MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- During exercise Mosaic Tiger 26-1, leaders from the 74th Mission Generation Force Element (MGFE) discussed how they would sustain air operations in a scenario where communication with the Air Operations Center (AOC) becomes degraded.
Deliberate planning and a shared understanding of commander’s intent is crucial to allow pilots and maintainers to continue generating sorties even if communication channels were limited.
“With the published Air Tasking Order (ATO) for 72 hours out, I have the ability to fall back and execute those operations for the next three days,” said Lt. Col. Nathan Frey, 74th Fighter Squadron director of operations.
If a simulated outage extended beyond the 72-hour ATO window, the MGFE would transition to broader mission guidance, coordinating directly with adjacent units to maintain alignment across the battlespace.
“If degradation lasts past 72 hours, we would shift to military-type orders that provide broad intent and allow us to coordinate with adjacent units without the detailed integration from the AOC,” said Lt. Col. David Pool, 74th MGFE commander. “That’s where the Wing would step in to assist in liaising between adjacent units to conduct detailed mission planning prior to execution.”
In a hypothetical comm-loss scenario, Airmen would rely on prebriefed timelines, validated assumptions and the latest commander’s intent to continue delivering combat airpower without real-time updates from the AOC.
“When comm goes down, nothing changes for me,” Pool said. “I know the intent, I know the bounds, and I know what winning looks like—we would continue executing the mission.”
Through scenario-based planning and discussions focused on mission command, the 74th MGFE reinforces how it could continue delivering combat-ready airpower even if the communication space becomes contested.