As enemy armored units threaten to overrun coalition forward lines, the Finnish Defence Forces Company Commander tries to contact the supporting Joint Air Ground Integration Center (JAGIC) to request fires. Enemy jamming has degraded voice radio communications. The supporting Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) requests immediate close air support (CAS) by sending a digital joint tactical air strike request to the JAGIC. The JAGIC, manned by U.S., Swedish and Finnish personnel, determines CAS is the best joint fires solution. The JAGIC digitally assigns two on-station Danish Air Force F-16C fighters to provide the required CAS while an airborne Royal Air Force MQ-9 shifts its orbit to provide follow-on CAS support. As the F-16s approach the target, the section leader informs the JTAC they are “digital capable� and the JTAC transmits his digital SITREP.
Digital systems in aircraft and Digitally-Aided Close Air Support (DACAS) ground kits provide significant benefits that improve CAS planning and execution. DACAS allows the use of digital messages to expedite communications, rapidly build shared situational awareness, reduce human error and shorten the kill-chain. DACAS is an increasingly important operational capability. However, with rare exceptions, current joint fires simulators do not support DACAS, leaving a gap between how joint fires personnel operate in the real world and how they maintain readiness.
How do we close this gap so warfighters can build and maintain the proficiency required to conduct effective joint and coalition DACAS missions? What role can simulation play in maintaining DACAS readiness? How do we make sure our traditional training strategies and methods are still relevant in an increasingly complex, digital world?
Building on our previous work (Reitz and Seavey, 2014), this paper discusses the challenges faced in developing DACAS capabilities in simulation to close this training gap across the Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) continuum.
Bridging the Joint Close Air Support Training Gap
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