Optimizing Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) for Low Observable Strike Assets in the Indo-Pacific Area of Responsibility

In his opening remarks to Congress on the 2018 National Defense Strategy NDS, then Secretary of Defense Mattis emphasized that the military cannot expect success fighting tomorrows conflicts with yesterdays weapons or equipment. This is especially true regarding the current Command and Control C2 structure supporting Low Observable LO Strike assets, considering that the most widely employed C2 tactical datalink Link 16 was initially created in 1975, the iron triad C2 platforms averaged only 60-66 percent mission capable rates in Fiscal Year 2018, and advanced adversary weapons such as the CH-AA-10 and CH-AA-X-12 are pushing airborne C2 assets farther and farther from the fight. Todays Joint C2 assets and infrastructure would be hard pressed to help LO Strike assets win yesterdays fight against an Indo-Pacific modernized peer threat. Using an analysis of the limitations of the current centralized control C2 structure and doctrine in a peer-level fight and an application of the Agile Combat Employment ACE fundamentals to Joint C2, this paper argues that in order to support LO Strike assets against threat nations with Anti-Access and Area Denial A2AD weapons in the Indo-Pacific, Joint C2 must be re-structured to enable distributed, de-centralized control. This paper then outlines requirements for the next generation tactical datalink to support this de-centralized command and control of LO Strike assets.