ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  

The Support Equipment and Vehicles Modernization Division of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center recently held its inaugural Modernization and Innovation Summit at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.

The three-day event, Aug. 23-25, was an opportunity for Team Robins members and industry leaders to discuss next generation combat capabilities.

“Technology is advancing rapidly, threats around the globe are emerging, and the Air Force is moving to modern warfare planning and posture,” said Tahrea Grant, AFLCMC SE&V Chief engineer. “Support Equipment and Vehicles will be key to the Air Force in the landscape of modern warfare.”

The SE&V division supports a wide variety of items including Munitions Material Handling Equipment, propulsion equipment, Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources, life support systems, and a range of vehicles from common passenger vans to Mine Resistant Ambush Protected special combat vehicles.

“The modernization summit provided open dialogue with industry, sharing of ideas and technology, and ultimately better prepared the Agile Combat Support Directorate to develop and procure the Support Equipment and Vehicles of the future to support the future fight and needs of the warfighter,” Grant said.

The SE&V Division is under the AFLCMC Agile Combat Support Directorate.

They provide materiel solutions and acquisition life cycle management for simulators, support equipment and vehicles, electronic warfare and avionics, human systems, automatic test systems, and metrology and calibration to meet Air Force operational needs.

Lt. Col. Jon Van Nostrand, AFLCMC SE&V Aircraft Generation Branch materiel leader, said the venue allowed for the program office, field users and industry partners to gain common understanding of challenges and provide opportunities for collaboration. 

“By hosting hardware demonstrations, the event allowed hands-on interaction for technologies in prototype or production,” said Van Nostrand. “All of this comes together to ensure the best trajectory for the United States Air Force to equip the field with a more capable and agile approach to combat employment.”

The directorate consists of more than 1,600 military and civilian personnel who are responsible for executing $8.2 billion annually in Air Force funds to obtain equipment.

“It is no secret that Air Force support equipment is getting older,” said Megan Green, AFLCMC SE&V Data Analytics lead. “SE&V wants to address that issue and push our platforms into the 21st century or even 22nd.

“The summit brought together multiple Air Force directorates to provide industry with the path forward regarding our requirements and ever-changing mission,” she continued. “In turn, the Air Force knows what technology advancements are readily available commercially and we can discuss adaptations to get them from a warehouse into the warfighter’s hands.”