{"id":563163,"date":"2025-07-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=563163"},"modified":"2025-07-31T17:48:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T17:48:16","slug":"allied-eyes-on-the-fight-us-australian-ground-c2-team-powers-the-kill-chain-at-ts25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=563163","title":{"rendered":"Allied eyes on the fight: US, Australian ground C2 team powers the kill chain at TS25"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE DARWIN, Australia (AFNS) — \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

On a dusty northern Australian airfield, deep in the heart of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, a small but powerful coalition team is proving that command and control doesn’t just happen in the sky. From the ground, a combined U.S. and Australian battle management command and control\u202felement is operating in real time to manage the fight, respond to threats and deliver effects across the battlespace.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This ground-based integration effort is a core part of the\u202f55th Wing<\/a><\/strong>-led exercise Talon Shield, which falls under the broader Talisman Sabre\u202f2025 umbrella. The\u202f552nd Air Control Wing<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s presence at TS25 is part of this overarching effort, showcasing the\u202fU.S. Air Force\u2019s\u202fdeployable combat wing<\/a><\/strong>\u202fmodel in action. Whether operating from remote outposts in Northern Australia or established airfields to the south, these Airmen are proving that combat power doesn\u2019t require massive infrastructure \u2014 just the right people, the right partners and the readiness to operate anywhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the center of this effort is the\u202fRoyal Australian Air Force<\/a>\u202f114 Mobile Control and Reporting Unit<\/a>‘s<\/strong>\u202fBandicoot Team, where U.S. Air Force air battle managers and weapons directors from the 552nd ACW are working shoulder to shoulder with RAAF ground-based C2 experts. The Bandicoot system is closely aligned with the U.S. Air Force\u2019s prototype\u202fTactical Operations Center-Light<\/a><\/strong>. Both are built for rapid mobilization, agility and survivability, offering flexible solutions to plug critical C2 gaps across the area of responsibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBuilding this kind of interoperability is a combat multiplier,\u201d said U.S. Air Force Maj. Kathryn Martin, the Mission Generation Force Element lead based out of\u202fRAAF Base Edinburgh<\/a><\/strong>, United Kingdom. \u201cWhen we act with common purpose and in common cause, we strengthen not only our alliance, but our ability to respond to any threat in the region.\u201d\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

Martin\u2019s team is embedded with the RAAF\u2019s Bandicoot Ground Theater Air Control System, which excels in contested and degraded environments. The integration of U.S. and Australian forces at the tactical edge ensures readiness across distributed operations.\u202f\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u00a0Among the U.S. contingent, U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Kaitlin Volk and Tech. Sgt. Peyton Shaffer from the\u202f752nd Operations Support Squadron<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 Air Combat Command<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s TOC-L Pathfinder Unit \u2014 are stationed at Bandicoot Node 1 in Northern\u202fAustralia. Alongside seven RAAF partners, they perform battle management duties including aircraft fuel and weapons coordination, threat tracking and missile defense measures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis exercise has been an invaluable opportunity to operate alongside our allies and quickly respond to operations in the Indo-Pacific region, while helping shape the future of TOC-L,\u201d Volk said. \u201cSharing best practices, we\u2019ve discovered through trial and error is allowing us to expedite TTP development and focus on the future fight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The partnership is also making a strong impression on the RAAF personnel involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first time I’ve gotten to work alongside USAF members here in Australia,\u201d said Flight Lieutenant Joshua White, a RAAF air battle manager. \u201cWe get the opportunity to go to exercise Red Flag and work with Americans there, but having them embedded in our team here, in this region, has been great for interoperability and relationship building.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to work with partners and allies and develop personal relations at the operator level,\u201d added Flight Lieutenant Daniel Hand, another RAAF ABM. \u201cIt’s nice knowing we have friends in other countries that are willing to step up and fight alongside us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s work is critical to enabling the long-range kill chain \u2014 linking airborne ISR platforms like the\u202fRC-135V\/W Rivet Joint<\/a><\/strong>\u202fand\u202fRQ-4 Global Hawk<\/a><\/strong>\u202fwith ground-based C2 systems like Bandicoot and the\u202fRAAF E-7 Wedgetail<\/a><\/strong>. Their integration accelerates decision-making and tightens the sensor-to-shooter loop across thousands of miles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The mission, executed during 15 days of flying operations from July 7 – 25, demonstrates how integrated ground and airborne command elements can deliver effects with speed and precision.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Throughout the exercise, U.S. and Australian members are refining TTPs for disaggregated C2. The lessons learned here will inform future coalition operations and enhance how allies operate together in the\u202fIndo-Pacific<\/a><\/strong>.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOperating in a coalition environment brings its own challenges but also its opportunities. This is one of those \u2018once-in-a-career\u2019 experiences for our Airmen and we\u2019re so grateful to be here,\u201d Martin said. \u201cEvery time we transform a system, adapt to a new process or align with a new team, we strengthen our foundation. We grow our ability to survive, fight and win in any environment.\u201d\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Airmen are thriving in this environment because this is exactly what we prepare them for,\u201d said U.S. Air Force Col. Kendrick L. Carroll, 552nd Air Control Wing commander. \u201cWorking with our Australian teammates in this demanding, dynamic setting proves that our unmatched network of alliances isn\u2019t just enduring, it\u2019s operational. And it\u2019s a decisive edge.\u201d\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a region where speed, reach and precision can mean the difference between deterrence and escalation, the combined U.S. and Australian Bandicoot team is building the foundation for success.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

These Airmen and their RAAF counterparts aren\u2019t just controlling the skies. They are proving that when it counts, our network of allies can strike first, strike fast and strike together.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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U.S. Air Force Logo<\/title><\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"container headline-image-mobile-description touch-d-block\">\n<p>U.S. Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force Base Members, part of a combined U.S. and Australian Battle Management Command and Control element, pose for a photo with a RAAF Bandicoot system at Bandicoot Node 1 in Northern Australia during Exercise Talon Shield. The mission, executed during 15 days of flying operations from July 7 – 25, 2025, demonstrates how integrated ground and airborne command elements can deliver effects with speed and precision. (Courtesy photo)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE DARWIN, Australia (AFNS) — \u00a0 On a dusty northern Australian airfield, deep in the heart of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, a small but powerful coalition team is proving that command and control doesn’t just happen in the sky. From the ground, a combined U.S. and Australian battle management command and […]<\/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-563163","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\/563163","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=563163"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":563164,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563163\/revisions\/563164"}],"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=563163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=563163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=563163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}