Summit solidifies operational, strategic doctrine

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jason Lake
  • Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFPN) --  More than a dozen active duty and retired general officers formulated doctrine to support joint warfighting operations through the construct of a critical liaison to Air Force commanders called an Air Component Coordination Element Jan. 23 and 24 at Maxwell Air Force Base.

The two-day "Gathering of ACCEs" Doctrine Summit, hosted by Air Force Doctrine Development and Education Center officials, gathered operational input from 14 Air Force generals who have held ACCE positions in humanitarian and combat operations ranging from Hurricane Katrina relief to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"Since (its creation in) 2001, the Air Component Coordination Element has become an integral part of our contribution to joint warfighting," said Maj. Gen. Allen G. Peck, the Air Force Doctrine Development and Education Center commander. In this position, he serves as an adviser and liaison for the joint force air component commander. 

"The ACCE provides a critical link between the combined or joint forces air component commander and other functional component commanders in major operations," the general said. "This command and control construct is relatively new and since doctrine is based on capturing best practices in the field, what better way to gather historical evidence than from people who were there."

The generals attending the doctrine summit addressed issues related to the ACCE position through a series of briefings, surveys, and case studies with four specific goals. The goals were: To capture lessons learned and incorporate them into Air Force, joint, and NATO doctrine; to identify potential doctrinal voids or seams in the current ACCE command and control construct; to clarify ACCE duties, roles, responsibilities, and command relationships; and to identify training requirements for Air Force senior leaders selected for ACCE duty.

"We've taken a look at concepts, doctrine, techniques, procedures, manning, etc., and compared that to what the future role of ACCE is going to be like," said retired Lt. Gen. Glen W. "Wally" Moorhead III, who served as an air component commander in the Balkans from 2002 to 2006 and acted as a senior mentor for the ACCE summit.

Brig. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas, currently the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency vice commander at Lackland AFB, Texas, served as the ACCE for Combined Task Force 536 during Operation Unified Assistance. General Jouas said joint integration of the ACCE concept was one issue that arose while coordinating air assets during the historic tsunami relief operation in Southeast Asia.

"We were the only Airmen in (an entire) Marine headquarters unit, so I was able to bring Air Force expertise to the table and coordinate with the Pacific Air Operations Center to provide airlift for the operation more effectively," he said.

The task force's austere location at Utapao, Thailand, also provided General Jouas the opportunity to use some of his home-based assets that may have been overlooked without an Air Force liaison.

"We were at a bare base with a limited communications capability, but fortunately we were able to bring in a theater deployable communications flight from (Kadena Air Base, Japan) which provided the connectivity that we needed," he said.

By the operation's end in February 2005, Combined Task Force 536 members treated more than 2,200 patients and delivered more than 9 million pounds of relief supplies to Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and other countries in Southeast Asia.

The ACCE position has also encountered inherent diplomatic challenges while coordinating with international forces in major theaters of operation.

Maj. Gen. F.C. Williams, who was one of the first combat ACCEs, coordinated special operations forces under Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command in Southwest Asia during the initial stage of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the spring of 2003.

"ACCE was a relatively new concept (during my deployment)," General Williams said. "My biggest challenge was coordinating air support in northern Iraq after we lost the capability to launch sorties from bases in Turkey."

It would take several days of negotiations between U.S. and Turkish officials before certain air assets were allowed to fly over Turkish airspace.

General Moorhead said one key finding during the summit was the need to get more structured training and preparation for the ACCE director and staff positions. He said currently the Air Force hasn't formalized the requirements for selection or training of ACCE directors and staff.

General Moorhead, who also mentors flag officers selected to attend the CFACC or JFACC courses here, said the summit was very successful in gathering feedback from the frontlines and should help "refine" doctrine in Air Force and joint publications.

The panel of flag officers attending the summit also concluded that establishing the ACCE at the component or joint task force level is still a valid and successful best practice for the command and control of Air Force operations.

"This day-and-a-half conference was the best I've attended because of the relevancy and timeliness of the issues discussed with all the former ACCEs," General Moorhead said. "The input we have gathered from the field will go a long way toward refining the ACCE concept in both Air Force and joint doctrine publications."

Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

Click here to view the comments/letters page