LINCOLN, Mass. -- Joseph F. Bradley, a Senior Executive Service member and deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Information Dominance Programs, was the featured speaker at the Hanscom Representatives Association’s Summer Speaker Series July 24.
Bradley discussed the role of the program element monitor; the planning, programming, budgeting, and execution processes; and explained how the program executive offices, the Department of the Air Force, and Congress interact.
“PEMs need to be an advocate and also an honest broker,” said Bradley. “They need to be the smartest people in Washington and communicate why the program is important to the overall picture.”
Bradley is responsible for the planning and programming of all acquisition and modernization activities for Air Force command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or C4ISR programs.
His portfolio includes managing the costs and strategic direction of all programs associated with Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, and ensuring changes in one component in the Air Force do not negatively impact others.
“There are various systems that fight together in the theater and each program cannot operate as a siloed entity,” Bradley said. “There are dependencies on each other in terms of technical and operational capability that often times have to be synchronized.”
Bradley explained his office’s mission is to provide guidance and ensure that fielded systems are operationally effective, cost-efficient, and beneficial to the warfighter. This requires both collaboration and advocacy.
“You need to lay down capability and how it works and how much it costs,” Bradley said. “You need to consider what will my program do to help the warfighter. You need to understand what it means from a warfighter perspective.”
Bradley champions acquisition strategies for net-centric operations and information warfare programs.
In his role, he advises the Secretary of the Air Force on combat C4ISR systems and architectures, coordinating with the Air Staff, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Congress.
“We manage a lot of the costs associated with the programs,” said Bradley. “I’ve got a portfolio of about 78 programs valued at $45 billion. My job is to do two things, one is to be truthful to Congress, and two, is to make sure the money and the capabilities continue to flow.”
Bradley has held numerous senior engineering and program management roles in acquisition, sustainment, cybersecurity, science and technology organizations supporting the Air Force.
He previously served at Hanscom AFB and remains connected to the installation through relationships with program executive officers and advocacy for Airmen.
More information about HRA can be found at hanscom-reps.org.