TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. —
Nearly 20 members of leadership across Travis participated in the Lead Wing Command and Control Course (LWC2C) hosted by the 705th Training Squadron, assigned to Hurlburt Field, Florida, at Travis AFB May 14-17, 2024.
The course is designed to teach concepts and considerations of integrating lead wing activities to support agile combat employment (ACE) operations within a theater.
Additionally, the course aligns with significant shifts in the U.S. strategic environment. In early 2024, the Department of the Air Force revealed plans to reshape, refocus and reoptimize operations to ensure continued supremacy while better posturing the Air Force and Space Force to deter and, if necessary, prevail in an era of Great Power Competition.
“The LWC2 course’s impact was significant in that it provided training for the new deployment construct that the Air Force is in the process of implementing and executing in Air Force Force Generation,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Adrian Cruz, 60th Maintenance Group maintenance operations director. “It provided education of the Air Force’s changing dynamics regarding Expeditionary Air Base deployments as well as the knowledge of joint staff descriptions, responsibilities and integration.”
Instructors from the 705th TRS at Hurlburt Field, Florida, taught the 4-day course, consisting of 29 hours of formal classroom instruction and practical exercises. After day one, students understood concepts ranging from ACE Fundamentals to the Joint Planning Process leading to the table-top exercise, Operation Kingfish ACE.
“The Kingfish Ace scenario is a hypothetical contingency in the Indo-Pacific theater to introduce and explore the new Air Force ACE concept,” said Chad Flann, 705th TRS operational warfare instructor. “Kingfish ACE is designed to accelerate the learning process for ACE through practical employment of airpower in an expeditionary environment.”
The exercise divided team members into three groups, representing main operating bases, and tasked the teams with developing strategic forward operating bases and contingency locations. Kingfish ACE additionally provided an avenue for cultivating mission ready airmen by placing individuals in roles not traditionally within their purview.
“Overall, the course was a huge success,” said Cruz. “The incorporation of a table-top exercise encompassing multiple facets of the Air Staff with regard to mission generation and execution will be an effective tool for upcoming AFFORGEN XAB deployments.”
The course culminated with a debrief to wing leadership describing lessons learned and the impact of the course.
“The course ran very efficiently,” said Lt. Col. Brian Trumble, 60th Mission Support Group deputy commander. “The effectiveness of going between our specialties that we occupy across Travis AFB are now pulled into this very effective team. The dynamic time and space with realistic injects was really where the ‘special sauce’ was made as we formed relationships, not only within our teams, but across the entire A-staff.”
