U.S. Air Force Electronic Systems Center - development and implementation of command and control systems

DISAM Journal, Summer, 2001 by Kevin Gilmartin

A Leader in Command and Control Systems

The Electronic Systems Center (ESC) is a world leader in developing and fielding command and control systems. We manage more than 200 such programs that serve as the eyes and ears of war-fighting commanders. These advanced systems gather information on a myriad of subjects from enemy troop movements to control of an airborne armada. They enable commanders to cut through the fog of war and achieve decisive battlefield victories by helping them make informed decisions and quickly pass those decisions to troops on board aircraft or in the field.

Many of ESC's programs, such as Joint STARS, AWACS, Constant Source Intelligence Systems and the Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center, performed well in Operation Desert Storm, and more recently in Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia. As the world enters a new century, ESC continues its Air Force leadership role for the development of command and control systems.

Our Programs

Today, ESC is working to acquire sophisticated systems dedicated to battle surveillance, data transmission and intuitive information display. In this regard, ESC is providing tomorrow's technology to America 's warfighters today.

AWACS: The Next Generation

One of ESC's best known programs is the Airborne Warning and Control System, or AWACS. With a combat-proven track record for performance, AWACS is a popular system among our allies. ESC has designed a version of AWACS for the Japanese Self-Defense Force using the Boeing 767 airframe as a platform.

Another of ESC's premier programs is the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, or Joint STARS. Joint STARS, using a modified Boeing 707 as a platform, has a revolutionary radar system mounted in a canoe-shaped covering under the forward fuselage. Joint STARS provides Army and Air Force commanders with real-time data on ground targets such as tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Superior Intelligence

Providing warfighting commanders with a clear picture of the enemy's strengths and locations offers an intelligence capability that allows them to better predict when and where an enemy might strike. It also gives commanders the information needed to locate, assess and strike critical targets quickly.

ESC is developing numerous programs that rely on satellite imagery, airborne and fixed-site broadcast terminals, as well as mobile ground-based receivers to provide theater commanders with critical intelligence information that allows them to act within the enemy's decision cycle.

Force Protection

Physical security of our nation's military assets is another major thrust of ESC. The center is currently developing multiple programs for electronic surveillance, detection and identification of unauthorized intruders, increasing the effectiveness of U.S. Air Force security police. Among these programs are systems to protect two of the Air Force's most valuable assets, the F-117 stealth fighter and the B-2 stealth bomber.

Mission Planning

ESC has radically changed the way pilots plan and execute their missions. Today, ESC has automated total mission planning, from air tasking order to debrief. Pilots can now plan missions on a computer, accessing the latest weather, reconnaissance and enemy threat and target data. The Air Force Mission Support System, developed by ESC, includes a portable system designed to fully support deployment operations. ESC is also leading the way in developing joint mission planning systems, allowing the Air Force and its sister services to plan missions in concert with one another.

Information Warfare

Within today's information domain, events are seen and felt at the speed of light. If we can analyze, assess and act faster than our adversary, we will win. ESC is the Air Force Materiel Command's lead organization for research, development, test, fielding, and support for information warfare capabilities. The center is evaluating and fielding several information warfare products and services to support the warfighters' information operations mission.

Five Locations

ESC consists of five locations: Hanscom Air Force Base headquarters, the Standard Systems Center at Gunter Annex, Alabama, the 38th Engineering Installation Wing at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Materiel Systems Group at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and Cryptologic Systems Group at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas.

Strategic Goals

ESC is changing the way it does business to keep pace with the rapidly advancing information technology.

Information technology leapfrogs every eighteen months, making last year's computers far less capable than those currently on the shelf. Similar advances are being made in software development and integration of software applications. Many military command and control systems use similar computer and communications technology and thus experience the same turnover times.

Taking Advantage of Technology

To ensure ESC sets the pace with technology, we have adopted strategic goals that include achieving acquisition cycles of eighteen months or less from program start to first item delivery; developing systems that are fully interoperable using the Defense Information Infrastructure common operating environment; and reducing the cost of command and control system acquisition. These goals will be accomplished by ESC pioneering the evolutionary spiral development process and using commercial off-the-shelf and government off-the-shelf products whenever possible.