The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies launched a second major study effort that will examine how to adapt and evolve command and control of air, space, and cyberspace operations. The effort, which kicked off on Sept. 18, will result in the Mitchell Institute’s second major study, slated for release next year, titled “Beyond the AOC: Command and Control in the Information Age.” Mitchell Institute Dean, retired USAF Lt. Gen. David Deptula, told Air Force Magazine the initiative is aimed at helping command and control systems, concepts, and organizations catch up to three related trends—emerging threats, new technologies, and the increasing speed of information. The study effort will bring together experts from the Air Force, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the defense industry, and academia. The first product of the study will be a white paper to define what C2 challenges must be solved, followed with a “flight plan” to present a set of possible solutions. The study launch comes after several current and retired senior leaders, including Air Combat Command boss Gen. Michael Hostage and Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Hawk Carlisle, discussed upcoming C2 challenges at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., Sept. 15-17. Deptula said he anticipates the new study effort will complete its report by next spring. The first study on the combat cloud is slated for release later this fall.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.