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Show July 22, 1 999 role by Capt. Le Wonnie Belcher Force Space Command Public Affairs Look-in- g PETERSON AFB, Colo. (AFPN) at ways space systems can help in "Forging a Decisive Edge" in future conflicts is one of the prime objectives during the upcoming Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 1999. JEFX '99 is scheduled to take place Aug. 18 through Sept. 3, and is the second in a series of Air Force experiments that examines advanced technologies and new operational concepts to determine how the military will operate in the 21st century. This year's event will feature an even larger role for space, according to Lt Col. Matt Mills, Air Force Space Command's chief of exercise and employment branch. During the course of JEFX '99, C2 technology integration and process development will be examined closely, and actual air and space systems will be augmented through modeling and simulation technologies some representing advanced future capabilities, Mills said. One of the main objectives of the experiment will be to test "reach back" capabilities, the ability to support contingency operations anywhere in the world from the continental United States, from a command and control perspective. This will be done by having a Coalition Forces Air Component Commander, or CFACC, and his staff assemble at a Coalition Air Operations Center at Hurlburt Field, Fla. They will be charged with providing overall C2 for the "deployment" location of the simulated theater of conflict. The Air Force Operational Support Center will stand up at Langley AFB, so pease Va., in support of the CFACC. Additional primary sites will provide direct sup- port to the CFACC using virtual C2 col- laborative systems. Feedback on the results of JEFX '99 will be provided by an assessment team and then published in a final report that will go to the chief of staff of the Air Force. According to Maj. Russ Smith, the experiment project officer for JEFX '99, space systems capabilities are crucial to ensuring the success ofAEFs as it relates to the overall expeditionary aerospace force. "In fact, without space the EAF cannot occur," he said. "The simplest example is communications. Without satellite communications to enable the en route updates g to the CFACC and the en route or actual programming of a weapons platform, the EAF just cannot occur. Period." Additionally, the less obvious role of space is the intelligence preparation of the battlefield, or the IPB, according to Smith. "Without the capabilities of overhead assets being brought to bear on any type of battlespace, there is no situational repro-grammin- awareness," Smith said. The people making the plans that the warfighter will imple- ment have no information from which to build their plan without space. Those systems enable the CFACC and the senior planners and their senior decision-maker- s to have a more complete picture. "We want that picture to be larger and more robust than what the enemy has so that we can make decisions faster," he said. "That's the whole point to get things going quicker than the enemy can. Space systems are absolutely vital to the Soit o nm 27 life and health of an AEF." Also, space systems will play a signifi- cant role in expanding and enhancing reach back capability, according to Col. Larry D. James, director of operations for 14th Air Force. "Well be looking at providing space data from the 14th Air Force Aerospace Operations Center as well as providing operational support that the theater requests." James said other things that will be looked at during JEFX '99 include the integration and coordination of Air and Space Task- ing Orders. "We're working to ensure that the Space Tasking Order that we put out on a daily basis is properly formatted and able to be integrated into the Air Tasking Order so that someday we will be able to work from an integrated ATO." The ultimate gain for the role of space in JEFX '99 may be the increased awareness among those in Air Force Space Command about their role in the aerospace force. "The EFX environment is now allowing space command to educate space operators that what they do has impact and what they do actually supports a different wartime effort than what they are used to thinking about," according to Smith. Conversely, JEFX is letting the "air breathers" know what capabilities space brings to the fight. "Space command understands the power of space systems, but we've got to educate the rest of the world," Smith said. "Whaf s in it for the rest of the Air Force is that they get to see a whole new tool box ofwhafs out there. Thafs the beauty of JEFX. It's instituting a cultural shift." nil JEFX '99 is the culmination of a yearlong effort that includes three or "spirals," and concludes with k a "execution period" that begins on Aug. 18. The spiral system helps to field new and emerging technologies quickly using commercial and government equipment. Spiral the developers and development brings operators sidebyside to review and improve the systems. The first spiral tested command and control, or C2, systems software used in the experiment. The second integrated and tested C2 system and process initiatives mini-experimen- ts, two-wee- "off-the-shel- f" at experiment sites. The third, which started July 14 and ran through Tuesday, is a dry run for the JEFX execution phase that kicks off in August. The experiment includes live and sim- ulated flying operations and related military activities designed to add realism to combat-lik- e stress-fille- d environments. live-fly All operations will occur at Nellis AFB, Nev. The "crisis" scenario for this year's event involves a simulated attack by a border rogue nation against one of America's overseas allies. At the request of the embattled nation, the United States will send an aerospace expeditionary force to counter the attack. The 366th Wing from Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, forms the core of the Aerospace Expeditionary Force needed for the response. As part of the exercise, Mountain Home must prepare aircraft and personnel for deployment and coordinate with the 53rd Wing from Eglin AFB, Fla., the core wing for an already in-pla- ce AEF. Office opens claims account 75th Medical Group closes Friday for commander's call RANDOLPH AFB, Texas (AFPN) Although the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance has changed its (T) conditions of the account brochure explaining the alliance account An information request form. , ries will see no delay in receiving the monies, 15 checks (additional checks may be to Air Force Personnel Center ordered at no cost) . according officials. This new procedure allows recipients As of June 1, payments are disbursed more time to make financial decisions durthrough a Prudential Alliance Account for ing a difficult period, according to center most SGLI claims. The account is a per- officials. .. sonalized interest-bearin- g account for ben"Recipients will have immediate access eficiaries of group life insurance proceeds to their funds through the checking account," an official said. "Although withdrawals are of$5,000ormore. When the SGLI office approves a payment, subject to a $250 rninimum, beneficiaries life insurance benefits will automatically be can write the first check for the entire placed in the alliance account in the name amount" of the beneficiary. The beneficiary can withThere are some claims that will continue draw all or part of the proceeds immedito be paid via check. Prudential has an Alliance Account Serately or leave the funds in the account to earn interest from the date the alliance vice Center exclusively dedicated to answeraccount is opened. ing beneficiary questions about the account As soon as the account is opened, the benRepresentatives are available weekdays eficiaries are mailed an alliance account kit from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ESTat Included in the package is: For questions, contactyour local military A cover letter. personnel flight customer service branch. A certificate outlining the terms and (Courtesy ofAFPC News Service) Auser-friendl- y 1877-255426- 2. Hill AFB 5-d- ay r Today weather outlook Friday The 75th Medical Group Command Section will "close at noon Friday for an Extended Commander's Call. The office will reopen Monday. Most duty sections within the 75th Medical Group will close at noon Friday for the meeting. Family Practice and Flight Medicine clinics will be open for afternoon sick call, and the TRICARE Prime Urgent Care Clinic and Ambulance Service will remain open. The Pharmacy, Laboratory, Radiology and Outpatient Records will operate with reduced staffing. Customer service section closes for computer installation, upgrade The Military Personnel Flight customer service section, Bldg. 180, will y be closed lation of new computers. for instal- Monday-Wednesda- ID Cards won't be issued during the closure. Normal hours will resume Thursday. The section is installing new equipment to access Defense Eligibility Enrollment and Reporting Sys Saturday 7N s tem computers. Access to the Unit Personnel Record Groups will be available on Monday and Tuesday only. Customer service will be closed all day Wednesday for training. In addition, ID card ofSees for the 419th Fighter Wing and for Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City will be closed all week. Sunday Monday ft ft JJ 929 High 659 Low Mostly sunny with a chance of afternoon 92s High 659 Low 902 High 639 Low 909 High . 60Q Low 879 High 61 9 Low Mostly sunny Mostly sunny Partly cloudy Partly cloudy thunderstorms o Recorded nearer info 777-284- 3 |