COMMAND AND CONTROL

[Music] in signia picked at random symbolizing United States Air Force command responsibility varies with Rank and grade from the fourstar general exercising complete authority to the non-commissioned officer supervising a small crew and whatever the Air Force officer commands he must also control at each level of command and control responsibility Air Force personnel share one thing in common they have always had to make decisions but today they must make them faster and more accurately than ever sweeping advances in technology continue to reduce warning time in relation to our nation's [Music] defense decisions that become more and more complex must be made with less and less time to deliberate critical decisions made on the spot with the facts at [Music] hand as things move move faster real time steadily compressed and available fact Gathering techniques were being outdistanced by sweeping advances in [Applause] technology speed was on the verge of becoming man's Master the human brain was reaching the point of futility it could no longer work fast enough to absorb without assistance the mass of data which the Space Age began to throw in light of new developments the manual type fact Gathering procedures were rapidly becoming obsolete needed to overcome the shortcomings in command and control was a new approach A New Concept let's imagine something like this happening a couple of years ago in an area we'll call gansan an incident occurs which leads Washington to believe enemy forces masked in the gansan area are ready to move it is from such seemingly insignificant incidents that situations are created which lead to World shaking events the situation gets out of hand military leaders in the troubled area find it expedient to request support for immediate action the message is relayed to the Pentagon the initial impact of the situation is felt in the emergency action section of the command post here on duty Around the Clock a team headed by the Air Force duty officer mans Communications equipment that links the command man post with all Air Force command and control systems and with key automated supporting systems the message from The Joint Chiefs of Staff specifies one determining Factor air support for ground troops a direct Air Force responsibility the Air Force Chief of Staff must decide how best to proceed he needs such data as all airfields within 600 Mi of Gans sand with runways of 6,000 ft or more the needed data is requested orders given to obtain [Music] it here's an example of how such Airfield data only one segment of all the information required for the operation had to be obtained in the past there was only one way to assemble such information laboriously by hand the resultant delays the uncertainties the added chances of human error messages on top of [Music] messages no techniques were available for rapidly obtaining and consolidating a variety of information from many sources for immediate use top commanders could only sit and wait final decisions had to be withheld if it took this long to retrieve only a portion of the facts needed then the amount of time needed to to resolve an entire operation with the resultant delays could deprive our forces of the advantages of maintaining the upper hand in a potentially explosive situation required data had to be cull from various locations and all kinds of storage facilities at best fact Gathering methods then took hours sometimes days to retrieve and assemble information which was urgently needed as soon as possible in order to solve a command problem and then things began to happen to change for the better developments in technology included of course major advances in the medium of Electronics our nation's security was beginning to depend more and more on speed through machines the Air Force began to seek answers to such questions as how can electron ICS techniques be adapted into a more efficient concept of command and control into a system which would Aid the human brain in making decisions which are not only accurate but faster and faster and so headquarters United States Air Force arrived at a command and control concept with data processing as its nerve center its basic function to extend the useful capacity of man's brain but the heart of this system which is located Lo at in the Air Force Command Post in the Pentagon is people many people those who prepare operational and War plans which anticipate any conceivable emergency likely to crop up anywhere in the world and those who continuously feed into the processors information from all over the world data which keeps the top command fully informed on the status of Air Force bases Personnel material resources here is a system so integrated that it selects Within seconds from literally millions of small units of information the answers to questions which formerly took hours sometimes days to retrieve this is important command and control electronic equipment does not replace but only supplements the workings of the human brain the system can supply upon request only that data fed into it by man War plans and operational procedures are broken down into small units of information card coded and electronically stored on memory discs and computer tapes from commands in all parts of the world current data is transmitted by various means to the headquarters command and Control Data processors by way of five basic autodent switching stations these stations are strategically located at Air Force bases throughout the United States information is trans transmitted by special routing indicators from the switching stations to the Air Force command and control center in the Pentagon the special transmission method links this system directly with the worldwide Air Force Communications Network transmitted electronically is information on Manpower weapon systems resources Communications weather air bases medical facilities all continuously kept current so as to advise the Air Force chief of staff on the status of personnel facilities and material this information is used to keep plans current as well as to develop special plans needed to support National policy meet political crises and provide relief in major disasters thus contained within this system are plans to implement policy plans prepared against foreseeable situations plans for controlled movement of men and material a crisis with global implications can place demands on all segments of our national resources and defense capabilities for today whatever happens anywhere in the world is of vital importance to us in guaranteeing Independence for another nation in maintaining the peace suppose an emergency does arise and The Joint Chiefs of Staff decide to implement a definite plan of action what then is the specific effect Upon Our Air Force what actions must the Air Force take what requirements must be placed upon field commanders further what advantages does this automated system offer over the former manual type procedures in supplying data to help commanders answer such questions using the same hypothetical trouble spot gansan let's demonstrate the speed with which this special electronic equipment can retrieve the information needed for Rapid Command Decisions within seconds IT Supplies data needed to move Air Force resources to the right place at the right time and to the precise extent needed effective resource deployment is vital to the defense and security of our nation and the Free World the command post emergency action officer advises the Air Force chief of staff that enemy activity in the danger area is increasing we must have capabilities to react to the emergency with speed commensurate to the reaction time of modern weapon systems so at 0900 the order is go in the command post worldwide area Specialists are on the alert with the command go the entire battle staff is quickly convened from the office from [Music] home from Recreation the officers assemble the headquarters Air Force command and control system with its people its procedures its equipment is ready to go meaning a capacity to respond effectively but just what is effectively it is supplying the data needed latest description of pertinent airfields length and composition of runways fueling and maintenance facilities availability of aircraft power units other data required from government agencies concerned clarification of treaty arrangements for overflights of countries surrounding the gansan area [Music] in a world filled with surprises and with a lead time of zero Command Decisions must be made without delay enemy action must be prevented from developing into a fullscale conflict question how to contain the outbreak in gansan how to act now in that area yet retain adequate forces on call for almost certain upheavals in other parts of the world the most appropriate plans must be selected responsibility for deter determining various courses of action rests with the Joint Chiefs of Staff as directed by the Secretary of Defense the final decision is made by the president of the United States requirements from the Air Force command in the trouble area are relayed to the Air Force command post the air staff takes the required action within its area of responsibility for instance there is no letup of enemy movement in the gansan area and the next request for Aid reads something like this more air support to transport troops needed to contain increased enemy movement this calls for additional information support Personnel to be airlifted from us to gansan area can any be supplied from a nearby command information on Personnel to be airlifted estimated number of passengers estimated time of departure can Air Force transports be supplied from Europe from the Far East estimated time of arrival at destination further information supplied number of troops already airlifted number of troops and Route refueling capabilities available parking areas traffic handling capacity all information needed to Aid commanders in making their decisions with all this information centrally stored continuously updated and available within seconds due to this new automated command and control capability commanders can quickly ident identify problems and prepare for decisive action anywhere in the world at the same time by continuously readjusting information on the status of our resources this system enables the Air Force to keep sufficient forces in reserve for contingencies which may develop elsewhere for example what if during operations around gansan another surprise development upsets the status quo additional enemy troops mass at another point halfway around the world do we have a plan for this development is the plan practical considering the gonan situation in the command post operations center the Air Force personnel have important questions requiring immediate answers what plans resources and forces do we have available to meet this new situation are they in position are they combat ready how soon can they move actions to be taken review current operational plans and modify if necessary determine status of forces of all commands many other questions must be answered what about transport capability in view of the new development distances to alternate bases time required to airlift additional forces by other routes location of required military Air transport aircraft time required to reposition these aircraft continue to modify plans to coincide with changes and operations check for Airbase saturation because of quick and decisive action things begin to quiet down in the gansan area the situation is contained within hours after it erupted what made this possible the headquarters Air Force facilities employed and data supplied through command and control aided commanders and making immediate command and control decisions our forces could quickly and effectively be deployed so that a potentially dangerous situation was resolved without delay commanders both at headquarters and in the field were able to make decisions that could not wait further this system is designed to work in conjunction with the command and control systems of all key agencies concerned with our nation's protection this then is the capacity to respond effectively but in today's world is effectively enough what is being planned what is being done to meet the demands of the future this is the most advanced system of command and control in operation today it is never static the system is designed to respond to Future requirements this includes new ideas New Concepts encompassing new procedures and Advanced Equipment and techniques here then is an Air Force system capable of meeting the needs of today and preparing for the critical decisions of command and control demanded in the uncertain Universe of tomorrow oh [Music]