On July 7th of 2007, Gen. Pawlikowski was assigned to the SMC as the Vice Commander. During MilsatMagazine’s opportunity to speak with the Commander of SMC, Lt. Gen. Hamel, Gen. Pawlikowski also made herself available to our publication to give answer some questions as well as give our readers some insight into her U.S. Air Force career and her opportunities with SMC.

MilsatMagazine
General, you have a distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force. Your service started in 1978 with the ROTC Program at New Jersey Institute of Technology and culminated in a PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Would you be kind enough to give our readers insight into the reasons why you decided to enter the military at a time when “gender equality” was a term not usually heard of or considered?

General Pawlikowski
My reasons for entering the Air Force were not influenced by my gender. At the time, it never even occurred to me that there would be a reason why being a woman would prevent me from pursuing a military career—although there were certainly restrictions at the time, much more than there are today, in terms of what jobs I could have. From the time I started in undergraduate studies, I was interested in the advanced technology the Air Force was pursuing.

I had spent some time working in private industry during the summers when I was an undergraduate. I had a strong desire that I would much rather see my technical talents being used in service to my country, and in service to others, than for profit within the private industry. My motivation really was to serve both my country and my fellow citizens. I wanted to use technology for the good of all as opposed to being stove-piped into the profit motivation of a particular company.

My background and the support I had from my family and parents encouraged me to pursue whatever I wanted to do, regardless of whether it was a male-dominated field or not—I could pursue anything, including a military career, without the thought of whether being a woman was something that might be a limitation.

MilsatMagazine
What are the various command positions you’ve held within the U.S. Air Force?

General Pawlikowski
I started my career in charge of the development of gas systems for separating and analyzing gases as part of the U.S. Nuclear Detection System, which was designed for monitoring the Nuclear Test Ban Treaties. From that assignment, I led some of the efforts at the Air Force Research Laboratory to transform the way the Air Force was conducting science and technology programs. This was a leadership role to help guide the way science and technology efforts in the Air Force would be approached.

My first actual program leadership responsibility was when I was in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. I was in charge of a program called the Counterproliferation Program. We had a number of efforts at establishing capabilities for the Department of Defense to protect against weapons of mass destruction, specifically in the area of chemical and biological defense. Moving from there, I was responsible for starting a program called Distributed Mission Training at Wright-Patterson AFB. That effort looked at how to better leverage the advances that had taken place in modeling and simulation to be able to offer realistic training of our flight crews using ground-based simulators. My first large program leadership position was the Airborne Laser Program at Kirtland AFN. That was a very high-tech program for leveraging high-energy lasers for missile defense.

My first “real command” was as the MILSATCOM Systems Wing Commander, which was responsible for five or six major programs providing satellite communication to our war fighters—not just the Air Force, but all of DoD, from Protected Comm Systems such as Milstar, to wideband communication such as Wideband Global SATCOM, to the transformation into the digital era of TSAT.

Today I serve as the Vice Commander of SMC and support General Hamel across the entire spectrum of projects. I’ve enjoyed a variety of different leadership positions, from the beginnings in the Nuclear Detection System all the way up to Military Satellite Communications, spanning some 20 years of my career.

MilsatMagazine
On June 1st in 2005, you were promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. This is a tremendous step for any officer in the U.S. Air Force, and with a family to nurture as well; this must have been an especially proud moment for you. Can you describe your efforts to gain this command rank while balancing gender, family, and duty?

General Pawlikowski
I was honored to be selected for this promotion. Such a small percentage of officers are selected to serve as general officers, and of course, the first step is to become a Brigadier General. I was particularly proud of the fact that I was able to accomplish that promotion, or that recognition in selection, at the same time I was providing a balance between my family and my career. My family is extremely important to me. I have two daughters who, I like to say, are really my two shining stars. That’s because in the overall scheme of things, my contribution to our society is as much in what I leave behind in terms of their ability to contribute as citizens of the country and affect the global world, as much as it is whatever I might accomplish in my Air Force career. Through the years, my husband and I have been mutually supportive of each other in trying to provide that balance between a successful career and service to the country..

There were situations when I made decisions that, at the time, may have been detrimental to my career progression, but were important to my family. For example, when I graduated from Air Command and Staff College in 1990, most of my fellow classmates went to the Air Staff in the Pentagon. That was because it was, perhaps, considered the best experience to obtain when it came to one’s Air Force career. But for my family’s sake, it was more important that my husband and I were be geographically located in the same place. He had already been identified to go to Rome, New York, to Griffith Air Force Base, to return to flying in B-52s. For the sake of my family, I elected to go to Rome Laboratory at Griffith Air Force Base for our family to stay together.

In the end-run, it was a good move. I was able to contribute to the Air Force in a very substantial way, and, at the same time, meet my family’s needs. Later on, we made sacrifices in the other direction, when I was selected to be the Director of the Airborne Laser Program. Every step along the way, my husband and I would make a family decision as to which was the right balance. To be promoted to Brigadier General, while our family remains a tight and cohesive unit, is extremely rewarding. My two daughters at the end of this month complete college with professional degrees so they, too, can contribute to our country.

MilsatMagazine
General, did you have a role model in the Air Force, as far your goals were concerned? We understand General Vaught outlined the difficulties you would face as you entered your Air Force career, and she attended your promotion ceremony. How much influence did General Vaught have on your decision-making process?

General Pawlikowski
General Vaught was one of my early role models. I aspired to be able to accomplish what she had done. General Leslie Kenne, who was the first Air Force female three-star, was also a role model to me, particularly as she was an Acquisition Officer as I. Major General (Retired), Paul Nielsen, my Commander at Rome Lab, is another role model, particularly in the way that he was able to maintain a careful balance between his family and his successful career.

In the case of General Vaught, I learned a good understanding of what I was getting into… I observed the way she progressed and the decisions she made over her career. Generals Kenne and Nielsen provided good advice as to how to pursue situations while maintaining a balance between what you do in your career and your personal life and ambitions as well as what’s important to you in terms of your health and wellbeing.

General Vaught also helped me understand the tough decisions and the sacrifices I was going to have to make and then proceed with my eyes wide open. There were certain decisions I was going to make that were of importance to me, for my family, which might sacrifice my ability to progress in my career.

MilsatMagazine
From June of 1994 through June of 1997, you were assigned to the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Counterproliferation Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. This must have been a challenging position. Was it at this time you developed a taste for the satellite environments? If not, how did you gain the technical knowledge for your future assignments involving MILSATCOM?

General Pawlikowski
The position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense was one of the most challenging and exciting positions I have held. It was an opportunity for me to be able to see the convergence of technical decision-making in a political environment. Many of the activities I was involved in, when it came to counterproliferation, required me to develop an understanding of what we needed to do in terms of protecting ourselves from weapons of mass destruction. There was clearly a need to have a solid technical foundation for decision making. But at the same time, being exposed to how those decisions were formulated in an environment where there were other political and social considerations, was invaluable to me for the rest of my career. I learned how decisions were made in the Pentagon. As I’ve gone forward, I have learned the right decision isn’t always the one that’s the best technical decision because of these other considerations.

I didn’t really receive much exposure to the satellite world there. My first real exposure to the space community was when I was assigned to Space and Missile Systems Center. My years at the Airborne Laser Program were probably the best preparation I could have had, because the technical challenges of putting a high-energy laser into an airplane, as well as pointing and tracking the laser, were similar to the technical challenges we face in putting together satellites.

The type of engineering discipline, the focus on mission assurance, the demand of technical maturity— all of those elements that went into the Airborne Laser Program are similar to the ones that are made here at SMC on space systems. I had to learn quickly once I got here, and with the assistance of the aerospace team members and some support contractors, I got up to speed quickly. They helped me build upon what I had learned when I was part of the Airborne Laser Program.

MilsatMagazine
Of all of these positions, would it be safe to state your current position as the Vice Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base is your most satisfying assignment? If so, why? How did you acquire this post, and what are your duties in relation to Lieutenant General Hamel?

General Pawlikowski
First of all, I’d like to say I never really like to talk about anything as being the most because it seems like that can change pretty quickly. And all of my assignments have been very challenging and satisfying. Almost every assignment I’ve had in the Air Force has shown me that one gets out of an assignment what one puts into it. This current position has been extremely satisfying and rewarding. It’s an exciting mission we have here, with an incredible responsibility when you look at the impact that space systems have on our ability to protect our country and implement our national security strategy.

It can be overwhelming to realize just how important the projects we manage here actually are for our country. From GPS, which is at the heart of our ability to know where we are and where our adversary is located—to MILSATCOM, where our capability of acting quickly and effectively is just as strongly tied to our communication—to our missile defense and missile warning capabilities through SBIRS—all of these missions are at the heart of our nation’s ability to be able to remain secure and safe.

The role General Hamel has provided to me in terms of his empowerment for me to go out and to work with the wing commanders, and with the Headquarters of Air Force Space Command and our counterparts in the Pentagon, has enabled me to be able to make a contribution on a daily basis. Whether that contribution is working with the wing commanders to help them with what they need to get their mission done, or helping interface with Air Force Space Command in framing the way the command is able to do its mission, or working with the Pentagon in understanding that decision-making process, all of that has been very rewarding.

My job is to complete whatever assignments General Hamel delegates to me and to help him complete his mission. It’s been a most satisfying and rewarding assignment, not only because of the importance of what we do, but his confidence in me with empowerment given me to represent him, and to resolve issues for him.
MilsatMagazine
How has your engineering degree assisted you with your understanding of the challenges at SMC?

General Pawlikowski
My engineering training has been an absolutely essential part of who I am and how I approach things. I have a PhD in Chemical Engineering, and many ask, Chemical Engineering, what does that have to do with space systems? I think the important part of it is the discipline that one needs to learn as you go through a PhD program. I had someone tell me when I started my PhD effort that the value of a PhD is not necessarily the technical expertise you develop in a particular area that you’re studying, but your ability to go into a technical area that you know very little about initially, and in a short period of time, make a contribution.

That discipline and the thought process I learned through my technical education I have used repeatedly throughout my career. I used this training when I was involved in counterproliferation and had to learn all about chemical and biological defense for the first time. I used the training when learning all about lasers and optics when I was at ABL. Here at SMC, I used my training as I entered MILSATCOM to learn about communications, satellites, and space in a short period of time. And that has been important to me through my whole career, and even more so here because of the technical nature of what we do.

MilsatMagazine
If possible, please discuss the projects you are currently involved with at SMC within the six wings and three groups that are responsible for everything from GPS to MILSATCOM and space situational awareness. How do you prioritize your responsibilities? Would you please describe these projects and the goals you hope they accomplish?

General Pawlikowski
General Hamel has split his portfolio between myself and the executive director. This methodology allows both of us to be more effective with a focus on a smaller group of elements rather than trying to focus on everything. The element General Hamel has asked me to focus on specifically is SBIRS, and we are working hard towards getting to that first geo satellite launch.

We’ve had some setbacks with a few issues we found late in our integration and test of the flight software. It’s been a major focus for us to get back on track. We think we are making substantial progress in building the satellite, testing it, and driving towards that first launch. SBIRS is an incredibly important program when it comes to our missile defense and missile warning capability. We are trying to help the teams at Lockheed Martin and the SBIRS wing here and this is one of the major focus factors I’m concentrating on.

Our launch capability has been another focus area and involves consummating our activities with United Launch Alliance (ULA) to bring to closure a consolidation of those contracts and successfully bring the ULA contract on board. At the same, time we’ve tried to continue our record of 58 successful national security space launches. Our Satellite Control Network brings the latest set of software updates and antenna modernization efforts into play, as well as ushering in a new era of consolidated architecture for our command and control. Plus, we are looking at additional capabilities such as the Secretary’s focus on new and innovative ways of bringing forward space capabilities.

I spend time making sure we’ve got the facilities and the programs here to take care of the support staff, and to bring the best qualified people, and further their professional development.

MilsatMagazine
What do you see as the most important project at SMC for the next year or so, and why?

General Pawlikowski
In my opinion, it is continuing to institutionalize the back-to-basics approach. We’ve spent a lot of time over the last three years bringing back, and introducing, some good, solid processes, and techniques to ensure mission success. Not just in the sense of making sure that we put capability on orbit, but also our ability to deliver when we say we’re going to and at the cost we stated. We’ve come a long way in renewing our focus on systems engineering discipline. That includes good, solid contracting strategies, and professional program management efforts. We need to continue those efforts to ensure continued mission successes.

MilsatMagazine
This year’s presidential and congressional elections are crucial in regard to defense budgets. Reducing costs could be a call for action from Washington, depending upon who is elected and what committee posts they hold. How can you be effective in helping persuade the authorities of the need for continued support for our defense and space equipment? One example is the DoD Homeland Security alternation of the final decision making processes for GPS. How did that newly instituted procedure affect operations at SMC?

General Pawlikowski
I am not familiar with the GPS issue, so I can’t comment on that. I think the bottom line is our job here is to make sure that we define programs that can be executed and that we formulate them. What we need to do is to bring forward the systems and programs our nation needs. It’s the national decision makers, the Congress and through their purse strings, and the President and Executive Branch, who will decide how we will move forward. We need to guide them as to how we move forward as a country.

MilsatMagazine
Given the last question, General, how do you see the development of GPS and MILSATCOM over the next year or so?

General Pawlikowski
GPS clearly plays a role globally, so GPS needs to continue to be able to provide the capability that we all rely on today. As we look to the future, we must be able to deal with a contested environment. That’s kind of the direction we’re going when we talk about GPS II and GPS III. GPS is going to play an enabling role and critical role. I see us continuing to move forward in that direction—maintaining the capability and gradually improving it as we go forward as we transition from the current set of satellites and the constellation to future ones.

MILSATCOM is going to continue to be a mixture of protected comm, which means satellite communications absolutely have to exist in any environment, whether it’s a jamming environment or a contested environment for operations and for strategic communications. At the same time, we will continue to need communications of a wideband nature, which may be less protected. I see MILSATCOM continuing to provide capability across the spectrum in much the same way as GPS. MILSATCOM will continue to evolve so we can leverage the advancements we have made in digital processing and digital communication to live with the growing need for increasing comm with greater speed and higher capacity.

MilsatMagazine
The pride of those who serve at L.A.F.B. and at SMC is quite evident in contacts our publication enjoys with your command. To what do you attribute this sense of duty and service to our nation including your own?

General Pawlikowski
Everybody that works here has an appreciation of just how important what we do is, not just to our military or our country, but also to the world. I think all of us at SMC take that responsibly very seriously. Moreover, when you look at that, it drives you to have a pride in everything you do. And that pride in what we do is not just because we’re attempting to achieve—it’s because we know how important it is that we do things correctly. None of us wants to deliver a satellite on orbit that doesn’t provide the necessary and critical capabilities. Our attention to detail is present because we recognize just how critically important what we do is to our country.

MilsatMagazine
General, are there other concerns or comments you or your team feel would add value to our readers? Is there anything you’d like to add?

General Pawlikowski
You started out with the question about a time when gender equality was not usually considered—I think I’d like to share some thoughts concerning that subject. In my 26 years on active duty, I don’t think I have ever experienced a situation where my gender impacted my ability to do my job and to contribute. I know there are challenges and the world is not perfect, but in the overall construct of how the Air Force treats all our airmen, I think it is one of the most open and equal-opportunity institutions I’ve been exposed to throughout the years. I’ve had experiences, not related to the Air Force, where such is not the case. I think that’s evident as you look today at the number of women that are in leadership roles throughout the Air Force. I believe this is something the Air Force doesn’t receive as much credit for as it deserves—this is what makes it such a positive experience for me, and hopefully for others who follow.

MilsatMagazine
Thank you, General, and we wish much continued success with your career and thank you for your service to all of us.