The latest version of Atlantic Strike just concluded at Avon Park, Fla., where airmen, marines, and soldiers came together to hone their skills in urban close air support. Capt. Nathan Broshear reports that participants included Air Force and Marine joint terminal attack controllers and Army joint fires observers and, of course, aircrews. The exercise provided an intensive two-day indoctrination on the “latest software and hardware advances” before each JTAC team worked through four different combat scenarios, according to Maj. Raymond Brennan, exercise director. Industry representatives were present to provide assistance as US Central Command Air Forces rolled out the full-production version of the Air support Operations Center Gateway, enabling a battlefield datalink network with digital targeting and enhanced battlespace management. CENTAF expects to deploy the ASOC Gateway in combat for the first time early next year.
The Pentagon could have the option to create a new combatant command devoted to unmanned and autonomous systems if a provision in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s annual defense policy bill becomes law. The legislation is one of several moves lawmakers have proposed in recent weeks to both bound and…