'SpecOps Swarms' wins AFSOC 2025 Strategic Initiative Competition

Published March 9, 2016
By Capt. Victoria Hight
AFSOC Public Affairs

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- The Air Force Special Operations Command Cochran Group hosted the 2025 Strategic Initiative Competition here Feb. 29, 2016.

Lieutenant Col. Paul Brister, 23rd Special Tactics Squadron commander, and Capt. Jesse Galt, 23rd STS Gold Team flight commander, and their presentation on “SpecOps Swarms” won out of nearly 60 other entries.

"Our presentation focused on how information technology and cybernetically-inspired robotics will soon alter our understanding of airpower,” said Brister. “It builds upon the work of RAND pioneers John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt and argues that robotic swarming concepts will alter the way in which we understand combined arms maneuver and future warfare.”

During the 2025 Strategic Initiatives Competition, Air Commandos had 10 minutes to introduce their idea and defend it against questions from members in the room. Ideas ranged from advancing tilt-rotor technology, enhancing leadership training, creation of a partner-nation schoolhouse and optimizing AFSOC’s role in the joint environment.

The competition aimed to tap into the vast experiences and wisdom of Airmen within the command and featured 10 finalists who presented and defended their strategic ideas for the future of AFSOC to the commander and his staff.

“This competition aims to answer the questions: ‘What should AFSOC look like in 10 years, and how do we get there from here?’” said Lt. Gen. Brad Heithold, AFSOC commander.

The winning concept will become the main focus of the Cochran Group, first developed into an actionable concept and later tested in future wargames.

“If taken seriously, the robotics revolution will fundamentally alter logistics, strike, reconnaissance, mapping, and humanitarian response...generating tactical efficiencies and potentially saving taxpayers billions of dollars annually. Captain Galt and I believe that--as the organization tasked to promote specialized airpower--AFSOC should be driving this evolution,” Brister said.

“This competition was a challenge both personally and professionally,” said Maj. David Penuela, AFSOC A-5RX CV-22 Requirements Chief and one of the competition finalists. “Not only do individuals get to share their ideas with multiple leadership levels, but they also get feedback which helps shape them and make them better leaders and strategic thinkers. The feedback goes both ways.”

This isn’t the end of the line for the other submitted ideas.

“The Cochran group will begin to break up some of the initiatives into areas of responsibility,” said Lt. Col. Caleb Nimmo, AFSOC Cochran Group director. “We will leverage our relationship with industry and academic partners to conduct research into these notions.”

The Cochran Group is a newly formed element that directly supports the commander with independent, critical assessments of proposed strategic actions. Named after Col. Philip Cochran, a well-known American aviator who used bold, innovative ideas to best the enemy, the group provides the brain power and critical thinking necessary to develop and support future-oriented ideas on AFSOC capabilities, doctrine, concepts, training, and education.

“The group is a four-person dedicated team who constantly evaluates the strategic future of the command,” said Nimmo. “They are able to step away from the day-to-day happenings, the chopping of the wood if you will, and focus instead on keeping the ax sharp for the future.”

If you didn’t submit your idea this year, don’t give up hope on being heard by AFSOC leaders. According to Nimmo, the competition is scheduled to be an annual occurrence, but it has potential to become semi-annual if the response and ideas are worthwhile.