Air Combat Command boss Gen. Hawk Carlisle, along with officials in ACC’s plans and programs division, called together experts from the defense industry, academia, and research organizations for an “agile and resilient” command and control innovation summit at JB Langley-Eustis, Va., according to a release. Some 120 attendees from 48 companies gained insight from presenters and speakers during the April 16-17 event, states the release. Participants heard about the challenges the Air Force and Defense Department face in the realm of C2, the so-called Combat Cloud, and in managing and exploiting massive amounts of data. ACC said the goal of such summits is to get information into the planning process to generate ideas, concepts, and new approaches to solving problems. Carlisle has made tackling persistent C2 challenges a focus area for ACC; such issues include improving data links between fourth generation and fifth generation aircraft and making C2 architectures more resilient in the face of modern threats. Innovation summits and exercises are two tools Carlisle is using to advance potential solutions.
Lawmakers are growing impatient for an overdue fighter recapitalization study from the Air Force, and members say they'll demand more detailed justifications for future aircraft retirements.