Air Force Doctrine Development and Education Center

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Air Force Doctrine Development and Education Center
Official crest of the Air Force Doctrine Center
Active	21 July 1993 - August 2007
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Garrison/HQ	Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama

The Air Force Doctrine Center (AFDC), with headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, was a Direct Reporting Unit (DRU) to the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. AFDC, established 24 February 1997 as a DRU, was the single voice for all doctrinal matters within the United States Air Force and to the joint community. It was inactived and its mission merged with the College for Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education Center to form the Air Force Doctrine Development and Education Center (AFDDEC) under Air University. [1]

1 History
2 Operations
3 Lineage and Honors
4 Components
5 Stations
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

In August 1996, the Air Force Chief of Staff consolidated all Air Force doctrine development under a single authority, the Air Force Doctrine Center. To emphasize the importance of doctrinal issues, General Ronald E. Fogleman established AFDC as a direct reporting unit reporting directly to him. The general saw the growing importance of joint warfighting, the need to increase the Air Force's understanding of aerospace power doctrine and the importance of a single and very clear voice for the Air Force on all doctrine matters. Major General Ronald E. Keys, the first AFDC commander, set up the new center at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, with several operating locations. He assumed command in February 1997 and produced the first Air Force Doctrine Document, Air Force Basic Doctrine, in September 1997.

Since its establishment, AFDC has developed 30 doctrine documents that describe key warfighting, support and organizational concepts for the employment of aerospace forces. AFDC has also been central in advocating the proper representation of aerospace power in joint exercises, wargames and simulations. Currently, AFDC is moving beyond developing doctrine, to educate the service on doctrinal issues.

[edit] Operations

The center researches, develops, and produces Air Force basic and operational doctrine, as well as joint and multinational doctrine. It coordinates with the major commands on their development of tactical doctrine, and assists other services' doctrinal development efforts. AFDC is responsible for reviewing the application of doctrine education in the continuum of education for all Air Force personnel, and is an advocate for the doctrinally correct representation of aerospace power in key Air Force, other service, and joint campaign models and exercise scenarios. The center participates in Air Force and other service's joint wargames and key exercises to ensure scenarios provide a realistic depiction of the uses and impacts of aerospace power. It also examines, explores and advocates methods to better use modeling and simulation to support realistic training, exercises and studies. AFDC provides research assistance to doctrine development and education, and collects and maintains inputs for Air Force "Lessons Learned" which arise from exercises and operations. The center participates in developing and investigating future operational concepts, technologies and strategies.

[edit] Lineage and Honors

A major general who reports directly to the chief of staff commands the Air Force Doctrine Center. The center has a staff of 86 active-duty members and civilians. The organization consists of four directorates at the headquarters; an air staff liaison at the Pentagon; three operating locations at major Army training centers and an operating location at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

[edit] Components

The Doctrine Development Directorate researches, develops and produces Air Force basic and operational doctrine, as well as joint and multinational doctrine, spanning the full range of military operations. The directorate coordinates with the major commands on their development of tactical doctrine, and assists other services' doctrinal development efforts. It conducts historical research to support doctrine development and service positions, and participates in the developing and investigating future operational concepts, technologies and strategies to anticipate potential enhancements or conflicts. The directorate also maintains awareness of future Air Force planning and establishes policy for executing the development of Air Force doctrine.

The Doctrine Applications Directorate is responsible for affecting the accurate representation of aerospace power in service, joint and multinational events of doctrinal significance. The directorate participates in Air Force, other service and joint wargames and key exercises to ensure scenarios provide a realistic depiction of the uses and impacts of aerospace power. It examines, explores and advocates methods to better use modeling and simulation to support realistic training, exercises and studies, and maintains liaison with Air Force battlelabs to provide a doctrinal perspective to their efforts and permanent membership on the Air Force Battle Lab Planning Cell. The directorate supports the Air Force Exercise Coordination Team with doctrinal perspective, and monitors Air University doctrine education conducted for officers and noncommissioned officers in all stages of professional military education.

The Doctrine Deployment Directorate advocates and deploys timely and focused aerospace doctrine, and provides support to the CSAF Mentor program. The directorate develops and implements doctrine-specific instruction for Air Force senior officers and senior mentors, and develops and provides doctrinal instruction to selected Air Force warfighters in preparation for their participation in wargames and exercises. It also manages and executes an "accession-to-separation" doctrine education plan for all Air Force officers, enlisted and civilian personnel and provides doctrinal basics to Air Force professional military education and accessions instructors and all Air Force instructors at sister service schools.

The Joint and Multinational Directorate represents the center and provides Air Force doctrinal advocacy in the joint arena. It provides interface and liaison with other services' doctrine development activities and the Joint Warfighting Center, and participates in joint doctrine development. The directorate participates in planning and execution of joint wargames and key exercises to ensure scenarios provide a realistic depiction of the uses and impacts of aerospace power, and provides Air Force doctrinal advocacy within the Tidewater area and the national Capitol Region. It represents AFDC in joint training program development, future concepts and technology investigation activities, including Joint Vision 2010 implementation, and advocates the doctrinally correct representation of aerospace power in other service and joint campaign models and exercise scenarios.

The Joint And Air Staff Liaison Directorate is the liaison between the center, the Joint Staff, Air Staff and the Office of the Secretary of Defense on doctrinal and related issues. It advocates the doctrinally correct representation of aerospace power in publications, models and exercises, and oversees the Air and Joint Staff doctrine review processes. It is the conduit with congressional staff offices for the correct representation of aerospace power in national security matters. The directorate also monitors the timely completion of all Air Staff actions and Joint Staff actions tasked to the center, formulates and implements policy related to Air Force terminology, and provides overall direction, management and implementation of the Air Force Military Terminology Standardization Program.

[edit] Stations

Army and Air Force operating locations provide U.S. Air Force representation to the activity assigned or attached on aerospace power doctrine, organization, mission, equipment capabilities, tactics and procedures. These locations advise the applicable commander and staff on all matters pertaining to the Air Force to include doctrine and concepts, and are responsible for the resident and non-resident instruction with associated instructional materials of Air Force doctrine, organization and concepts of operations.

The staff at the operating locations provides coordination, liaison, and technical expertise and ensures service interoperability by providing the Air Force position on joint warfighting programs. They coordinate on air support for training, exercises and demonstrations, and review joint Air Force/Army draft publications. They prepares articles on Air Force doctrine and issues for publication in Army journals and serve as the on-site, local liaison with Army Battle Labs, combat development agencies and other Army organizations.

Operating Locations: