Courtesy Photo | Tech. Sgt. Kristian Penafiel, left, 53rd Combat Airfield Operations Squadron...... read more read more
Command, control, and communications is inherently a joint and coalition effort, with the goal of connecting military assets across all warfighting domains - air, land, sea, space and cyber.
In pursuit of strengthening its interoperability, the 461st Air Control Wing is capitalizing a years-long effort to enhance joint integration not just when deployed, but within the unit.
Based at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, the wing has collaborated with the U.S. Marine Corps across several recent efforts, all aimed at sharing each branch’s strengths in the C3 environment.
“We're trying to overhaul our mission sets for the C3 communities,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Luis Hidalgo, 461st ACW executive officer. “The more we work together jointly, the more we're going to be able to operate when we actually do a future fight.”
The 461st ACW has already put several initiatives into motion, including standing up a Marine Liaison Officer program and a long-term exchange program with Marine Air Control Group 28 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.
U.S. Marine Capt. Robert Goettge, an air support control officer, arrived at Robins this October and entered Battlefield Control Center Initial Qualification Training.
“There's a lot that's gained just in familiarity and communication, as well as the experience and learning how to integrate with each other's systems,” explained Goettge. “I think there's always an expectation that as a Joint Force, whether it be Army, Navy, Air, Force or Marine Corps, we can collaborate on a common mission when our priorities overlap.”
According to Hidalgo, the intent is for Capt. Goettge to become a qualified member of the weapons system to both enhance Marine training capabilities when he returns to the unit and allow joint integration on the operations floor with BCC crews.
In addition to bringing a Marine perspective into the wing, the 461st ACW has also sent Airmen to Marine programs to further strengthen their interservice operability.
Two Airmen recently attended the Marine Corps Weapons and Tactics Instructor course, led by the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, which prepares graduates to support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force with mission planning, briefing and debriefing, threat systems and unit weapons system employment.
One of the attending Airmen was Tech. Sgt. Kristian Penafiel, the 53rd Combat Airfield Operations Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of contingency airfield training.
Penafiel was the first Air Force air traffic controller to attend WTI, and now works in the 53rd CAOS Plans and Programs Section where he can apply lessons learned directly into the training and exercises of the unit.
Several other Marine interservice initiatives have been stood up in various units across the wing, reflecting the 461st ACW’s commitment to building and fostering a stronger joint environment.
“It goes back to the strategic concept of Great Power Competition,” said Hidalgo, on the benefits of Marine integration. “You hear that term all the time, but it's making our C3 community more survivable by leveraging each other’s strengths; the Marines are very good at maneuver warfare, and we excel in training to operational and theater-level command constructs.”
As the wing moves forward, they intend to further develop their interservice C3 capabilities, with two key upcoming initiatives being continued – combat airfield operations integration in service-level exercises and the technology exchanges with the Marine’s sensor to shooter tactical grid design.
“We won’t fight alone in the next fight and success in a ground fight in Europe or a surface fight in the Pacific will rely on the training and equipment interoperability between the Marines and the Air Force,” said Hidalgo.
| Date Taken: | 12.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.18.2024 07:46 |
| Story ID: | 487767 |
| Location: | ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 461st ACW strengthens C3 capabilities through interservice integration, by Patrick Sullivan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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