Transforming Air Force ISR for the Long War and Beyond: Wright Flyer Paper No. 36

The Air Force, and more specifically the joint/combined force air component commander (J/CFACC), firmly believes airpower must operate under the twin tenets of centralized control and decentralized execution to be effective. The Cold War ushered in an era of centralized execution of airborne strategic intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations that bled into theater-level ISR execution in the 1990s and through Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. This execution construct, coupled with ISR reachback exploitation, has created a perception that theater-level ISR operations are not responsive to tactical situations. Physical distances between the operational environment, combined air operations center (CAOC), and exploitation units have fostered distrust and removed critical insight and ISR expertise from tactical level planning and execution. To maintain ISR relevancy at the tactical level, the J/CFACC must change its tactical ISR organization and execution methodology. This paper draws on well-established close air support (CAS) doctrine and organizational models to build new ISR organizational and execution constructs to bridge the gap between theater-level ISR assets and tactical operations. These models bind ISR asset, exploiter, CAOC, and the supported unit through face-to-face interactions and standardized processes that apply across any theater of operations or combatant command.