US Joint Forces Command has joined forces with Lockheed Martin to pursue the ideal future joint command—resplendent in global information capabilities. The collaboration is a three-year R&D effort to determine the nature of the joint task force of the future and how a future commander might exercise command and control. A USAF officer, Lt. Col. Dewey Parker, is JFCOM’s principal investigator assigned to the effort. What does Lockheed get out of it? They get access to JFCOM warfighting subject matter experts and results from the collaborative work.
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.