New office focusing on improving joint operations

  • Published
  • By Maj. Dave Honchul
  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) --  While U.S. military forces deployed to the Middle East continue operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, leaders at home are applying lessons learned from the campaigns to improve joint operations between the Air Force and Army.

The first of nearly 20 Air Force and Army initiatives toward improving joint air-ground operations became a reality with the creation of an office at Air Combat Command headquarters here. The office staff will address immediate air-ground issues, develop long-term strategies, integrate all command activities on the subject and act as the service's single point of contact for all operational issues supporting ground forces, said Col. Michael Longoria, JAGO office director.

While the results of individual campaigns have been positive, the services have continued to look for ways to improve operations.

"We were very successful," Colonel Longoria said. "But, yet, the past showed us we had serious deficiencies in this air-ground domain that we can and must fix."

Looking at those deficiencies, Air Force leaders in Washington issued guidance to all major commands on five key integrated process teams, two of which focused on air-ground operations, he said. ACC was given the lead for focusing on those two issues because its preponderance of battlefield airmen and close air support-type units.

At the same time, ACC officials were working on improving the relationship with people at the nearby Army Training and Doctrine Center, U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Joint Forces Command in an effort to develop an "Army-Air Force Council of Colonels" to improve joint operations, officials said.

"(The council's immediate focus was) to get at some of these meaty air-ground issues like [the] number of ground liaison officers that we have in Air Combat Command, numbers of joint terminal attack controllers that we support the U.S. Army and other services with, and air control issues associated with close air support," Colonel Longoria said. "That graduated into a larger discussion on joint fires initiatives."

It soon became apparent to ACC leaders that as the air component to Joint Forces Command, the command effort needed to be as coherent and logical as possible as the primary force provider, he said.

"Because of all of these many things that touched the entirety of his staff, (the ACC commander) made the decision to set up the office to provide a one-stop shop for addressing critical issues on this air-ground domain," Colonel Longoria said. "The intent is clear to put some focus on this air-ground domain, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the U.S. Army as it transforms."

The office is made up of two branches: the Battlefield Airmen Division which focuses on the Air Force career fields which work on the front lines of ground operations, oftentimes embedded with Army units; and the Close Air Support Division which focuses on air operations supporting the ground forces.

The Air Force is not alone in working on improving joint air-ground operations. The Army is also heavily engaged, the colonel said. One of the significant initiatives proposed by the Army is the creation of a Battlefield Coordination Detachment at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., within the next 12 months.

The detachments are important in that they are the senior-most units representing the land component requirements to the air component, he said.

The concept is not a new one, said Col. David Estes, deployed as the director of the detachment at the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The Army currently has four BCDs.

"The BCD began from a concept born in the late 1980s," Colonel Estes said. "The first operational (BCD) was used in Desert Storm. It is designed to provide a vital link between ground and air operations. It facilitates the synchronization of air and ground operations."

While the plans for the new detachment continue to be finalized, defense leaders say they will focus on training and working hand-in-hand with Air Force units to help both services be more effective in conducting military operations. Just as the Air Force embeds Airmen in Army units, the Army is more closely associating Soldiers with Air Force units, allowing them to train together as they will fight together.

Another Army initiative includes assigning ground liaison officers with various combat wings up to the air component level, Colonel Estes said. Jointly, the services are looking at training opportunities, which could include the creation of an exercise focused solely on close air support, as well as enhancing existing air-ground ranges to improve training opportunities.

"We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Army as one team that will continue to provide effective, lethal combat capabilities against which no enemy can hope to prevail," said Gen. Hal M. Hornburg, commander of Air Combat Command. "The JAGO domain is critical to our continued success in future operations.

"Both the Air Force and Army are committed to improving how we work and train to ensure maximum effects on the battlefield. (Close air support) is inherently joint, so it is crucial we work together to shape our doctrine and forces that results in certain rapid success in any battlespace."

For their part, the JAGO office staff will work toward other Air Force initiatives, and explore and plan for requirements in training and equipment to enhance air-ground operations, the director said. This includes integrating existing and developmental air-ground weapons systems like the F/A-22 and the Joint Strike Fighter, as well as future service requirements.

The goal of the initiatives is to ensure the services are prepared to address whatever threat the nation faces in potential future conflicts.