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Federal Computer Week honors Air Force Colonel

  • Published
  • By Jeremy Webster
  • AFSOC Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Federal Computer Week picked Air Force Special Operations Command's top communications leader, as one of its Federal Top 100 Executives for 2008. 

Col. Anthony W. Faughn, director of communications for Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, was recognized by Federal Computer Week magazine March 25 at a black-tie gala in McLean, Va., for his contributions to the communications community. 

"I am thrilled and humbled to be selected," he said. "I was fortunate to lead talented, motivated Airmen. This is a team award and I'm honored to accept the award on their behalf." 

Colonel Faughn and his communications team coordinated the development of the commander's "dashboard" when he was stationed with Air Force Central Command. The Internet tool was created to provide real-time situational awareness and secure networking by bringing important information from many sources to one page on the commander's computer screen. 

When Colonel Faughn arrived at AFSOC in 2008, he improved communication to the war fighter by enhancing the network's capability for the unmanned aerial system; videos from UAV's can be viewed immediately from remote locations. This system provided real-time situational awareness to the teams on the ground. 

"We have not only expanded the capability, but we built the redundancy that was missing. [Now] we can have uninterrupted 24/7, 365-day operations," said the colonel. 

Colonel Faughn and his communications team are also credited with increasing the morale of deployed Airmen and their families. Using on-hand wireless internet technology, he established kiosks in Qatar and United Arab Emirates where Airmen can use their personal laptops as if they were at home. 

"A commercial Internet provider gives Airmen wireless capabilities," said Colonel Faughn. "This allows Airmen to have increased access to Facebook, MySpace and personal e-mail. This was a morale booster for our Airmen."