AU command chief speaks to Montgomery Young Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Chapter (AFCEA) Published Dec. 17, 2015 By John Coyle 42nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The Air University command chief spoke to young information technology professionals recently about how human capital management can play a productive role in the IT realms. Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Horn spoke to members of the Montgomery chapter of the Young Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, or Young AFCEA, at its Business Over Breakfast Forum, Dec. 10, 2015. The chapter consists of government and industry AFCEA members aged 40 or younger whose mission is to support the Montgomery AFCEA Chapter and promote synergy among those in the developmental stages of their careers. They host career development events, community activities, socials, as well as provide support to chapter events and programs. Horn said he considered and selected his topic based on his communications background, but while not focusing specifically on technology, he wanted to stress that human capital management is about people: recruiting, motivation, talent, pay structures, promotion and everything that is done in the employment of people. A basic definition of human capital management, he said, is an approach to employee staffing that perceives people as assets, whose current value can be measured, and whose future value can be enhanced through investment. Horn said it might sound kind of "cold" toward people, but it can help frame the value that they bring to the organization. Horn added that the government's Office of Personnel Management describes the human capital framework as having five areas: strategic alignment; leadership and knowledge management; results oriented performance culture; talent management; and accountability. Air University had a key part in the development of the 2015 Air Force Strategic Master Plan by writing the original draft of the plan's Human Capital Annex, the chief said. While at the same time Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter was formulating the Force of the Future, there were many who thought that the focus of those ideas would be on technology, but, in fact, it is really about people and reinventing capital management. Even more recently, he said, he has participated in a headquarters Air Force level working group to further develop and ensure that the Human Capital Annex continues to dovetail properly with the Force of the Future and other Air Force and Department of Defense strategic documents. Horn stated that he wanted to "connect the dots between current efforts and emerging trends in IT and cyber in civil society." He cited a remark made by the president about five years ago that "the great irony of our information age is the same technology that empowers us to create and build also empowers those who would disrupt and destroy." Some of the specific examples of threats that exist in the cyber world today, he said, are the distributed denial of service attack in Estonia in 2007; China's digital espionage capabilities; Internet fraud as a national security issue; and the targeting of financial systems and government information. What is important to know, warned Horn, is that these threats are growing, but our human capital processes are struggling. The CIA Clandestine Information Technology office has indicated that there are about 1,000 security personnel in the U.S. who have the specialized skills necessary to operate effectively in cyberspace, but 10,000-30,000 are needed. Stressing the government's need for more cyber experts, Horn quoted a recent editorial in The Atlantic: "The Pentagon worries its rigid personnel system is driving away the officers it will needed for conflict in the 21st century." He further stated in regard to Carter "that his entire background is steeped in technology and policy, but at the end of the day, for us to be successful, it's going to come down to people." In reinforcing the seriousness of the situation regarding cyber and information technology, Horn also referred to a statement made by the AU commander, Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, who has said that "we were built on an industrial age model, and we have a need to adapt to meet the demands we currently face." From a historical background, Horn said that perhaps the last significant change to the Air Force's personnel system came in the 1970s after Vietnam. "We went to an all-volunteer force. New systems were put in place to transition the management of personnel, but by the 1980s those programs were already becoming antiquated," he said. "The fact that we can recognize a similarity in our personnel programs of today illustrates there is a lack of agility in the modernization of what we are currently using." In his study and observation of civilian companies, such as Google, he noted that they do not call it "capital management" but "people operations." Some of that company's features include: 360-degree feedback to include peers and colleagues; determining the best skill sets for loyal employees; placing tremendous energy in the hiring process; and wholehearted belief in "family size" teams (4-6 people). After posing the rhetorical question, "What would you do if you were going to change human capital management in information technology?" Horn closed with three points for the Young AFCEA members. "One, don't let human resource software drive your strategy, which means you have to guard against letting the system deciding how you will manage," he said. "Two, there is tremendous value in certification, but that value is finite. You must understand what the limits are and what they measure so you ensure they are applicable and not wasting money. Three, a quote that comes from Dr. Matthew Stafford, AU chief academic officer says, "people will do what they perceive is in their best interests," so look at your human resource program with strategy in mind. What behaviors would you like to encourage?"