The Air Force plans to implement what it calls the Installation Control Center at every base to replace the old amalgam of crisis response entities—command post, battle staff, survival recovery center, and wing operations center—that varied from base to base. The new ICC, says USAF officials, will “be familiar” to airmen at home or abroad. The full concept is still being developed, but officials do expect the ICC to be somewhat tailorable to fit the variety of installations throughout the service, but it does provide a “standardized alignment of functions.” Some units already have adopted the ICC, but officials note that the concept is still being refined, with a final test set for Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2008. After that, it goes to the field.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.