A New Way to Target | Key Takeaway in Pacific ABMS Demo

Oct. 28, 2020

Edited by Amy McCullough with Brian W. Everstine and John A. Tirpak

CSAF Gen Brown lays out his vision for AU

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. speaks with senior leadership and Air University faculty Aug. 26, 2020. Air Force photograph by Melanie Rodgers Cox.

Brown: JADC2 Means DOD Must Rethink How it Targets, Oversees Combat Operations

By Brian W. Everstine

The military needs to rethink the way it develops and approves strikes in combat and possibly restructure component commands as the Air Force-led joint all-domain command and control effort takes root, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. The Advanced Battle Management System demonstrations this year, in which dozens of aircraft and sensors feed into a cloud-based picture of a battlefield, shows that the established way of selecting targets and fires is too slow and cumbersome to be effective in the future. Under current doctrine, a Joint Targeting Coordination Board comprised of several leaders, including external agencies, multinational partners, and subject matter experts from various specialties, develops targeting priorities. But if the military can bring together its sensor and shooter information instantaneously, “We’re not going to be able to have boards with humans in the loop that actually sit down and kind of validate targets,” Brown said during a virtual National Defense Industry Association conference on JADC2.

Wilsbach on Key Takeaway from Pacific ABMS Onramp

By John A. Tirpak

Real-time, highly-detailed airfield status around the Pacific theater was one of the standout features of the Valiant Shield/Advanced Battle Management experiment run in September, Pacific Air Forces chief Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach reported at an AFA Mitchell Institute streaming event Oct. 27. It's the single feature he would most want to put in place right away. Wilsbach said allies and partners are eager to get involved with ABMS, but one of the biggest challenges will be creating a seamless and obvious software-driven way to share information with those allies who are cleared to get the data.

Wilsbach to Allies: Learn from USAF’s Mistakes, Fly Your F-35 Like an F-35

By John A. Tirpak

As allies in the Pacific start receiving and operating their own F-35s, Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach is advising them to take full advantage of the jets' fifth-generation capabilities right from the beginning. They should not follow USAF's example, he said, in which the Air Force used the F-22 like an F-15C for years before fully exploiting the jet's fifth-gen capabilities.

The Space Force’s Need for Speed

By Amy McCullough

If the U.S. Space Force is going to be successful in a domain that makes the Indo-Pacific area of operations look small, speed is key. That’s why Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond said the newest military service is positioning itself to play a leading role in the Defense Department’s digital transformation efforts. The service also wants to rewrite long-standing space doctrine, which thought of space capabilities merely as a tool to make the other domains better. “It’s no longer good enough to just think about space as a benign domain, … you have to treat it as a warfighting domain, and you have to look at what else you can do besides just making the other domains more effective,” Raymond said during an Oct. 27 National Defense University webinar.

New AMC Boss Outlines Strategy, Changes to Accelerate

By Brian W. Everstine

Air Mobility Command needs to develop a force prepared for a high-end fight, advance new capabilities beyond the traditional role of the heavy aircraft, embrace the role in ferrying the joint force forward, and ensure the nation’s nuclear mission can be fueled and ready, the new leader of the command said. AMC boss Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost, who took over the command in August, used a keynote address at the virtual Airlift/Tanker Association conference on Oct. 27 to announce AMC’s new strategy, which follows in the footsteps of new Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.’s “Accelerate Change, or Lose” directive. “Now we need to focus and accelerate the command into the future,” Van Ovost said. “Required in this change is greater integration across the services and increased collaboration with all stakeholders to deny our adversaries any seams to exploit.”

Radar Sweep

Snapshot: DOD and COVID-19

Air Force Magazine

Here's a look at how the Defense Department is being impacted by and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

OPINION: What Space Force Can Learn from the Air Corps Tactical School

War on the Rocks

“‘If we get this right, we will be the envy of the other services because we are not tied to the past. This statement from Gen. Jay Raymond, the Space Force’s chief of space operations, was referring to how the service intended to establish a new culture unhindered by the legacy of its origins within the Air Force. It’s understandable why the Space Force would want to do this. After all, new institutions often seek to reinforce their independence and unique identity. However, such an ambition is unlikely to succeed completely,” wrote Heather Venable, an associate professor at U.S. Air Command and Staff College.

This Air Force Unit Will Be the First to Get Better-Fitting Security Forces Body Armor

Military.com

The service on Monday said Security Forces airmen, sometimes called defenders, will soon start receiving the updated, tailored gear to wear while guarding bases worldwide. The 23rd Security Forces Squadron at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia will be the first to receive the latest attire in the next two weeks, according to Air Force Materiel Command spokesman Brian Brackens.

Electromagnetic Spectrum Management Moves to Headquarters Air Force

C4ISRnet

The U.S. Air Force has officially moved its electromagnetic spectrum management office from Air Combat Command to the Headquarters Air Force staff. The office officially moved Oct. 23 to the Cyberspace Operations and Warfighter Communications Directorate beneath the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations, or A2/6, the Air Force said.

A-10 Pilot Accidentally Drops Projectile While Training in South Korea

Stars and Stripes (Subscription Required)

The pilot from the 25th Fighter Squadron was on a routine training flight when he released the non-explosive projectile over rough, remote terrain just south of Pilsung Ragne in Gangwan Province, according to an emailed statement from wing spokesman 1st Lt. Daniel de La Fe.

Air Force 'Speckled Trout' has New Mission in San Antonio

KENS5

The historic plane will remain at JBSA Lackland, where it will be used as a training tool for Air Force flight attendants who serve on planes like Air Force One.

US Space Force Is Getting Its Own NCO Academy

Military.com

U.S. Space Force may not have its own academy or boot camp, but the newest military branch is establishing a non-commissioned officer academy for its enlisted space members, according to the service's top leader.

Essentium Inks Multi-Year Contract with U.S. Air Force to Accelerate Deployment of Additive Manufacturing

PR Newswire

Essentium, Inc., today announced that it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force to drive the development and deployment of advanced additive manufacturing (AM) solutions for applications in tooling, ground support, maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO), and flight-certified parts for military aircraft and ground vehicles through both the U.S. Air Force and the National Guard Bureau (NGB).

Joint All-Domain Awareness

Air Force Magazine

Get a better sense of the drive for greater connectedness between air, space, cyber, land, and maritime forces. Catch up on all-things JADC2 now.

CSAF, Tuskegee Airmen, Cadets Connect Via Virtual Roundtable

USAF release

In observance of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. interviewed two Tuskegee Airmen, during a virtual roundtable, Oct. 20.

One More Thing

Why this Air Force Squadron is like the Night's Watch from 'Game of Thrones'

Task and Purpose

Luckily for us, the Air Force has a fighter squadron that bears a striking resemblance to the Night's Watch, the TV show's motley band of Wildling hunters and ice zombie fighters. What do the 493rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and the Night’s Watch have in common? Quite a lot actually: their mission, location, leaders, adversaries, and their grim choice of mascots are surprisingly similar.