DAF battle network accelerates multi-domain integration, boosts decision advantage

Senior Air Force and Space Force leaders said the Department of the Air Force’s Battle Network has moved from concept to operational reality, detailing new capabilities, joint integration and acquisition authorities during a Sept. 15 panel at the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor.

The discussion, titled “DAF Battle Network: Why is it crucial?” and moderated by Heather Penney of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, underscored that commanders and joint warfighters are already employing the network in real time.

“The DAF Battle Network is not about a single platform or program,” said Brig. Gen. Joshua Williams, the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management. “It is about connecting the capabilities the department already has, bringing in the capabilities it needs next, and making sure they work together to give warfighters resilient decision advantage.”

Williams outlined how a mission-focused acquisition model launched in January 2026 gives his office DAF-level authority to enforce open-architecture standards and certify interoperability across roughly 50 core programs of record and beyond—an approach he said is designed to integrate at scale.

“It takes extreme teamwork with our PAE and other PAEs across the Air Force,” Williams said. “And it takes Dr. Tipton’s team building the foundation that is the DAF Battle Network in order to truly integrate to scale ahead of the threat.”

Dr. Bryan Tipton, chief of architecture and systems engineering for C3BM, pointed to tangible outcomes that have already reached the field, including hybrid architecture, edge computing, air operations center upgrades and deployment of the Tactical Operations Center–Light prototype. He cited integration with the Navy and the Joint Fires Network to move JFN into test and operational use, bringing artificial intelligence into AOCs and enabling dynamic mission planning.

“We’re also overhauling beyond-line-of-sight and line-of-sight communications,” Tipton continued. “Ground and air capabilities are now connecting to the Space Force’s Space Data Network. Looking forward, a good DAF Battle Network is one where integration becomes easy.” He said major emerging efforts are also underway in point defense and AI. “The future is now, and it’s real,” he said.

Tipton emphasized that a resilient, multilayered transport backbone is essential for moving data under intense electronic warfare, enabling the joint force to complete long-range kill chains at speed. “The DAF Battle Network is designed as a system of systems, not as a single-domain solution,” he said. “Different layers provide different operational value, and the strength of the architecture comes from integration across those layers.”

Col. Raj Agrawal, the military deputy for space for C3BM, described how space-based assets—including the Space Data Network and moving target indicators—sync in real time with airborne platforms to provide redundancy and tactical options across domains. “Operators and acquirers are both warfighters,” Agrawal said. “If an operator isn’t inviting acquirers into joint planning sessions, or if an acquirer isn’t engaging operators, they are missing the mark. Our senior leaders have made it possible for us to work together; now it’s time for the joint force to execute as one unified team.”

Panelists concluded that success will be measured less by roadmaps or the number of systems fielded and more by the operational choices available to commanders today—options intended to deliver decision advantage in dynamic, contested environments.