Fusion warfare key to C2 future

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Alyssa C. Gibson
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
ORLANDO, Fla. (AFNS) --  Despite adversaries’ attempts to imitate and interfere, the Air Force’s command and control capabilities are the best in the world, said the commander of Air Combat Command during the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium here March 2.

To remain dominant in the future, Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the ACC commander, said the Air Force must combine its C2 capabilities with fusion systems that bring information from multiple domains into a sophisticated network that allows faster movement through the observe, orient, decide and act loop.

“If you want to get combat ID, if you want to get weapons quality track, you have to get to fusion warfare,” he continued. “It’s not just data – when you talk fusion with multiple sensors across battlespace, you have to get into the mechanics of how the sensors work. You have to get into the algorithms, so that multiple pieces of data can fuse at a level that gives you combat ID. That fusion is hard ... but that’s where we’re trying to get to.”

According to the general, the Air Force has come a long way in its C2 abilities, thanks mostly to predecessors like former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper who had the foresight to put the service on its current path.

“When you look at C2 today, whether it’s the (air operations center) doing a dynamic strike with the (F-15E) Strike Eagles in a forward (deployed) area, or it’s a (tactical air control party) calling in danger-close (close air support) to help in a tight situation ... it’s amazing how we’ve set ourselves up and what we do every single day.”

Carlisle said he believes the service will remain dominant because of the talent of its Airmen and industry partners.

“We will always win, because we know we can deliver,” he said. “We lead the world in precision, stealth, our ability to deliver ordnance, and ability to command and control. My belief is as we move into the future, what’s going to keep us ahead of our adversaries is the ability to command and control into fusion warfare.”