Page 13 - F-35 and Transformation

The F-35 and The Transformation of the Power Projection Forces

If warfighters were to apply the same C2 approach used for traditional airpower to the F-35 they would really be
missing the point of what the F-35 fleet can bring to the future fight.

In the future, they might task the F-35 fleet to operate in the battlespace and affect targets that they believe are
important to support the commander’s strategy, but while those advanced fighters are out there, they can
collaborate with other forces in the battlespace to support broader objectives.

The F-35 pilot could be given much broader authorities and wields much greater capabilities, so the tasks could
be less specific and more broadly defined by mission type orders, based on the commander’s intent. He will have
the ability to influence the battlespace not just within his specific package, but working with others in the
battlespace against broader objectives.

Collaboration is greatly enhanced, and mutual support is driven to entirely new heights.

The F-35 pilot in the future becomes in some ways, an air battle manager who is really participating in a much
more advanced offense, if you will, than did the aircrews of the legacy generation.

http://www.sldinfo.com/the-coming-of-the-f-35-and-the-dynamics-of-change-in-air-force-c2-systems/

http://www.sldinfo.com/reshaping-operational-and-training-approaches-airpower-led-combat-innovation/

In fact, the former MARFORPAC, Lt. General Robling, underscored to central importance of distributed C2 for
a deterrence in depth strategy in the Pacific.

The Australian military is small in comparison to the US, but it is a lethal and technologically sophisticated force.

In the face of a large-scale threat, they, like the US and others in the region, wouldn’t be able to defend by
themselves. They would have to be a part of a larger collective security effort and ally with the US or other
likeminded nations in the region in order to get more effective and less costly defense capabilities pushed farther
forward.

This is one reason why their buying the JSF and the “Wedgetail” is so important. These two platforms are
amazing force multipliers that bring to the region superior Command and Control and networked strike
capabilities. These capabilities will be both additive and complementary to the capabilities other nations bring to
collective security in the region.

The JSF with its superior networked sensor suite can collect a lot of information from sources at significant
distances, and partner with the capabilities of the “Wedgetail” to help disseminate that information to air, sea,
and land forces who need the information.

These capabilities and others make perfect sense for Australia and the greater Asia Pacific’s collective security
requirements. In addition, other countries like Japan and Singapore can likewise contribute to this collective
security because they too are buying the same types or similar military capabilities.

I like the term deterrence in depth because that’s exactly what it is. It’s not always about defense in depth.

It’s about deterring and influencing others behavior so they can contribute to the region’s stability, both
economically and militarily, in an environment where everyone conforms to the rule of law and international
norms.

http://www.sldinfo.com/the-distributed-laydown-in-the-pacific-and-deterrence-in-depth-lt-general-robling-
discusses-the-evolution-of-the-usn-usmc-team-in-the-pacific/

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