STATEMENT BY
LIEUTENANT GENERAL DANIEL P. LEAF
VICE COMMANDER
AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND
BEFORE THE
UNITED STATES HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
TERRORISM, UNCONVENTIONAL THREATS AND
CAPABILITIES SUBCOMMITTEE
21 OCTOBER 2003
Mr.
Chairman and members of the Committee:
On
behalf of the outstanding men and women of
the United States Air Force, thank you for
this opportunity to appear before you
today. It is a privilege to testify on
Command, Control, Communications, Computer
and Intelligence (C4I) Interoperability:
New Challenges in 21st Century
Warfare. I had the honor to help defend
this great nation during Operation Iraqi
Freedom (OIF) as Director, Air Component
Coordination Element with the Coalition
Forces Land Component Commander in Kuwait
and Iraq. I want to thank all of you for
your continuing support to the armed forces.
The
Armed Services have made remarkable advances
in interoperability. Since Operation Desert
Storm, we have solved several major
problems—timely sharing of tasking orders,
common situational awareness tools and
improved communications. We embrace a
common operating environment that enables
communication among component commanders and
coalition forces through classified computer
networks and video teleconferences. These
advances are mandated to us through the
joint community and codified in Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instructions (CJCSI).
Our requirements are driven by key
performance parameters to ensure
interoperability.
Beyond
technical interoperability is what I label
“conceptual interoperability.” The secret
to success in OIF was the working
relationship between the Coalition Forces
Air Component Commander, General Michael
Moseley, Coalition Forces Land Component
Commander, Lieutenant General David
McKiernan, Coalition Forces Maritime
Component Commander, Vice Admiral Timothy
Keating, and the Commander of Special
Operations, Brigadier General Gary Harrell.
This team of commanders demonstrated the
understanding and appreciation for the
missions and assigned tasks of each service
in coalition warfare. They understood
conceptual interoperability is more than the
capabilities of individual weapons systems
and the associated tactics, techniques and
procedures.
Conceptual interoperability is when we
foster teamwork. As a warrior, trust is
crucial. We have learned the hard lesson
that we must cooperate to overcome the
competing priorities in warfare with
overlapping and integrating capabilities.
The commanders in OIF balanced their
individual perspectives to achieve the
objectives established by the President.
For example, General Moseley knew that
destroying enemy air defenses was paramount
to the 3rd Infantry Division’s
march to Baghdad. He directed the
systematic destruction of Iraqi
surface-to-air missile systems through the
“kill chain” process. Coalition forces
would find, fix, track, target, engage and
assess through persistent air and space
superiority. This enabled the land
component freedom to operate their forces
and achieve tactical advantage over opposing
ground forces.
Finally,
I must acknowledge that C4I Interoperability
is a product of smart, young troops in the
field. Their innovative use of technology
in a disciplined manner is vital to our
success. Our ability to use software to
chat and collaborate with each other
improves our lethality. As an example,
FalconView software is a simple map program
that runs on a standard personal computer.
It not only allows aircrews to mission plan
at the tactical level but also allows us to
share flight routes, threats and imagery
with the other components improving
situational awareness.
We
recognize we must continue to move forward
through service partnerships. We are
committed to partnerships at the most senior
service levels to cultivate good behavior
patterns amongst all ranks. We are also
committed to developing new technologies.
Blue Force Tracking is a possible joint tool
to help with combat identification of
friends or foes. As we move forward in the
21st Century, our
interoperability is necessary to meet the
challenges of tomorrow. We appreciate your
continued support.
Again, I
am honored to appear before you and look
forward to your questions.
