HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Our way of living has radically changed through the advances of technology and innovation. As society progresses, the make-up and execution of warfare is also shifting. Exercise Bold Quest 21.1, which took place July 26 to Aug 13, demonstrated a new way US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) forces can train and operate effectively in a digital environment.
The USSOCOM Directorate J3 led the exercise and Air Force Special Operations Command operations were conducted at the 492d Special Operations Wing in the Mission Rehearsal and Operations Center and aircraft simulator facilities which assessed current geospatial interoperability between the simulators.
“The overall effort was to link the USSOCOM components together in the ‘Live, Virtual, and Constructive’ environment,” said Mr. Michael Raymond, Bold Quest 21.1 AFSOC lead planner.
Air Commandos supported this effort with AC-130J Ghostrider and CV-22 Osprey simulators and crews from the 1st Special Operations Wing, orchestrated and controlled from within the MROC.
This was the first time that AFSOC, Joint Special Operations Command, US Army Special Operations Command, NSW and Marine Corps Special Operations Command all connected on a Distributed Mission Operation network.
“AFSOC showcased our capability to conduct virtual mission rehearsals in a distributed training environment and meet high-end requirements for strategic competition,” said Maj. Gen. Wolfe Davidson, Director of Operations for AFSOC. “This was a successful pathfinding effort that will lead the way toward improved virtual training between the Services.”
Augmenting live exercise scenarios with interoperable simulations has been on the forefront for AFSOC, and this successful effort to link USSOCOM components in the virtual environment is just another step in achieving that objective.