Common Aviation Command and Control System: Worth the Wait

摘要

Initially scheduled for full operational capability (FOC) in 2008, the Common Aviation Command and Control System's (CAC2S) current FOC target date is unknown. Plagued by recent setbacks, the program has received intense scrutiny with regard to delays and overall viability. CAC2S is designed to support the Marine Corps' 'capstone warfighting concept, expeditionary maneuver warfare (EMW),' as well as to ensure success during naval and joint/combined operations across the spectrum of conflict. CAC2S will replace the 'current stove-piped systems, organizations, and missions'...with 'a common, interoperable, accessible, single command and coordination process.' The stove- piped systems that CAC2S is designed to replace come from the Direct Air Support Center (DASC), Tactical Air Operations Center (TAOC), and Tactical Air Command Center (TACC). CAC2S was featured on the Marine Corps' 'EMW Capability List,' which was issued by the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in June 2003. However, in May 2008, during an operational assessment, the CAC2S' performance was deemed subpar: the system 'consistently experienced network instability, poor reliability, information assurance inadequacies, and overall performance issues.' In addition, failures to fulfill initial operational capability criteria have occurred. Consequently, the Marine Corps decided to postpone the awarding of a low-rate initial production (LRIP) contract and to restructure the entire program. Nevertheless, CAC2S' developmental delays will ultimately be outweighed by long-term gains in the form of enhanced capabilities that will allow the MACCS to operate more effectively in expeditionary environments, integrate with joint and coalition partners to higher degrees, and enable more accurate and timely decisions.