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Pursue A Multi - Domain Approach
To Our Five Core Missions
Born as a force operating in the atmosphere, we have evolved to the point that we now conduct some of our original
five core missions in, through, and from space and cyberspace. It is time now to take the next step – the “leap” perhaps
– into full domain integration. This involves a new way of thinking, one in which we look holistically at the best way
to integrate operations in all three domains to provide the most effective Air Force solution to any given scenario. For
example, future air superiority challenges need not be solved solely by an air-breathing platform. Our missions are the
same, but the challenges of the future and the opportunities that space and cyberspace offer demand that we approach
every mission in new and innovative ways. Effectively leveraging the space and cyberspace domains as we have
the air domain expands the menu of options for achieving desired effects, providing more flexibility in dealing with
future global challenges. The need for this integration is even more compelling in the context of our foreseeable fiscal
environment. Low-cost solutions made available through multi-domain approaches could free up precious resources
for investments in capacity and capability.
A multi-domain approach also requires resiliency across and within each domain. Constant vigilance and awareness
of emerging threats and opportunities in air, space, and cyberspace will allow the Air Force to transition more rapidly
from one domain to another when any of them is exceedingly congested or contested. For example, once our almost
exclusive sanctuary, space will become increasingly crowded and challenged. While building redundancy through
unmanned air-breathing capabilities, we cannot cede our ability to maintain our national advantage in this vital domain.
Instead, we must seek cost-effective measures that protect investments, maintain capabilities, and enable the advantage
that comes from dominating the higher ground – employing counter-space measures where necessary.
The cyberspace domain is promising for a true breakthrough in our
approach to Air Force core missions. Our professional Airmen do
tremendous work in supporting the national cyber mission. That expertise,
applied to the challenges that an air component commander faces in a joint
force scenario, could revolutionize our employment concepts and directly
influence other capabilities we may field. This is certainly not a panacea,
but there are elements of non-kinetic effects such as speed and reversibility
that may present more attractive options to warfighting commanders than
those we currently offer.
As we seek to integrate across domains, we will continue to evolve our
concepts for command and control in multi-domain operations. The
complexity of these operations will likely increase, but the mandate for
clarity of direction and control of combat forces must always be met. Also, we must approach space and cyberspace
capabilities with the same high standards for precision that we have spent decades perfecting in the air domain. We
must gain and maintain a higher level of understanding of the persistence of effects, collateral damage, and reversibility.
Only when we can make more informed decisions with confidence will we truly realize the flexibility we seek in
exploiting all domains.
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