SENIOR PARTNER PERSPECTIVE
General Maryanne Miller Commander, U.S. Air Mobility Command Information dominance through global air mobility
In today’s world, information is ubiquitous. While the abundance of information helps decisionmakers burn through the fog of war, the sheer volume induces friction as leaders wade through observational data, separating the wheat from the chaff, the actionable from the superfluous, the accurate from the illusive. The nature of the information domain necessitates a coordinated effort among services and allies to perceive the environment and transmit relevant data to the appropriate audience. Air Mobility Command (AMC) is central to this effort for the U.S. Air Force. Utilizing our core missions – airlift, air refuelling, aeromedical evacuation, and air mobility support – AMC has always been in the business of connecting. Whether extending the reach of combat aircraft, delivering combat troops, airdropping resupply or opening a new airfield, we connect the warfighter to the front line. These capabilities supply flexibility to the joint and coalition team. When the force needs to pivot, mobility warriors provide the means to do so rapidly. As AMC steps into the future, modernisation efforts provide additional layers of connection, yielding increased battlespace awareness. Aligning with the U.S. operating concept of Joint AllDomain Command and Control (JADC2), modern mobility aircraft are becoming more than meets the
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AIR & SPACE POWER 2020
eye. With enhanced communication suites and advanced processing, mobility aircraft will be plugged into a network able to reach all users in every domain – air, sea, land, space, and cyberspace. We are aggressively adopting redundant, secure, beyondline-of-sight communications as we assimilate into the Advanced Battle Management family of systems, the technology engine that powers JADC2 for the U.S. Air Force. The core missions of an air force are always oriented to the strengths of the mission set employed. For AMC, the requirement for versatility is intrinsic to the mobility mission. Our operational sphere spans the globe and traverses every operational environment – we are everywhere. In a single mission, an aircraft may depart a main operating base far from the threat, transit the airspace of multiple partner nations, perform an airdrop in contested territory, and then land on an unimproved dirt strip amid mountainous terrain. When mobility assets remain connected throughout such endeavours, the joint force benefits as data from all domains provides awareness and clarity of the battlespace at the tactical level in real time. When the joint force is able to harness the unique information characteristic of the mobility mission, decision dominance will be the outcome. This is a strategic advantage and the end goal of information exploitation.
Information Advantage for the Next Generation Air Force
These capabilities did not originate in isolation. AMC – and, more broadly, the USAF – has enjoyed symbiotic relationships with many allies and partners as we collaborate toward more effective tactics and techniques. Not only do we often operate the same equipment, but we intentionally exercise together to build operational synthesis. For example, in September 2019, 29 international partners and allies – 500 personnel – joined our U.S. forces to conduct the world’s largest mobility exercise, Mobility Guardian. For three weeks, our aircrews, maintainers, flying medics and airfield operators put every aspect of the mobility machine to the test. We gleaned new perspectives, developed new techniques and strengthened relationships. These partnerships are evidence that Air Mobility is an essential contributor to the 21stcentury operations and a testament to the value of linking those operations to gain information superiority. As we look to the future, we recognise the challenges of the strategic environment require our collective diligence today. Building the JADC2 architecture across all missions – such as Air Mobility – will help us separate the actionable from the superfluous and reduce the friction inherent in the ever-expanding information domain. In so doing, we will guarantee the information advantage for our respective nations, as well as for our allies and partners.