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Lt. Gen. Frank Gorenc, 3rd Air Force commander, recently addressed Kaiserslautern Chapter 158 of the Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association at the Ramstein Officers’ Club.
More than 100 Kaiserslautern business and military professionals gathered to hear General Gorenc share his perspective on the role of communications and intelligence in joint and coalition operations.
The general opened his remarks with an overview of the cyber domain and the process taken by the Air Force and joint community to develop the concept of cyberspace as a physical, warfighting domain. Though there is still much work to do, the general said cyberspace operations will greatly influence current and future planning and execution in the traditional domains of air, land, sea and space.
The discussion then turned to the concept of C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance).
General Gorenc emphasized that communications and intelligence professionals should be mindful that command and control is a human endeavor, enabled by communications and intelligence. This perspective is critical when developing newer, more complex “productivity tools.”
The general gave many examples of how communications and intelligence supports the operational mission.
General Gorenc highlighted the 680 percent increase in close air support provided by Remotely Piloted Aircraft and the demands of remote split operations between the AOR and stateside units. He also discussed the Distributed Ground System Federation and its goal to fully utilize intelligence capabilities across the enterprise.
The general discussed advances in simulation technology and its impact on training. He shared how technicians created virtual Red Flags through Distributed Mission Operations by linking F-15 simulators with AWACS simulators, giving operators greater realism during exercises.
General Gorenc acknowledged how the Air Force developed the AOC with vast capability, dependant on the concept of reachback communications, and now we must determine how to move an element of the AOC forward to be with the Joint Force Commander because personal contact matters.
General Gorenc expressed concern about system single points of failure and the rapid pace of technological change and its impact on acquisition, implementation and maintenance.
Additionally, he discussed the challenge of creating coalition networks and the vitality of these networks in building partnership capacity. The general concluded his remarks with a challenge to the audience to solidify our gains, anticipate the future and help determine what is possible.
Chapter 158 of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association holds luncheons at 11:30 a.m. the second Thursday of every month.
E-mail Todd Poynter at todd.poynter@ramstein.af.mil or Capt. Steven Jacinto at steven.jacinto@ramstein.af.mil for more information or visit http://kaiserslautern.afceachapter.org/.
