The U.S. Air Force’s Pacific Air Forces, or PACAF, have hosted Pacific Iron and several other exercises and events this spring and summer to test and confirm the ideal solutions needed and constructs in which to conduct an agile, known combat job. under the name of ACE. And while the PACAF chief is not yet quite ready to declare that Main Command has reached Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for ACE, officials are revamping his draft employment concept to improve ACE deployment and identified key software capabilities. Needs.
Just a Power Point idea five years ago, ACE has proven to be a valid and fundamental method in response to near-pear threats in a contested environment. PACAF uses a hub-and-spoke approach to dynamically project air power and forces rapidly across the Indo-Pacific, drawing on partner nation aerodromes and facilities. The senior service command in the MoD’s priority geographic area, however, found that it needed additional digital tools that provide command and control, visualization, situational awareness and communications while he pursues ACE in the widely dispersed area of responsibility.
“In the past five years we’ve now really expanded the ACE envelope and that’s one thing, and it’s one thing we can do,” said Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, USAF, commander, PACAF.
“We had a conception of employment [CON-EM] which was written a few months before making PACIRON [Pacific Iron], which specifically details how we expect Expeditionary Squadrons and Expeditionary Wings to perform this hub and spoke model. And we’ll probably have to rewrite the whole CON-EM because of all the lessons learned that we learned during the exercise, which is a good thing and why you are doing exercises to learn.
During the ACE validation exercises, PACAF successfully relied on a force projection software tool that provides facility reporting, planning, force generation, emergency management and oversight and execution of command and control. The service’s Kessel Run software factory created C2IMERA, the emergency response application for command and control incident management, and the service plans to use it at all Air Combat Command facilities. to increase awareness, facility collaboration and reporting.
“We used [several] software tools, and C2RIMERA was fantastic at sharing hub and shelf conditions as the exercise went on, ”General Wilsbach said. “There were a number of other software tools that we were using to basically display a visual of the bases, a combined operational image so that the air operations center in Hawaii could have a situational awareness of what was going on in the areas. different hubs and spokes, and this gave the Expeditionary Wing’s operations centers information on their planes’ whereabouts and status.
During Pacific Iron, the Expeditionary Wings operated from multiple locations, with hubs having up to five spokes supporting a total of around 50 or more aircraft. Software tools are needed to manage movement between hubs and spokes, with additional solutions to help managers see and determine aircraft condition, repairs, and fuel requirements. “All of this requires visualization tools,” said the PACAF commander.
“In addition to these [visualization tools], the other thing I’m asking is that the tools have to work when you’re online and offline, ”he said. “I have to have software that will work when there is no cell coverage and there is no Wi-Fi, and obviously we have a lot more networks than that to manage, but the capacity out. line must be there. “
Another key capability sought by Commander PACAF is a self-healing mesh network. “The other thing I want is a self-healing MESH network,” General Wilsbach said. “I don’t want our employees to worry about whether the network is on or off. It just needs to be available to them and because it’s MESH it would have multiple nodes. I don’t want operators to worry about how to get the network back, the network has to figure it out for itself. This is probably the biggest software tool I ask for when it comes to ACE.
The major command chief is also looking for broader artificial intelligence-based software tools to aid in the command and control of Pacific air power during a potential conflict. He sees these artificial intelligence resources as a way “primarily to help me find and pursue targets, and then once we hit those targets, assess combat damage,” he noted. “These artificial intelligence tools exist in other sectors, but I don’t quite have them yet. These are two [solutions] that I ask.
In addition, the leader is eagerly awaiting the evolution of the capabilities of Mobile Ground Target Indicator (GMTI) satellites which will allow the Main Command to operate small radar satellites to track mobile ground targets. “Space GMTI…. I’m very interested in that,” Gen. Wilsbach said. “One thing that would provide is a high degree of ISR, but it also helps us with command and control.”
The commander spoke to the media at the Air Force Association’s annual conference on Tuesday.
