Interactive Decision Aiding: Air Planning with PMESII

ABSTRACT:Air Force planners in the Air Operations Center (AOCs) have tools to help them create and revise many parts of Air Operations plans. But their existing tools do not support efficient consideration of PMESII (Political, Military, Economic, Social, Information, and Infrastructure) effects during operational planning, execution, and assessment. Our Phase I research (1) clarified how planners consider PMESII effectsPMESII effects are addressed by AOCTactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP); (2) reviewed previously suggested work on representing PMESII effects, and (3) designed an interface to address planning and assessment needs, focusing on PMESII effects. Our Phase II work will (1) refine our interfaces for use by the Strategy Division of AOCs; (2) integrate these interfaces into the Strategic Worldwide Integration Capability (SWIC) tool currently used at the 608th AOC, and implemented by ISS, which provides decision support tools to all AOCs throughout the AF as part of the system of record, Theater Battle Management Core System (TBMCS); and (3) engage AF planners to review and test our designed interfaces in training scenarios and exercises. The basis of our research is to understand and transform the doctrinally-supported AOC planning process into implemented interfaces and data structures supporting PMESII.BENEFIT:The immediate benefit of our Phase II implementation will be users of the ISS tools at the 608th AOC. The 608th uses ISSs SWIC and the entire C2Core suite. The elaborations to C2Core and SWIC for planning will be made available to 608th planners to enable the Strategy Division to more cogently examine and document PMESII effects, and make their analysis available to other members of the AOC and combatant commands such as US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM).We also have addressed a need for the 505th Command and Control Wing (505 CCW) at Hurlburt AFB. To the degree that they use the tools that we create, students who are being trained for AOC staff positions will be exposed to a software supported process to make explicit PMESII considerations. Even if the AF as a whole does not use these tools, when students are learning to become planners, they will learn methods for accomplishing a complete Joint Operation Planning Process for Air (JOPP-A) considering PMESII effects.The 505th Training Squadron (TRS) already uses some ISS tools; we anticipate having them review some of our screen designs, and we will endeavor to make the enhanced tools available to them.The JOPP-A, that we are supporting, is only a slight variant from the general Joint Operational Planning Process (JOPP), which is the basis for many other military organizations planning process.Thus what we are creating could easily be modified for land and sea forces planning as well.The JOPP is also used by organizations above the AOC; in particular, the JOPP is used by Joint Force Commanders and theater-level Combatant Commanders.. The tools were creating for the AOC could be slightly revised for these other organizations as well.Our commercialization efforts will depend upon (a) a groundswell of support from users of the enhanced tools, and (b) obtaining a strong advocate within these agencies who see the benefits that explicit PMESII planning tools would bring to their organization. There are many training and exercise opportunities for demonstrations and endorsements each year.