New PM Mission Command aligns capabilities to support Force 2025

By Kathryn Bailey, PM Mission CommandJune 5, 2014

PM MC Change of Charter-Merger with JBC-P
Brig. Gen. Daniel P. Hughes (center), program executive officer for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) facilitates the Project Manager Mission Command (PM MC) assumption of charter from outgoing project manager Col. Jonas Vogelhu... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (June 4, 2014) -- Col. Michael Thurston assumed the charter for Project Manager Mission Command (PM MC) from Col. Jonas Vogelhut on May 30 in a ceremony that also marked the beginning of an enhanced PM MC.

PM MC now also includes Thurston's previously assigned organization, the former PM Joint Battlefield Command-Platform (JBC-P), in order to deliver intuitive, adaptive mission command and situational awareness capabilities for both the command post and platform.

"By mixing the expertise of both PM JBC-P and PM MC, we are creating a renewed energy that will spark integrated ideas," said Brig. Gen. Daniel P. Hughes, program executive officer for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T). "This merger puts us on the path to deliver networked mission command solutions to support a mobile and agile Force 2025."

Each product office has delivered state-of-the-art capabilities that are enhancing situational awareness to the commander and staff. PM MC's software applications have provided capabilities in the areas of maneuver, fires, air space and logistics to bring a cohesive common operating picture to the command post leader, while JBC-P's mounted mission command capabilities have provided friendly force and enemy tracking and messaging from inside tactical vehicles.

Together, they will bring greater commonality and simplicity to the maps, messaging and applications that Soldiers use across all of these environments.

"By combining these organizations, PEO C3T is breaking down the barriers between the mounted and command post capabilities and accelerating the transition to a unified tactical computing environment," Hughes said.

Retiring after 25 years of service to the Army, Vogelhut departs after successfully leading PM MC's role in the Command Post Computing Environment (CP CE) effort, which translates mission command capabilities into web-based applications to enhance and simplify the systems Soldiers require for their missions.

Vogelhut held several Acquisition Corps positions prior to his PM assignment, including his role as Department of the Army Systems Coordinator for Joint and Army Battle Command Systems; Joint Product Manager, Reconnaissance and Platform Integration; and Operations Officer for PEO Intelligence, Electronic Warfare, and Sensors.

He also deployed to Iraq as the Assistant Program Manager, Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2), the program that evolved into JBC-P.

"I am pleased that my old organization is merging with the larger mission command family," Vogelhut said. "I have faith that Col. Thurston and his team will take this organization forward to meet Army objectives."

Vogelhut thanked his peers for making this job fun and exciting.

"We created a vision, delivered a message, accomplished our objectives and received investments that will support the Mission Command team for the rest of the decade," he said.

Prior to leading JBC-P, Thurston held numerous positions in the Acquisition Corps including program management jobs in the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) and Warfighter Information System-Tactical (WIN-T) programs and on the Army staff at the office of the Army Chief Information Officer-G-6.

"This is a historic day in our Army Acquisition Corps, for PEO C3T and for the men and women, past and present, who have shaped these two renowned organizations," Thurston said. "Our new organization provides greater opportunities for both system development and the commander's mission execution to be more effective, agile and decisive."

Thurston will guide both the CP CE and Mounted Computing Environment (MCE), both of which feed into the Army's initiative to implement a Common Operating Environment (COE) that facilitates interoperable systems across the entire Army.

Hughes thanked Vogelhut, Thurston and their respective families for their dedicated support to Soldiers, and urged the combined workforce to push forward as one, dynamic organization.

"We must all stand together to prepare for the Army's Force 2025," Hughes said. "The strength of our Army is the team we have in this room today."

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