Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the likely home for the Air Force’s new Information Dominance Systems Center, which will be responsible for procuring battle management systems, cyber and electronic weapons, and more.
The Air Force identified Hanscom as the sole candidate location to host the new center on Nov. 15, and a final basing decision is expected before the end of the year.
Around 136 positions are expected to come with the center, which was first announced in February as part of the Department of the Air Force’s “re-optimization” for Great Power Competition. The center will fall under Air Force Materiel Command, the service’s main acquisition arm—officials say creating a center focused on information systems will put more focus on procuring systems for a crucial capability that is often forgotten or given less emphasis.
In April, AFMC announced that the Information Dominance Systems Center would be commanded by the program executive officer (PEO) for command, control, and communications/battle management. Maj. Gen. Luke C.G. Cropsey is the current and, so far, only officer to hold that position. In a Nov. 15 release, the Air Force specified that command of the Information Dominance Systems Center will be a three-star position.
Hanscom’s selection to host the new center is hardly surprising—the base already hosts Cropsey’s C3/BM program office, as well as the program offices for Cyber & Networks and Electronic Systems, both of which will transition from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center to the Information Dominance Systems Center.
The only program office that will fall under the new center but not be located at Hanscom is PEO Business Enterprise Systems, which is spread across Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.; Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Air Force leaders indicated in February that they wanted to limit the extra time and financial burdens that can come from setting up new organizations.
“We’re going to minimize people having to move and we’re going to try to minimize costs, but we’ve got to move out pretty quickly on all those as well,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said.
Putting the Information Dominance Systems Center at Hanscom would seem to fit that goal, and officials say they hope to stand up the center by mid- to late-2025.
When that happens, it will become Air Force Materiel Command’s seventh center, along with:
- Air Force Research Laboratory
- Air Force Test Center
- Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (becoming Air Dominance Systems Center)
- Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (becoming Nuclear Systems Center)
- Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center
- Air Force Sustainment Center