Integrated Exercises Key to AirSea Battle Success

The Air Force and sister services are making changes in how they train together to help operationalize the AirSea Battle concept, said Maj. Gen. James Jones, director of operations on the Air Staff. For example, the Air Force’s Red Flag exercise franchise now features interaction with Navy planners from the 3rd Fleet to familiarize both sides on how to integrate operations regularly, Jones told the House Armed Services Committee’s seapower and projection forces panel on Oct. 10. Further, Air Combat Command and Navy Fleet Forces Command are working together in a newly formed “Navy-Air Force integration forum,” said Jones. Several weeks ago, the Navy sponsored Navy Global 13 that examined three different concepts for command and control across the air, space, and cyberspace realms, he said. Additionally, the Air Force is expanding doctrine integration with the Army’s air defense artillery forces and Marine Corps’ reconnaissance forces. Unlike the European focus of the US military’s AirLand Battle concept, ASB will support combatant commanders “wherever they may need to counter” anti-access, area-denial threats, he said.