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.
A new think tank report calls for a buildup of U.S. drones and munitions needed for a potential fight against the Chinese military over Taiwan, thought other experts argue the report is missing some nuance in the munitions equation.
