AEF Battlelab becomes Air Warfare Battlelab

MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho (AFPN) -- The Air Expeditionary Force Battlelab, which stood up here in July 1997, recently became the Air Warfare Battlelab. The change reflects the 2003 realignment under the Air Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and better matches operational and testing functions.

The battlelab focuses on enhancing the deployability, sustainability, survivability and lethality of contingency air and space expeditionary forces for global engagement.

“The Air Warfare Battlelab reorganization will not be visible to most personnel,” said Col. Ernest Parrott, the battlelab’s commander. “We’ve changed (about) 40 percent of the Air Force (specialties); however, the mission is still innovation to improve the combat effectiveness of our warfighters. The focus has changed; mobility (and) deployment aspects of air [and space] expeditionary forces have been taken over by the recently established Air Mobility Battlelab.

“The Air Warfare Battlelab will shift toward greater emphasis on offensive capability which equates to more bombs on target,” he said. “We also believe this more closely aligns us with (the Air Warfare Center’s) mission of operational test and evaluation of advanced weapons systems.”

The six original Air Force battlelabs were designed to identify innovative ideas and measure how well those ideas contribute to the mission of the Air Force. The five others were: Battle Management, Command and Control Battlelab; Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab; Space Battlelab with the Space Warfare Center; Information Warfare Battlelab; and Force Protection Battlelab.

Each battlelab has a specific focus area staffed by military and civilian subject matter experts. In 2002, a seventh battlelab, the Air Mobility Battlelab, was activated to specifically focus on the air mobility mission. The realignment, coupled with the standup of the Air Mobility Battlelab, drove the need to reorganize, officials said.