical Papers and Presentations
Websites
|
