PACAF’s trilateral AOC exchange boosts combined C2 and operational readiness

Air operations center leaders and subject matter experts from the United States, Australia, and Japan met at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Sept. 14-16 for the AOC-to-AOC Exchange (AAE) 26-2. Hosted by Pacific Air Forces’ 613th Air Operations Center, the three-day event brought together counterparts from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and Air Defense Command and the Royal Australian Air Force to align operational planning and command-and-control practices, identify gaps, and strengthen theater-wide integration.

“We’ve identified solutions and systems that we can now leverage to communicate more efficiently and in real time going forward,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Brett Cochran, commander of the 613th Air Operations Center. “We also analyzed our processes to find ways to build different concepts more quickly and efficiently, ensuring all three of our operations centers are more interoperable and capable of synchronizing operations throughout the theater.”

Participants reviewed responses to real-world contingencies and recent joint exercises to map where information moved effectively and where bottlenecks emerged. “Sometimes it is challenging to build change strictly on notional examples,” Cochran said. “Fortunately, this theater offers real-world opportunities and exercises like Keen Edge and Valiant Shield that allow us to bring actual lessons into this exchange, analyze them, and make meaningful improvements for future scenarios.”

Discussions also surfaced structural and procedural differences among the three nations, including how command authority and communications systems function during deployments. “The biggest difference we clarified during this exchange was understanding commander authority and diplomatic processes,” said JASDF Col. Hiroaki Futagi, A3/5/6 Air Support Command operations, plans, and cyber ops director. “By identifying how our respective communication systems and operational approval channels function, we can better understand each other’s requirements and overcome those barriers when coordinating together.”

Leaders emphasized that personal connections among operators are as critical as technical fixes. “The most important purpose of this exchange is knowing each other face-to-face,” said JASDF Col. Kohei Kurachi, ADC Air Operations Center head. “When our members return to Japan, remembering a name and a face removes communication barriers, allowing us to communicate faster and overcome challenges together as we expand from bilateral to trilateral cooperation.”

Though this iteration was hosted in Hawaii, the partner nations rotate hosting the exchange every six months, bringing counterparts into their home facilities to deepen collaboration. “Working together provides the essential building blocks to a multilateral response,” said RAAF Wing Commander Darrin Lindsay, Joint Forces Air Component-Australia combat plans division chief. “Whether we look at our communication networks or operational planning, the bonds and mateship established here ensure we generate real-world effects and operate as a unified force across the region.”