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Kathryn Aitkenhead |
The Ramstein Perspective
Kathryn Aitkenhead
August 2005
After spending a good portion of her childhood living abroad, MITRE's
Kathryn Aitkenhead was eager to tackle a European assignment three
years ago. She had just completed her Masters' degree in Systems
Engineering at the University of Virginia when she applied for a
position at Ramstein Air Base in Germany where she is using her
expertise to support the Headquarters United States Air Forces in
Europe (HQ USAFE).
A versatile systems engineer, Aitkenhead began her MITRE career
at the Center for Enterprise Modernization (CEM), helping the IRS
to design and implement an enterprise-wide risk management program.
She then moved on to the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development
(CAASD), where she provided support to the Egyptian Civil Aviation
Authority.
She continues to work on aviation issues today. Much of Aitkenhead's
support to HQ USAFE focuses on developing strategies for ensuring
unfettered access to en route, terminal, and training airspace for
the U.S. Air Force. The increasing air traffic congestion in the
skies over Europe has resulted in new procedures and regulations,
which the U.S. military has had to learn.
Aitkenhead explains, "We work very closely with our government
sponsor to ensure that they are kept abreast of the latest communication,
navigation, surveillance and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) and
airspace issues throughout Europe. We've helped them to secure waivers
for non-compliant aircraft to ensure that those aircraft were not
denied service during critical humanitarian operations. We've also
strongly advocated the need to put the appropriate equipment on
the various aircraft so that waivers wouldn't be necessary."
She adds, "A MITRE colleague and I share an office with a Titan
contractor and our civil service Branch Chief. This on-site arrangement
heavily dictates the type of work that we provide to the sponsor.
While we do a great deal of "strategic" work for the client (work
that is not typically provided in-house or by other contractors),
we sometimes get tasked with more tactical, quick-turnaround projects."
"My favorite projects have been defining U.S. military airspace
requirements in the European theater and drafting USAFE's Single
European Sky strategy," she continues. "The former was a first-of-its-kind
project that resulted in some serious sponsor visibility and was
presented at NATO, EUROCONTROL (Europe's air traffic management
agency), and the first Civil Military Traffic Management Conference."
Not surprisingly, Aitkenhead's previous experiences living abroad
(her dad was in the military) and her 20 plus years speaking French
have been a big bonus. "My fluency in French has served me very
well for the work I conduct at EUROCONTROL and NATO in Brussels,
Belgium," she says. "While most meetings are conducted in English,
the ability to converse in French has opened a lot of doors for
me."
Aitkenhead has thoroughly enjoyed the past three years living overseas.
"On a local level, I really appreciate the more relaxed approach
to life in Germany. Dining out is a social event, there are tons
of great trails for walking and cycling, and there are plenty of
fests and markets throughout the year in the little villages that
surround the Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC). Plus, the
proximity for traveling to places throughout Europe has been fantastic,"
she adds.
When asked to describe some of her more interesting experiences
at Ramstein, Aitkenhead replies, "The traveling has been a big benefit.
I've been to Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Ukraine, as well
as a number of other places. Aside from that, I'd have to say that
I've really enjoyed the plethora of famous folks who've visited
and been willing to provide moral support to the troops here in
the KMC. Among others, I've had the opportunity to see Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Robin Williams. More recently, the First Lady stopped by to
address a very large crowd here at Ramstein. That was pretty fantastic."
—by Kay M. Upham
MITRE's Ramstein AB site
Located approximately 80 miles from Frankfurt, Germany, Ramstein
Air Base is part of the Kaiserslautern Military Community. Established
in the early 1970s, MITRE Ramstein has a six-person staff which
supports three United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) sponsors:
HQ USAFE/A2, HQ USAFE/A3, and the 32nd Air Operations Group (32AOG).
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