ISR: The Vigilance Horizons Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Research Task Force (ISR RTF) was asked by Headquarters Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Cyber Effects Operations Directorate (HAF/A2/6) to explore: providing decision advantage to warfighters; examining the Collaborative Sensing Grid; and investigating the complexities of applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to the ISR Enterprise.
To answer these questions, the ISR RTF selected six Air War College and six Air Command and Staff College students, to include both Air Force and Army personnel, with jobs including intelligence officers, pilots, and acquisitions officers. Through two terms of instruction, students learned about the interplay of the national intelligence community with the Department of Defense, modern approaches to conducting ISR, and site visits to explore these concepts.
All students prepared research papers to explore and challenge established policy and doctrine. Papers explored implementation of virtual reality, artificial intelligence in collection management and sensing, identifying, attributing, and sharing (SIAS), new conceptions of aircrew, mission command in Army ISR, space deception, defining the Advanced Battle Management System, employment of special operations remotely piloted aircraft, revamping the Global Force Management Allocation Plan, developing the cyber force and cyber aircrew, utilization of open source intelligence, and organic unmanned aerial systems use in the US Army.
These papers were delivered to their respective ISR RTF sponsors and were briefed to Maj Gen Peter Lambert (HAF/A2/6 Deputy Director) and Lt Gen Timothy Haugh (16 AF/CC) to ensure that senior leaders are aware of the results of the research conducted on their behalf. In order to better inform the intelligence community, we are also making these papers available in a classified environment.