ROME, N.Y. — A new partnership between the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Information Directorate in Rome and the 152nd Air Operations Group (152 AOG), part of the New York Air National Guard, focuses on expanding development, experimentation, and integration of artificial intelligence/machine learning command and control capabilities.
“This partnership captures the pillars of our continued dedication to enhance warfighter capabilities, expand available technical options, and deliver with impact,” AFRL Information Directorate Director Col. Fred Garcia said in a press release. The proximity of the two organizations allows for a fluid exchange of ideas and information that will deliver advances to enable Airmen and Guardians to act faster.
The partnership supports U.S. Air Force Combat Command requests to harness cutting-edge machine-intelligence research and increase the speed of command and control.
“Command and control is about decision superiority, and this partnership will improve security and protection,” Garcia said. The partnership also allows for easier creation, integration, and support of functionality and will scale operations supporting efforts like Joint All Domain Command and Control and the Advanced Battle Management System.
“This collaboration will use consistent operator-informed research and experimentation to more effectively streamline project development to produce warfighter-validated end-products,” Lee Seversky, project lead for Autonomy Command and Control at AFRL’s Information Directorate, said.
The 152 AOG will lend operators and subject-matter experts to support the AFRL Information Directorate’s Autonomy Command and Control portfolio. They will leverage AFRL’s technical prowess in concert with their operational expertise to advance the command-and-control enterprise.
“Too often, developers get warfighter input through sporadic or ad hoc exchanges,” Col. Kevin B. St. John, commander of 152 AOG, said. “By capitalizing on our proximity and ability to exchange information, we can align our focus and speed our ability to look for indications of success or failure as the operations floor monitors execution.” This allows for more rapid assessments to solve issues.
The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Air Force. The 152 AOG, located in Syracuse, augments the 603rd Air and Space Operations Center at Ramstein Air Base Germany, the operational warfighting command and control node for the U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa.