Nellis leaps into future of high-tech warfare

Stephen Curran

Thursday, Aug. 1, 2002 | 9:07 a.m.

It might be 2002, but as far as the troops at Nellis Air Force Base are concerned, it's 2007 and we're at war.

The Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment (JEFX02), a high-tech military war game, is designed to simulate the battlefield of the future by testing emerging technologies in an effort to improve military performance.

The experiments brought Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Nellis on Wednesday.

JEFX02 is part of the military-wide Millennium Challenge 02, a congressionally mandated experiment and exercise. Representatives from all branches of the military were on hand for Wednesday's experiments.

JEFX02 is the fourth in a series of Air Force experiments that started in 1998, well before the Sept. 11 attacks. However, the attacks helped refine the program's focus, Myers said.

"One of the things we need to do is bring our forces together," Myers said. "We're facing a very elusive and smart enemy. The environment we find ourselves in with weapons of mass destruction and the adversary we face, it changes things."

Among the emerging capabilities the program is testing is the Master Air Attack Plan (MAAP) tool kit, a computer software package that automates bombings and aircraft scheduling orders, creating an 85 percent reduction in workload and accomplishing with one workstation what used to require 10, said Air Force Col. Bruce Sturk, head of the Air Force's Experimentation Office in Langley, Va.

"It takes what used to be a long process and punches it down," Sturk said.

While the real war being fought in Afghanistan has diverted soldiers and equipment away from the theoretical one in Nevada, the high-tech nature of the exercises makes it simple to access.

With the technology available, soldiers can simply "play it virtually," Myers said.

In fact, the war on terrorism has served to heighten morale among those participating in the experiments, Myers said.

"I don't think there's anybody here that doesn't understand how important it is to win," he said. "We're working harder than we thought we would."

Increased support of the military since Sept. 11 has also served to the military's advantage, making it easier to justify the program's $250 million price tag.

"Congress understands it's imperative that we integrate our services," Myers said. "It's important for those in uniform and in polo shirts."

JEFX02 accounts for $42 million of that total, money that also helped develop a lasting infrastructure for future programs, Sturk said.

Nationwide, 13,000 soldiers from bases throughout the country are taking part in the program, 1,500 of whom are stationed at Nellis.

Myers' next stop is Fort Irwin, Calif., where he will observe Army operations.