Photo By 2nd Lt. Maeson Elleman | A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from the 480th Fighter Squadron...... read more read more
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Spangdahlem Air Base was the first wing in United States Air Forces in Europe to announce Agile Combat Employment Initial Operational Capability April 23, six months ahead of schedule.
In October 2019, Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, USAFE and Air Forces Africa commander, announced that he wanted all wings within USAFE to begin developing ACE concepts, later setting October 2021 as the deadline for meeting IOC.
Two years may seem like a long time, but for the units tasked, this was a daunting undertaking.
“The criteria for ACE IOC, for both USAFE wings as well as the USAFE staff, is outlined in a memorandum signed by the USAFE commander” said Maj. Christian Hamilton, 52nd Fighter Wing lead ACE planner. “However, we had to figure out the left/right bounds of what these criteria meant for the 52FW as we molded ‘Saber ACE’.”
ACE is a concept of operations that envisions the use of agile operations to generate resilient airpower in a contested environment, thus enhancing our ability to deter, defend and win across the spectrum of conflict.
These “agile operations” differ from wing to wing as each base has a different primary mission and varying equipment needs and priorities that they have to manage.
“ACE requires Saber Airmen to be able to accomplish a multitude of tasks, no matter the location, often without the same resources or support available at Spangdahlem,” said Hamilton. “This drives the need for our Airmen to be multi-capable; meaning they can proficiently accomplish given tasks outside of their primary specialty.”
This multi-capable Airman concept is key to both the innovation and success of ACE.
“Our goal is to keep the Saber ACE footprint as lean and agile as possible at any given location,” Hamilton said. “This requires unique problem solving on the part of our Airmen to ensure we are working smarter, not necessarily harder, to support the Joint Forces Air Component Commander from anywhere throughout the European Theatre, regardless of the level of external support.”
Another key aspect of ACE is NATO allies and partners who, according to USAFE Public Affairs, “form the nexus of the USAFE-AFAFRICA ACE model.”
“In order to operate out of a myriad of locations throughout Europe, we need support from our NATO partners and allies,” Hamilton said. “This requires detailed coordination and trust between us and our partner nations.”
Being in central Europe, Spangdahlem AB is an ideal location for supporting ACE operations.
“The base is centrally located, which makes it a perfect place from which to execute ACE,” said Col. David Epperson, 52nd FW commander. “Over the past year and a half, we have proven that our Airmen can quickly disperse and continue to deliver air power from locations across Europe.”
The most recent ACE event conducted by the 52nd FW was the deployment of four F-16s to Poland, where a small group of Airmen operated from two Polish air bases for one week, flying training missions, and working hand-in-hand with the Polish Air Force.
“It has been an amazing experience coordinating and executing this ACE event,” said Capt. Ben Harmon, 480th Fighter Squadron pilot and lead planner for the event. “The level of support we have received from the Polish Air Force has been key to our success. They have gone above and beyond for everything we have asked of them, which has greatly eased the complications that arise from being away from our home base."
It is the combination of developing multi-capable Airmen, building on already strong relationships with NATO partners and allies, and creating innovative ways to become more efficient with fewer resources that led to the 52nd FW’s success in reaching ACE IOC.
Beyond listed ACE requirements for reaching IOC, it was methodical planning and adaptive thinking that has allowed the unit to be so successful.
“At all levels of leadership, we encourage a culture of innovative and creative thinking,” Epperson said. “Our Airmen are able to think through problems as they occur, and implement solutions that have enabled us to reach IOC six months ahead of schedule despite the challenges of operating during a global pandemic.”
“Additionally, our ACE planning team hit the ground running from day one,” Epperson continued. “Early on they mapped out what we needed to accomplish, and then they kept us on track throughout our development of Saber ACE.”
Now that the 52nd FW has reached ACE IOC, the next task is to sharpen this skillset while working towards full operational capability and continue to enhance agility, resilience and lethality.
| Date Taken: | 04.23.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.23.2021 08:43 |
| Story ID: | 394557 |
| Location: | SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 112 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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