PACAF and USAFWC M&S support
Challenge ended
Description
The Air Force Pacific (PACAF) Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) and the United States Air Force Warfare Center (Center) are collaborating to leverage modeling and simulation (M&S) combined with advanced prototyping to enhance capabilities that support operational effectiveness, resilience, and interoperability in both experimental and real-world settings. Leveraging training and test infrastructure with advanced prototyping of various prototype unmanned aerial systems, this collaboration provides Airmen with flexible deterrent options for use during conflicts with near-peer competitors.
Overall Objective
LOE 1: Engineering & Integration Support - Objective 1: Provide direct technical support, operational planning, advanced integration, and concept and capability development expertise in order to establish holistic, cross-functional task-organized structures that advance and enhance conceptual and capability development through the synthetization of existing capabilities with emerging operational concepts and technologies. - Objective 2: Facilitate cross-collaboration across stakeholders and equities to ensure collaboration and coordination across the PACAF, 5th ASOS, USAFWC, and warfighter. - Objective 3: Resolve critical issues regarding operations, equipment installation, experimentation, and concept integration to include explicit requirements to conduct operational training. LOE 2: Modeling & Simulation - Objective 1: Perform rigorous wargaming and AI/ML algorithm refinement of various operational scenarios in the Indo-Pacific Command (INDO-PACOM) Areas of Operation (AORs) for both current and future requirements leveraging M&S. - Objective 2: Train warfighters and refine TTPs through enabling realistic and immersive experiences via M&S that enhance the skill sets of warfighters and commanders. - Objective 3: Evaluate the performance of systems and associated ancillary systems, identify potential risks to operational use, and refine designs before operational fielding, training, and employment. LOE 4: Experimentation & Exercises - Objective 1: Provide seamless planning and integration of operational and prototype unmanned aerial systems and asymmetric capabiities to meet warfighter objectives during identified experimentation events and exercises. - Objective 2: Train and test tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) in order to refine, evaluate, and test advanced software frameworks and platform solutions at identified experimentation events and exercises. - Objective 3: Perform data capture and analysis during identified experimentation events and exercises for the purposes of refining TTPs, logistic processes, and operational deployment plans.
Problem Statement
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is having evolve to meet unprecedented political, economic, social, and technological changes to maintain power dominance over our primary near-peer competitors China and Russia. Battlefields are exponentially expanding across all domains and echelons, meanwhile decision cycles and reaction times continue to be compressed. The number of variables and amount of data available cannot be considered, calculated, and a course of action decided upon at the speed of war. In order for the United States to compete and overwhelmingly prevail in a near-peer competition, the Department of Defense (DoD) must transform the way it trains, plans, and executes to include human-machine collaboration through statistical analysis and AI-informed decision-making.