Fiscal Year 2008 Research Agenda

Aerospace Force Development Program

Defining and Implementing Cyber Command and Cyber Warfare

The Air Force is in the process of standing-up the Air Force Cyber Command and significant decisions need to be made regarding this new command. This study will work directly with Lt Gen Elder and Maj Gen Lord helping to define the purpose and functions of this new command. This study will consider offensive and defensive network operations, electronic warfare, and some kinetic operations and space operations. It will be done at the appropriate level of classification.

Sponsor: 8AF/CC, AF/A8X
Project Leader: Richard Mesic

Future Air Force Technology

The American way of war involves taking advantage of US strengths of basic science and advanced technology. Maintenance of our superiority is a core mission of the Air Force. Over the last 20 years the Air Force has depended on stealth, precision, and ISR for dominance over its opponents. This study will examine: a) For how long is the Air Force likely to maintain its dominance in these areas? b) What will halt this dominance? c) Are there new technologies that could revolutionize the way the Air Force will fight? This study continues from FY 2007.

Sponsor: AF/CV, AF/A8X, SAF/AQR
Project Leader: Thomas Hamilton

Non-Traditional ISR: Toward Optimal Use

This study will examine how Air Force capabilities can be enhanced by allocating and integrating platforms not normally associated with ISR. This study will: a) Identify ISR capabilities resident on non-traditional ISR assets, b) Assess the effectiveness of particular system / platform combinations, c) Identify synergy between systems, d) Identify possible solutions to communication, processing, and process-tasking-allocation constraints, and e) Assess the ability of non-traditional systems to meet specific ISR demands.

Sponsor: AF/A2
Project Leader: Jody Jacobs, Bart Bennett

New Approaches for Projecting Military Power

Will potential adversaries and operating environments make current Air Force concepts for projecting military power to distant areas increasingly difficult or even impossible? This study will examine a series of vignettes where adversaries have made power projection more difficult (e.g. counter-stealth, cyber attacks, advanced jamming, jamming ISR, counter space, attacks on logistics, slow tempo conflict, etc…). This study will consider U.S. options for dealing with these alternative CONOPs?

Sponsor: AF/CV, AF/A8X, ACC/A8
Project Leader: Jeff Hagen

Effects of LO Maintenance on War Fighting Capability

Sortie generation of stealthy fighters is affected by the amount of low observable (LO) maintenance required. This study will examine the implications of:

LO maintenance,
induced LO maintenance,
methods for reducing LO maintenance time, and
methods to determine how much maintenance is enough.

These will be integrated into an operational analysis to understand the effects on sortie rate and survivability under various scenario conditions.

Sponsor: AF/CV, ACC/CC, SAF/AQ
Project Leader: Natalie Crawford

Maintaining U.S. Space Superiority

The U.S. has become highly dependent on space based systems And space superiority is among the U.S.’s most significant advantages. Maintaining space superiority will require large investments in its three components: space situational awareness (SSA), defensive counter space, and offensive counter space. It will also require an overarching operational concept that integrates these three elements. This study will conduct an analysis of these functions and the overarching operational concept to ensure U.S. space superiority. This effort will also include “Red Team” analyses of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) SSA efforts.

Sponsor: AFSPC/CC, SMC/CC
Project Leader: Myron Hura, Lara Schmidt

Measuring Combat Effectiveness

This study will develop a methodology for measuring combat effectiveness and determine how best to incorporate this into the Air Force portfolio management process. This methodology will help operators and budget planners understand the impacts of making budget decisions from the perspective of combat effectiveness and operational capability

Sponsor: SAF/XC, AF/A2
Project Leader: Paul Davis, Richard Hillestad

Balancing Traditional Space, Operationally Responsive Space, and Airborne Investments

Traditional space systems are expensive and require substantial time to develop. Once deployed, they are neither easily reconfigured nor modernized. Operationally responsive space (ORS) has the potential to alleviate some of the limitations of current space systems but still has some technical issues. This study will examine the capabilities and synergies among current satellite systems, ORS, and airborne systems. This study will also make recommendations on the key characteristics of future ORS systems and an overall investment strategy.

Sponsor: SAF/US, AFSPC/CC, SMC/CC
Project Leader: Gary McLeod

Satisfying the Demand for Surveillance and Reconnaissance in the European and African Theaters

There have been dramatic changes in the security environment in EUCOM over the past two decades. New ISR demands include supporting the fight on terrorism, support for peacekeeping in the Balkans, and insurgent groups in Africa. This study will identify the demand for ISR in the EUCOM AOR and identify the capabilities needed to meet those demands.

Sponsor: AF/A2, USAFE/A2, PACAF/A2
Project Leader: Carl Rhodes