Distributed by design: Why Agile Combat Employment needs one platform, not a dozen

Agile Combat Employment (ACE) scatters United States Air Force aircraft, Airmen, and support equipment across austere, thinly connected locations. Distributing assets creates a major manpower and expertise challenge: not enough specialists available at every site to operate, monitor, and maintain equipment. Instead, cross-utilized Mission Ready Airmen must operate without a specialist nearby. Closing this gap requires a unified data strategy, providing remote visibility into equipment health across the area of responsibility, so experts can augment on-site teams when complex issues arise. For the United States Air Force (USAF), ACE succeeds or fails on a fundamental question: Can we see across operational seams fast enough to act? The challenge is maintaining visibility as the USAF transitions from main operating bases to…