Air Force officials are working on a new vision and governance structure for modeling and simulation that will improve cross-communication between M&S users. The new structure is meant “to enhance the framework” in which they “work together, share information, and create credible and reusable live and virtual representations of the battlespace,” said Brig. Gen. William Bender, USAF’s director of warfighter systems integration. The planned revision to Air Force Policy Directive 16-10 is still in the works, but officials say the changes will help commanders assess the changing battlespace and adapt to new complexities. “We can model a campaign for 180 days of combat involving airmen and [computer-generated] entities to give us a sense of ‘what if,'” explained Bender. This includes looks at force structure. (SAF/PA report by MSgt. Angelita Colón-Francia)
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.