Major, Usaf, Mark E. Harter

Rapid Dominance: Integrating Space into Today's Air Operations Center: Wright Flyer Paper No. 11 Major, Usaf, Mark E. Harter

Rapid dominance ? the ability of forces to exploit information and quickly destroy critical targets ? is the key in controlling the battle space of future warfare. The ability to rapidly gain information, analyze, it, and use it to make sound military decisions is key to military domination and victory. Huge volumes of critical war-fighter information speed through the space medium to reach their destinations at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. Information provided via space systems is crucial to military planning and executing aerospace operations through the entire spectrum of conflict and therefore a key to any future military operation. Unfortunately, potentially greater space power contributions are often limited due to a lack of ?space mindedness? by military leaders, planners, and operations during theater campaigns. This paper identifies the importance and legitimacy of space as a center of gravity and military war-fighting medium, focusing on the realm of the joint air operations center (JAOC). It defines five key areas (with practical suggestions) that the Department of Defense needs to address in order to integrate space into military operations: space training, doctrine, equipment, personnel, and command and control. The research first documents current deficiencies of space awareness in the typical JAOC and then identifies and suggests methods to improve joint war fighting through space integration in the JAOC and the Expeditionary Aerospace Force (EAF) of the near future. The research presented here is particularly important for the United States Air Force to consider in preparation for the EAF ? it provides a framework to educate JAOC and EAF personnel to more effectively employ joint aerospace power throughout the spectrum of military operations.