ARRC JOURNAL
AIR C2 CHALLENGES
IN CORPS WARFIGHTING
Gp Capt Chris Mullen (GBR-AF)
As the ARRC continues on its path to Corps Recalibration - beginning with the C2 and
Close Battle on ARRCADE FUSION 17 (AF17) and refocusing on the Corps Deep Battle
for the first half of 2018 - it has become clear that there is a need to address the delivery
of Air-Land Integration (ALI); including the functionality required at the Corps level and
more importantly, the Air C2 construct that will enable the requisite authorities and
permissions to support the desired integration of effects. This short article describes
the current C2 model, why the potential to operate as a Corps in a Major Joint Operation
(MJO) against a near-peer enemy has driven the need for review, and the activity
underway to present potential options for HQ AIRCOM and NATO.
Current NATO ALI Model
The current ALI model used by NATO is
enabled through permanently embedded
Air Operations Coordination Cells
(AOCCs) within the 9 High Readiness
Force (Land) (HRF(L)) HQs; they are
tasked with providing air advice to the
Corps Commander whilst supporting
the Corps Plan, Refine and Execute
activity on behalf of HQ AIRCOM and the
nominated Air Component Commander
in the event of Operations. The AOCCs
are further supported by additional air
liaison or coordination elements from
the nominated Air Component should
the Corps be required to act as the Land
Component Command (LCC or Joint Task
Force HQ (JTFHQ) as part of the Long
Term Rotation Plan. Recent experience
on Exs TRIDENT JUNCTURE 16 and
AF17 has demonstrated that providing
support to the plan and refine functions
is an achievable task, especially given
the permanent nature of the AOCC
within the Corps. However, delivery
of an execute function presents a
fundamentally
different
challenge.
Situated within the OPCEN, the AOCC
would be required to enable the
apportionment of aircraft assigned to Air
Power Contribution to Land Operations
(ACPLO) tasks, service immediate
requests for additional air support and
manage the airspace requirements in a
potentially dynamic scenario. All of this
activity requires direct communication to
the Joint Force Air Component (JFAC)
and any Joint Tactical Air Controllers
(JTACs) supporting the Divisions and
Brigades. However, a differing equipment
provision and manning structure across
the 9 AOCCs has led to a the default
‘procedural’ position whereby the AOCC
staff enable the dynamic control of
aircraft and airspace but rely upon the
JFAC to execute the task via airborne
or ground-based Command and Control
assets.
Changing Requirement
Whilst a purely procedural approach has
proved to be effective in a low intensity
and relatively permissive environment,
where we are able to retain control of
Air C2 in Corps Warfighting
1 COD; functional area of JFAC that enables the execute function.
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ALLIED RAPID REACTION CORPS
the air and aircraft can be handed over
to JTACs in order to support the land
forces, it is judged to be overly restrictive
and time consuming should the tempo
and complexity increase. Indeed, as Ex
AF17 demonstrated, the enemy threat,
complexity, contested environment and
competition for resources presented
by an MJO will require a more flexible
approach. Furthermore, if faced with a
near-peer enemy, it will be imperative that
we are able to maximise our operational
effectiveness through careful integration
of our fires, aviation and air resources
during planned and dynamic activity. In
such a scenario, procedural deconfliction,
through time and/or space may prove to
be counter-productive and limit the utility
of our capabilities. Therefore, there is
a clear requirement for Air personnel in