JEFX provides unit command with software to plan, execute war fighting

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Carolyn Viss
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Dyess hosted more than 20 personnel from eight organizations around the nation Nov. 5 to 16 in order to conduct the first quarter event of Joint Expeditionary Force Experiments 2008. 

This JEFX assesses new initiatives in technology and processes, which are designed to increase command and control capability, enhance predictive battle space awareness, and decrease the time it takes to find, fix, target, track, engage and assess a given target. 

The experiments test and contribute to the development of the Air Force Installation Command System software. This new and emerging technology provides accelerated capabilities to the war fighter. 

The two dozen 7th Bomb Wing and 317th Airlift Group Airmen who partnered with AFICS personnel set up shop at the Dyess cantonment area -- a unique-to-the-installation control center that was opened here in August 2005. 

"Dyess has embraced the concept of the ICC to the point that they've built an actual training ICC, making (Dyess) an ideal spot to conduct these experiments," said Joe Caroli, the Air Force Research Laboratory AFICS program manager. About a dozen other Army, Navy and Air Force bases across the country are also being used as locations for the experiments. 

The first experiment took place here in April, Mr. Caroli said. 

"After each of the events, the end user (Dyess) provides AFICS personnel with feedback on how to improve the software and make it even more practical," he said. "After the final event, which is scheduled for April 2008, their goal is to incorporate the end user's suggestions and wind up with a product that can be used by the war fighter in and out of garrison." 

Essentially, the software provides a central point of contact and link from the strategic command all the way down to the unit-level command, Mr. Caroli said. 

"It also allows users to gain situational awareness of base entities with just a point and click," he said, which allows commanders on all levels to organize and take in a much broader spectrum of information on inventories, flight schedules, and more. 

It synchronizes each unit's situational awareness, he said, and increases horizontal and vertical operations and collaboration. 

"This (AFICS) has infinite possibilities for me as a wing commander," said Col. Timothy Ray, 7th Bomb Wing commander, who played an active role in the very first experiments here. 

The software opens possibilities because users across joint-force maintenance operations centers, emergency operations centers, and ICCs can provide the STRATCOM with comments that may help them determine a course of action in any given scenario, said Maj. Tom Peralta, 7th Operations Support Squadron chief of combat plans. Similarly, "We get an earlier glimpse of their plan so that we can start the process of planning sooner, execute sooner, and reduce response time smartly," he said. 

Essentially, the level of effectiveness, efficiency and timeliness in operations and combat support functions will increase drastically, Mr. Caroli said. 

"I'm very impressed with the level of competence Dyess has shown," Mr. Caroli said. "Because of their outstanding cooperation and assistance with this experiment, we're able to analyze valid requirements and come up with a product that's compatible with the war fighter's real-world needs."