NASIC set to welcome new commander June 2

Col. Ariel Batungbacal will take command
FILE

FILE

The National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will welcome a new commander next week.

Col. Ariel Batungbacal will assume command of NASIC June 2, the center said in a release late Thursday. The change of command ceremony will take place in the National Museum of the United States Air Force at 10 am June 2.

Batungbacal most recently served as the commander of the Air and Cyberspace Intelligence Group at NASIC.

Relinquishing command will be Col. Maurizio Calabrese, who was recently confirmed for promotion to brigadier general. His next assignment has not been announced.

Col. Maurizio Calabrese, National Air and Space Intelligence Center commander, greets U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. upon his arrival to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dec. 3, 2020. (U.S. Air Force photo by Wesley Farnsworth)

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Lt. Gen. Mary O’Brien, deputy chief of staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber Effects Operations, will preside over the ceremony.

The National Space Intelligence Center will begin operations at NASIC in coming weeks. The new center will borrow two squadrons from NASIC.

Based at Wright-Patterson, NASIC is the Department of Defense’s primary source for foreign air and space threat analysis. NASIC is the Air Force’s service intelligence center, the nation’s air and space intelligence center and an operational wing in the Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance work.

Elsewhere on Wright-Patterson, the Air Force recently announced the assignments of two senior executives.

Lorna Estep has been assigned to serve as executive director at the headquarters of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) at Wright-Patterson, the Air Force said.

Estep will be moving from Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, AFMC, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.

And Gaurav Sharma has been named chief scientist at the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson. Sharm’s previous position was senior scientist, cognitive neuroscience, also at the 711th Human Performance Wing, which is part of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

Like AFMC, AFRL is based at Wright-Patterson.

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