Building a Joint Force

The Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Ala., has launched a new, year-long elective designed to help students integrate into the joint environment, Brig. Gen. Anthony Rock, ACSC commandant, told the Daily Report. The cross-domain operators course is a combination of classroom academics and real-time experience, he said in an interview. Throughout the year, students will work with the 505th Command and Control Wing at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and the USAF Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev., to leverage education and training, said Rock. The idea is to broaden students’ knowledge beyond their own tactical backgrounds, so that they can help joint commanders understand how all the Air Force’s capabilities—air, space, and cyber—can be leveraged by the joint force. Gen. Stephen Lorenz, commander of Air Education and Training Command “challenged us to come up with an experience that was going to be above and beyond just the normal ACSC year, so it’s going to be a lot of work,” said Rock. He added, “It’s going to be somewhat of a crucible for these folks to go through.”