by Lt. Col. Dan Radcliff

AFBL-IPT Coordinator

Kelly Air Force Base, Texas

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Supporting all six of the Air Force battlelabs is one of the Air Intelligence Agency's top priorities. Col. James Enger, AIA's director of operations, directed the establishment of the Integrated Product Team to develop a support plan for providing intelligence and information operations support to the battlelabs last December when the idea of a battlelab was just an idea. By working with the battlelabs early on, our vision of support would change, grow and gel along with the battlelab concept itself. This way, AIA would be in the best position to fully support them when they became fully operational. The integrated product team members, mostly from the headquarters staff, brought their own unique perspective and expertise to the table. Each member was assigned a battlelab to act as the single point of contact for AIA based on their expertise.

Left, Capt. Roy Ellis, Maj. James Flavell, Lt. Col. Dan Radcliff and Maj. Mark Picton discuss the relationship between AIA and the battlelabs.

Lt. Col. Tony Tolbert, a career security policeman and the headquarters' point of contact for force protection issues, was assigned to the Force Protect Battlelab. Maj. Mark Picton, an F-16 fighter pilot, was assigned to work with the Air Expeditionary Force Battlelab. Maj. Jim Flavell, who comes to us from Space Command, is the Space Battlelab POC.

The Information Warfare Battlelab POC is Andi Calder, a GS-13, who has been working information operations issues for the headquarters for years. Capt. Roy Ellis, a command and control expert, is our Battle Management Battlelab representative.

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab POC is Capt. Larry Roche, from the Collection Operations Branch.

Finally, since communication connectivity will play such a pivotal role in AIA's support to all the battlelabs, Capt. Brownyn Hutchins is working to develop the overall communication connectivity architecture for all the battlelabs.

When they first met, they established the IPT Charter and the headquarters' "vision" for supporting the battlelabs was established.

The charter was simple. Open up lines of communication with the battlelabs while in their infancy, help battlelab commanders determine their needs and identify deficiencies. Also, develop an action plan to reach our Vision, implement the plan and continue to act as the single entry POC to AIA.

Our vision is to provide the battlelabs with fused, integrated, timely intelligence and information operations support, and to institutionalize AIA as the focal point for all information operations and intelligence support to the Air Force battlelabs.

It became evident that we would require the efforts of all of AIA, not just the headquarters. Membership to the IPT was opened to the National Air Intelligence Center, Air Force Information Warfare Center and the 67th Intelligence Wing. The expanded IPT assembled at AIA to develop the Air Force Battlelab Support Action Plan.

They brainstormed short-term and long-term objectives for reaching our vision, creating the action plan. It was briefed to the Planning Implementation Panel, the entry point to the corporate structure, and then brought before the corporate board where it was approved.

The first true "acid test" for the plan came during the Battlelab Commander's conference, which AIA hosted in April. The commanders and the newly appointed Battlelab Integration Division Chief all embraced the plan and agreed that AIA is in the best position to provide them the intelligence and information operations support needed as they prove innovative concepts and help the Air Force step into the 21st century.

Vist the AIA-IPT Homepage for more information about AIA's Air Force Battlelab Support Plan.

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