{"id":526119,"date":"2025-07-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=526119"},"modified":"2025-07-11T16:33:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T16:33:26","slug":"air-force-battle-lab-advances-the-kill-chain-with-ai-c2-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=526119","title":{"rendered":"Air Force Battle Lab advances the kill chain with AI, C2 Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 805th Combat Training Squadron<\/strong><\/a>, or Shadow Operations Center-Nellis, completed another major experiment of 2025, advancing key priorities in human-machine teaming, data convergence, and emerging technologies to sharpen U.S. Air Force and command and control capabilities, Nellis Air Force Base<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0June 4 – 13, 2025.<\/p>\n

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\n Every experiment we conduct drives the DAF BATTLE NETWORK forward; we\u2019re not waiting for the future, we\u2019re building it now, one iteration at a time.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

Lt. Col. Shawn Finney, 805th Combat Training Squadron\/Shadow Operations Center-Nellis commander<\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Experiment 3 was designed to accelerate decision advantage through the development of a resilient, data-driven, and automated kill chain across operational and tactical levels of C2. It also evaluated workflows from Air Combat Command<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s Project NEXUS and integrated multiple tactical C2 nodes, while reducing risk for high-technology readiness level prototype capabilities through exposure to a complex, combat-representative scenario.<\/p>\n

\u201cExperiment 3 is a clear example of what happens when we put warfighters in the loop early\u2014at the point where concepts meet code,\u201d said Lt. Col. Shawn Finney, 805th CTS\/ShOC-N commander. \u201cWe\u2019re not just testing software, we\u2019re challenging assumptions, validating tactics\u00a0and shaping the operational architecture the Air Force and our allies will rely on in future conflicts. This was a proving ground for the kill chain of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

This event was a key milestone in the ShOC-N\u2019s 2025 campaign plan, with outputs already shaping future planning for large-scale exercises like Bamboo Eagle 25-3 and informing capability integration across the Department of the Air Force and with joint partners.<\/p>\n

Innovative Planning Shapes Tactical Simulations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Inspired by the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s Bamboo Eagle exercise series, Experiment 3 introduced a novel planning and execution methodology, one never before executed by the ShOC-N. This approach enabled realistic stress testing of emerging technologies in a dynamic, combat-representative environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy replicating this novel methodology, we allowed tactical-level participants to explore how tools and workflows could shape kill chain execution for the future of warfighting,\u201d said Lt. Col. Wesley Schultz, 805th CTS\/ShOC-N director of operations. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just about tech; it was about how that tech integrates into an operational fight and informs future iterations of Bamboo Eagle.\u201d<\/p>\n

A central component of the experiment was a dedicated \u201cStructured Demonstration\u201d period, where stakeholders from ACC, the USAFWC, and other defense organizations observed hands-on technology showcases and provided operator feedback to inform acquisition and integration.<\/p>\n

Human-Machine Teaming Accelerates Kill-Chain Decisions<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the heart of Experiment 3 was an artificial intelligence-enabled application developed under the Maven Smart System. This application offered real-time recommendations to dynamic targeting teams, enabling side-by-side comparisons between AI-suggested and operator-derived courses of action without reliance on the AI tool.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal was to measure how the machine could support, not replace, the human in the decision loop,\u201d said Capt. Abby Brown, 805th CTS\/ShOC-N Experiment 3 lead planner. \u201cWe scaled the scenario to focus less on quantity and more on the accuracy of recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The intent of this application is to reduce cognitive load and speed up elements of the Find, Fix, Track, Target, Engage, Assess, or F2T2EA, process. Differences between machine-generated recommendations and operator decisions highlighted the complementary strengths of human judgment, such as intuition, experience\u00a0and situational awareness, in time-sensitive targeting.<\/p>\n

Observer teams documented these interactions to better refine AI\/machine algorithms supporting C2.<\/p>\n

Project NEXUS Demonstrates Distributed Data Convergence<\/strong><\/p>\n

A major milestone of the experiment was stress-testing components of ACC\u2019s Project NEXUS<\/strong><\/a>, for the DAF\u2019s initiative to create a resilient\/survivable and fully integrated operational C2, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and targeting capability designed to generate effects at speed and scale enabling ability to conduct adaptive operations in a contested environment in support of combatant command mission requirements.<\/p>\n

For the first time, the ShOC-N enabled two geographically separated intelligence teams using different toolsets to feed data into a shared pipeline.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis proved that future operations can rely on distributed nodes while maintaining a common operational picture, one of the core premises of NEXUS,\u201d said Brown.<\/p>\n

Emerging Technologies Get Real-Time Warfighter Feedback<\/strong><\/p>\n

Structured Demonstration sessions served as a proving ground for commercial and dual-use technologies. Four industry partners demonstrated tools ranging from remote collaborative operations center, ISR strategy and planning automation tools\u00a0and dynamic mission replanning and refueling tools.<\/p>\n

Over four days, operators and stakeholders assessed these technologies in live synthetic environments, offering insights to guide further development and potential acquisition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese demonstrations exposed operators to new capabilities for future implementation and integration into the warfighting community,\u201d said Brown.<\/p>\n

Building Realism: Advancing the Simulated Battlespace<\/strong><\/p>\n

This experiment pushed the limits of the ShOC-N\u2019s synthetic environment to better reflect the complexities of modern combat.<\/p>\n

\u201cReplicating a combat-representative simulated environment becomes more difficult as new warfighting methodologies, TTPs [tactics, techniques, and procedures]\u00a0and technologies emerge,\u201d said Schultz. \u201cThis experiment was instrumental in forecasting the realism needed for future experiments, and we expect continued improvements in future experiments and our culminating capstone event.\u201d<\/p>\n

By testing advanced workflows and C2 decision points in realistic simulations, the ShOC-N continues to refine the architecture required for next-generation operations.<\/p>\n

Strategic Impact and the Road Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n

This experiment generated the highest number of user observations in the ShOC-N\u2019s history. Insights from the event will be compiled into a quick-look summary and a full after-action report for ACC, Headquarters Air Force, and USAFWC leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe experiment\u2019s influence is already shaping future planning,\u201d said Finney. \u201cTools and processes validated during this event are being considered for Bamboo Eagle 25-3 and potentially Project Convergence as we mature joint and coalition C2 constructs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finney emphasized the ShOC-N\u2019s continued role as a proving ground for operationally relevant, warfighter-focused innovation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ShOC enables a \u2018drive-before-you-buy\u2019 approach, ensuring the tools we field are effective, intuitive\u00a0and ready for the fight,\u201d he said. \u201cThis experiment brought us one step closer to the future of command and control.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the DAF\u2019s lead battle lab for the Advanced Battle Management System, the ShOC-N remains at the intersection of operational C2, software development\u00a0and allied integration. The team will continue its 2025 experimentation series with a fourth event throughout late summer, followed by a capstone in the fall bringing together validated technologies, TTPs\u00a0and coalition partners in a comprehensive kill chain exercise.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery experiment we conduct drives the DAF BATTLE NETWORK forward,\u201d said Finney. \u201cWe\u2019re not waiting for the future, we\u2019re building it now, one iteration at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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U.S. Air Force Logo<\/title><\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. — \u00a0 The 805th Combat Training Squadron, or Shadow Operations Center-Nellis, completed another major experiment of 2025, advancing key priorities in human-machine teaming, data convergence, and emerging technologies to sharpen U.S. Air Force and command and control capabilities, Nellis Air Force Base,\u00a0June 4 – 13, 2025. Every experiment we conduct […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":108410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-526119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=526119"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":526120,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526119\/revisions\/526120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/108410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=526119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=526119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=526119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}