Photo By Capt. Katie Tamesis | Members of the 93d Air Ground Operations Wing (AGOW) and 435th AGOW pose for a photo...... read more read more
By 1st Lieutenant Katie Tamesis
93d Air Ground Operations Public Affairs
UNITED STATES ARMY GARRISON GRAFENWOEHR, Germany-- Members of the 93d Air Ground Operations Wing (AGOW) traveled to the 2d Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) in Vilseck, Germany, to observe and collaborate with Airmen from the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing during Exercise DYNAMIC FRONT 23 (DF23), March 20-24. More than 1,700 military personnel from 18 countries participated in the exercise throughout the European region.
The multinational exercise is designed to improve allied and partner nation abilities in executing multi-echelon fires, testing interoperability of both tactical and theater-level fires systems in a live environment. This year, DF23 launched a training mission of synchronized command and fires planning, maneuvering through a complex landscape of assembly area operations, artillery acumen, and live firing drills. The objective was to ensure NATO forces are equipped with the capability to execute lethal fire support in wide-area ground combat across Europe.
DF23 focused on promoting understanding, collaboration, and interoperability between partner nations and contributed significantly to regional stability and security by improving the ability of allied forces to operate together effectively in times of crisis or conflict.
Members of the 435 AGOW used the exercise to test innovative find, fix, and distributed C2 capabilities while bolstering NATO interoperability and enabling effective integration of fires. In an effort to synchronize TACP concepts of operation across the entire enterprise, TACP and Special Warfare Mission Support (SWMS) Airmen from the 93 AGOW took the opportunity to team up with TACP and SWMS Airmen from the 435 AGOW to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures, allowing advancement of cohesion between the two wings and implementation of successful methodologies.
“This year, the 93 AGOW observed exercise Dynamic Front,” said Maj Tyler Stearns, 93 AGOW weapons and tactics section chief. “From those observations, we were able to provide recommendations to 93 AGOW leadership and the formation at large. Those recommendations helped shape equipment and training requirements to support 4 EASOS operations, a horizontal PACE plan with equipment currently fielded or requiring acquisition, and a revised strategic training plan for the Wing."
The capabilities tested during Dynamic Front 23 served as an evaluation of where the TACP Weapon System currently stands in its ability to provide persistent and resilient command and control (C2) in contested, degraded environments and how the enterprise can continue to expand, and deepen, its expertise.
“Dynamic Front 23 allowed us to demonstrate the ability of TACP Integrated Sensing and Effects Team (ISET) to pass real-time multi-source targeting data to the Strike HQ,” said Lt Col Matthew Lisa, 4th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron director of operations. “This provides a persistent and survivable node with the expertise and equipment to process the data from the ISETs and other sensors on the forward edge of the battle space, then pass it via multiple, resilient communication pathways to other entities including TACP-C2, federated gunlines, and airborne shooters. By applying the capabilities inherent in the TACP Weapons System, augmented by several combat communications Airmen, we are able to significantly speed up kill chains and increase the efficiency of targeting.
These innovative capabilities not only benefit the Air Force, but also the Joint force as a whole.
“That second part is extremely valuable,” Lisa said. “In a tactical sense, it allows the Joint Force to remove an adversary's most critical pieces from the battlefield quickly. It also adds disproportionate value from a monetary perspective because it reduces the number of munitions that need to be expended against a given target to achieve the desired effect.”
A large part of the exercise and the collaboration between the two wings also focused on the modernized, innovative technology that is propelling TACP capabilities forward into the future fight.
“Having stand-in persistent human sensors, augmented by technology like small UASs and electronic intelligence systems, with the ability to process the information they gather and prioritize targets means we can build a more detailed and current understanding of the situation than stand-off forces,” Lisa said. “Pulsed ISR can alone and rapidly access effects to determine if re-attacks are warranted or if we can move on to another target.”
The combination of advanced technology and TACP C2 expertise in the exercise demonstrated that TACPs are making target acquisition and engagement faster and more efficient at very low costs in every phase of a conflict. These assessments and validations prove to be beneficial for both AGOWs from both a tactical and strategic perspective.
“Collaborating with the 435 AGOW during Dynamic Front 23 was very valuable,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Timothy Hood, 93 AGOW commander. “It gave the wing as a force provider an ‘on the ground view’ of the roles our airmen are filling and the equipment they are using. This will better inform our decision making as we send our teammates forward. As we evolve, all TACP commands need to be on the same page and open lines of communication are essential. It all begins with building great partnerships with our worldwide wings and groups. Many thanks to the 435th for hosting us.”
For more on Dynamic Front 23: https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/dynamicfront
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.25.2023 15:29 |
| Story ID: | 443338 |
| Location: | MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 869 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, 93 AGOW, 435 AGOW TACP test expedited kill chains and innovative C2 capabilities during “Dynamic Front 23”, by Capt. Katie Tamesis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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