JEFX 04 execution phase ends in success

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. James L. Bressendorff
  • Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004 Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFPN) --  Two years, three spirals and three weeks of simulated combat in a fictional area of operations culminated in the completion of the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004 execution phase here Aug. 5.

JEFX 04 assessed 15 new initiatives in technology and processes designed to increase command and control capability, enhance predictive battlespace awareness, and decrease the time it takes to find, fix, target, track, engage and assess a given target.

The experiment is sponsored by Gen. John P. Jumper, the Air Force chief of staff. He visited the Combined Air and Space Operations Center on Aug. 4 and proclaimed the experiment a success.

“Right now in the Air Force, more than 70 percent of our people are combat experienced -- and now is the time to take advantage of that as we develop these new concepts and procedures,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important to have gatherings like this, experiments that focus on the technologies that make it easier for us. Because of the result of this (experiment) we will be much, much better; all because of the people that came here to participate from other services and other countries as well.”

General Jumper’s observations validated the hard work put forth by all participants, a sentiment shared by Lt. Gen. Bruce Carlson, the combined forces air component commander.

“To all the men and women who have been a part of this experiment, I’d like to say ‘congratulations’ for a job well done,” he said. “This team has made great strides in combining state-of-the-art technology and developmental processes into tools for aiding in quick and precise decision-making on the battlefield. This (experiment) has been a great learning experience and has provided us with incredible insight into how we can best ensure operability in the future. We’re making it possible to give our warfighters the right information at the right time -- not only that, we’re making it possible to give them this information in minutes and seconds now, instead of the hours and minutes it took during previous battles.”

General Carlson stressed his appreciation for the more than 3,400 people involved, from those on-scene assessors and mentors to Airmen and Soldiers working from satellite locations throughout the country.

“Through your collaborative efforts we’ll continue to refine and shape the way future conflicts are fought and won –- I’ve seen all the hard work everyone has devoted to this experiment, and I’m proud to be a part of this team,” General Carlson said.

A key theme of the experiment was integration with coalition partners. From the layout of the CAOC floor to the integration of systems, the experiment showcased an unprecedented sharing and collaboration between United States, United Kingdom, Australian and Canadian forces.

“We’ve learned that lesson in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom alongside our American colleagues,” said Royal Air Force Group Capt. Paddy Teakle, the JEFX 04 deputy CAOC director. “At JEFX the coalition network system gave coalition partners access to the same information as our American colleagues enabling us to do the same jobs at the same level of competency.”

Group Captain Teakle also said JEFX 04 gave him and his deployed team an opportunity to take lessons learned from the experiment and apply them to their own processes and equipment while “keeping in mind the capability to seamlessly integrate with a United States CAOC as well as working alongside with our North Atlantic Treaty Organization and European colleagues.”

Along with the success of coalition partner integration, the experiment division chiefs shared their insights to the success they achieved in their areas.

“Our (combat plans division’s) greatest achievement was to produce nine air tasking orders in a very short battle rhythm,” said Lt. Col. Michael Fleck, combat plans division chief. “This was a first for any JEFX. Usually we have prebuilt ATOs, however for this JEFX we generated them all from scratch. We are now able to produce an ATO more closely tied to the CFACC’s desired effects with fewer people in less time.”

“Having the ability to test initiatives and accomplish a good evaluation on those tools that are ready to be fielded to operational CAOCs was the best success I could ask for,” said Lt. Col. Brian Searcy, combat operations division chief. “During the live-fly portion of JEFX 04, that capability really shined when we were able to get direct feedback on how we use our tactics, techniques and procedures. We were also able to provide excellent feedback on our initiatives that the modeling in the simulators did not necessarily provide.”

As with any endeavor, there were several challenges the warfighters faced. Most challenges were in the tools and processes being used, but some stemmed not from external sources but from ingrained ideals.

“Some of the challenge was in implementing techniques not documented; we are breaking new ground,” said Lt. Col. Mark Mastushima, strategy division chief. “At the same time it’s an exciting growth area because it’s not just simply capturing a mechanical process. It’s the beginning of operationalizing what’s been an intellectual concept in a warfighting environment, so there have been some challenges associated with that.”

“One of the challenges (the combat plans division) faced was experimenting with the tools, yet still being responsible for producing an ATO for the execution phase,” Colonel Fleck said. “Because the tools were not yet proven, there was always the possibility of failure and perhaps bringing the experiment to a halt, but that’s why we have experiments -- to validate and assess the tools before they are fielded so we know what works under fire and what does not.”

“The greatest challenge for combat operations came from our mindset change from exercises. JEFX is an experiment, not an exercise,” Colonel Searcy said. “As such, it is okay to fail to bring the initiative to fruition. It took a conscious effort to shift from the ‘no failure’ mentality to one where ‘failure may be necessary sometimes to ferret out problems before they are fielded.’”

As this year’s experiment draws to a close, the advances made in coalition integration, command and control and machine-to-machine interfaces have matured.

“I was present at the first one (JEFX) in 1998 when it was a very rough experiment and we had a bunch of technology being demonstrated but were not very organized. It has gotten better over the years, and now with the addition of CAOC-N here at Nellis it makes all the difference in the world,” General Jumper said. “I think out of this JEFX, we’re going to get some very focused successes we can apply quickly to our AOCs throughout the world. I think this is what I had in mind years ago when this thing started; we’d get the technology to prove exactly what it can do and turn it quickly to the field with minimum additional development. I think we’ve arrived here at long last.”

A final report on the experiment is scheduled to be sent to General Jumper in November.