New official assigned to integrate C3BM, ABMS capabilities

The Air Force has appointed a program executive officer to integrate Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management capabilities across the service, according to a news release posted Monday.

The Rapid Capabilities Office, which had managed C3BM capabilities, will now be a “supporting element” for the Integrating PEO after it set a “strong foundation,” according to the release.

"The high-end fight against today's pacing challenge will be much more complex than any undertaking the DAF has managed to date," said Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. "The DAF must develop and migrate to a C3BM architecture that includes resilient, distributed battle management, as well as the operational ability to disaggregate C3BM execution to reduce or eliminate single points of failure for optimal survivability against emerging threats."

Brig. Gen. Luke Cropsey will serve as the first Integrating PEO for C3BM, which is a core component of the Defense Department’s Joint All Domain Command and Control effort. He will work with service acquisition executive Andrew Hunter, who appointed him, and Assistant Secretary for Space Integration Frank Calvelli.

"Luke's charge will be to build the organizational infrastructure to solve the complex systems engineering and integration challenge for C3BM across the DAF and externally, and he will be empowered as the leader to make this happen,” Hunter said in the news release.

Cropsey will also work with the Office of the Secretary of Defense and other military departments on the Air Force’s JADC2-related efforts.

Hunter will also appoint a chief of engineering for the PEO who will lead system engineering for the C3BM system of systems. Resources from the service’s chief architect’s office will be aligned under the PEO to support the architecture and engineering work.