FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii -- Alongside the joint force, U.S. Airmen continue to push the envelope in terms of integration opportunities and seamless combat support to frontline warfighters, as Pacific Air Forces recently hosted a Combat Support Rehearsal of Concept (CSROC) symposium May 31 – June 2.
More than 18 supporting agencies attended the event to include U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command and Air Force Global Strike Command, to name a few.
“As we assess the challenges across the Indo-Pacific, we recognize the need to change the way we compete, deter, and in the event of conflict, fight,” said Brig. Gen. Patrick G. Miller, Pacific Air Forces Director of Logistics, Engineering & Force Protection, A4. “The recent CSROC – our second in a series of events - was designed to allow units and organizations to meticulously walk through complex and dynamic combat support operations to identify potential obstacles or issues for mitigation prior to real-time execution in exercises, dynamic force employment or crisis. Having all the key stakeholders in the room discussing how we could best do the mission helps us learn from each other's perspectives.”
CSROC is designed to allow units and organizations with missions that support the Indo-Pacific to rehearse combat support operations to analyze the mission command and support relationships and investigate gaps and redundancies in logistics process and combat support forces.
“Successful employment in the INDOPACOM theater depends on the seamless integration of component, joint, and increasingly coalition efforts,” said Col. Jared “Shachi” Paslay, PACAF Agile Combat Employment (ACE) Joint Integration Team lead. “PACAF, the air component to INDOPACOM, uses every opportunity at its disposal, ranging from wing and theater level exercises, real world response, wargames, and senior leader table-top exercises like the CSROC to validate and continuously improve the Agile Combat Employment capabilities that enable forward power projection.”
PACAF units continuously exercise ACE from an operational perspective while simultaneously evaluating the challenges ACE operations pose to traditional command structures, decision authorities, logistics concepts of support, and requirements for support from enterprise-wide stakeholders.
“Agile Combat Employment, or ACE, as a scheme of maneuver completely changes the way we operate,” Miller said. “We must be agile to maneuver quickly, increasing survivability and the ability to continue generating airpower. We fully recognize dispersal to spokes [forward, often remote bases] reduces efficiencies; however, ACE increases survivability, complicates an enemy's targeting calculus, and enables continued mission generation in a contested environment. Events like the CSROC help us to hone our skills and build repeatable processes for mission success.”
Overall, the CSROC symposium explored processes and challenges unique to agile combat employment operations. PACAF supports the Secretary of the Air Force’s fifth Operational Imperative by defining optimized resilient basing, sustainment, and communications in a contested environment through multiple efforts, to include this CSROC Drill. With uncharted ACE waters, the CSROC becomes even more critical to ensure USAF mission readiness within the Pacific Theater is enhanced and preserved.
“Success is dependent upon working with the Service Components, as well as with our Allies and partners,” Miller said. “No one Service or nation holds all the cards and expertise in a singular mission set is no longer sufficient. We must mitigate all obstacles that are in our way to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. Most importantly, our Airmen must not only remain technical experts in their field but expand their aperture as multi-capable Airmen operating within the context of winning multiple fights simultaneously delivering airpower; anytime, anywhere.”