Liaison officers provide link to Naval airpower during JEFX Published July 30, 2004 By 1st Lt. James L. Bressendorff Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004 Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFPN) -- For Sailors, it is not the typical tour of duty – witnessing rows of Airmen dimly outlined against the faint glow of computer screens requesting Naval airpower for a coordinated strike against enemy assets.The setting is the Combined Air and Space Operations Center and the tour of duty is the Naval Amphibious Liaison Element, part of the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2004 here. JEFX is an Air Force chief of staff-sponsored experiment that assesses new and emerging technologies. “The (element’s) role in the CAOC is to coordinate naval assets to the combined force air component commander for use in achieving campaign objectives,” said Navy Capt. Tom Benefield, senior Navy liaison to JEFX 04. “We’re also here to demonstrate the full capabilities of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, EA6B Prowler and the EP-3E Aries in a joint environment.”Among those capabilities linked to JEFX initiatives are “near real-time machine-to-machine transfer of imagery and targeting information from the Army, special operations forces and Air Force platforms to naval F/A-18F aircraft,” said Captain Benefield. The benefits of naval integration within the CAOC are also evident in the unique power-projection capability the Navy provides.“Naval air forces and cruise missiles from our subs and ships at sea provide strike assets but do not require host-nation approval or basing,” said Capt. Benefield. “With the addition of Marine forces we can provide the joint commander with additional strike options and land forces from the sea.”NALE officer Lt. Cmdr. George Byrd said the Navy provides “an enabling capability at the start of combat operations to the CFACC.”But the commander admits that within a joint environment everything is not as easy as it seems. “From an air perspective, (Navy and Air Force personnel are) integrating well together, but its not completely homogenous,” said Commander Byrd. “However,” he adds, “with ongoing joint training and operational experience, integration is becoming more and more seamless.”