Transforming Air Force intelligence.

• Author: Deptula, David A.
• Position: GOVERNMENT POLICY

Often I've been asked if Air Force intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) can afford to transform in the middle of a war. My answer is simply that we can't afford not to.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley began the transformation of ISR in February 2006. This initiative is aimed at ensuring our forces are postured for full-spectrum operations in today's new security environment. Regarding ISR specifically, Moseley recognized that the demands of today's global war on terror far outstrip anything that was required of intelligence during the Cold War.

We no longer have the luxury of facing off against a leviathan that is incapable of hiding or surprising. Today's enemies exist in pockets of twos and threes, hidden in caves or deserts or amongst innocent civilians from whom they are virtually indistinguishable. Enormously ISR-intensive efforts are often required to "find and fix" these enemies before kinetic effects can be employed to "finish" them.

Times have changed since the days when the preponderance of both effort and effect was the exclusive domain of "ops," and "intel" played a limited supporting role. To reflect these changes, Moseley elevated the Air Force A2 to a three-star deputy chief of staff position, no longer subordinate to operations as had historically been the case.

Charged with transforming Air Force ISR as the new deputy chief of staff for intelligence, I divided the task into three areas: ISR capabilities, organization and personnel.

Regarding capabilities, we are changing the way we manage Air Force ISR resources. Historically, we have used "program elements" structured according to platforms. One major transformation effort entails creating a capabilities-based construct for ISR resource management. The goal is to move beyond the focus on platforms--that results in stovepipes and systems incapable of integration--and instead to develop and field a seamless array of capabilities that can be integrated horizontally, vertically, over time and jointly.

Another aspect of transforming ISR capabilities deals with ensuring we maintain our technological edge over our adversaries. While we may have a virtually limitless capacity for high-tech innovation, we are constrained by funding limits. Consequently, in addition to fielding new capabilities, we're simultaneously extending the useful lives of our ISR workhorses. For example, our nation's premier airborne signals-intelligence platform, the RC-135...