ACC Deputy visits 350th SWW, stresses EMSO integration

  • Published
  • By Capt. Benjamin Aronson
  • 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Florida --  EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Koscheski, deputy commander of Air Combat Command, visited the Crows at the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, alongside Brig. Gen. Jesse Friedel, U.S. Air Force Warfare Center deputy commander, to learn about the wing’s electromagnetic warfare (EW) missions.

“What was exciting to see was the culture, climate and motivation of our Airmen,” said Koscheski. “They understand what they’re doing is critically important. They’re excited to come to work and excited to be working on their focus areas.”

Koscheski and Friedel were briefed on various missions, including Crowd Sourced Flight Data (CSFD), the wing’s role in F-35 EW readiness for joint and coalition forces and how the wing supports the recently delivered F-15 Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS). All these efforts contribute to the Defense Department’s Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Strategy.

The visit highlighted the wing’s efforts to integrate Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) into large-scale Air Force exercises, including Bamboo Eagle 25-1, the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center’s premier exercise.

“Bamboo Eagle is a great opportunity because we are killing multiple birds with one stone,” said Koscheski. “The units are getting re-blued for a lot of things that we haven’t been doing in the past because of our systems. Now they are evolving and we’re bringing more EMSO capabilities online that provide an opportunity to do effective training.”

The wing focuses on CSFD and assessment of how EW is incorporated into BE 25-1. Its overarching goal is exercising and integrating wing tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) into the Air Force’s learning process, like the long-range kill chain.

“The country that can achieve an effective long-range kill chain achieves the decisive advantage,” said Koscheski. “I see the [350th] Spectrum Warfare Wing central to that initiative for the Air Force because it’s one of those cross-cutting enablers.”

Koscheski stressed that integration is key to the Air Force’s warfighting posture.

“We must keep EMSO integrated across the Air Force’s initiatives; it can’t be an afterthought,” said Koscheski. “EMSO needs to be baked into our warfighting processes and needs to be part of our many functions we do as a warfighting organization.”

The wing prioritizes key areas to meet combatant commander EMSO prime concerns, such as data management, specifically distributed data management and the challenge of distance in the Indo-Pacific. However, that is only one part of the larger Electromagnetic Operating Environment.

“It’s not about achieving a certain [EW] capability because it’s an infinite game,” said Koscheski. “We have to have the processes and people in place to continuously gain EMSO advantage and have it normalized across our day-to-day business in the Air Force. That’s when we achieve a competitive advantage.”

The visit allowed Koscheski to witness the wing’s work to increase warfighter lethality, even while facing the constraints of an establishing organization.

“It’s tough for the wing because it’s had to build itself, its processes and even the most simple things such as infrastructure and office space while doing a very important and difficult mission for the Air Force,” said Koscheski. “To see the people understand that what they’re doing is so important and critical to the warfighter and their focus on warfighting, it was impressive.”