QUANTICO, Va. -- Representatives from each Office of Special Investigation’s Field Investigation Region, Secretary of the Air Force Inspector General-Directorate of Special Investigations, the OSI Center, key Headquarters’ directorates, and OSI Reserve Affairs convened at OSI headquarters for the Command’s Fifth Annual Agile Combat Employment Conference (ACECON) Aug. 3-5, 2022.
The event continued the effort initiated in 2018 when Command leaders recognized the need to evolve and develop OSI’s existing cadre into an agile force ready to compete and deter aggression to prevail in any conflict.
Conducted by OSI’s Futures and Doctrine Cell, the conference sought to leverage OSI’s collective competence to foster collaboration, ensuring the Command’s future generations are ready to answer the nation’s call when needed.
OSI Commander, Brig. Gen. Terry L. Bullard, served as the keynote speaker. He conveyed the need for OSI to continue to evolve and remain at the forefront of innovation with his challenge to the participants.
“This [ACE] is a global effort that requires a whole-of-government approach,” he said. OSI cannot be successful without continuing intra-agency cooperation and fostering strong partnerships with our allies. Our ability to share information and build interoperability with our partners and allies is a cornerstone to our mission.”
The attendees assessed the current state of OSI’s support to the Department of the Air Force’s ACE operations and collaborating on new ideas toward greater efficiencies. This included developing cutting edge initiatives to strengthen deterrence and protect the nation’s most critical technologies.
The representatives discussed OSI’s future force and developing new models which empower OSI Airmen to be agile, resilient, and ready to meet the dynamic challenges of tomorrow. The conference also highlighted the rapid growth of OSI’s integration in ACE as a testament to the exceptional OSI Airmen accomplishing the mission every day.
“We trust our OSI Airmen to always make decisions which reflect our nation’s values and have confidence they will prevail in the face of new and emerging threats,” Bullard said.
The attendees defined a common operating picture and emerged with a series of efforts for in-depth evaluation via working groups, and oversight by OSI Futures and Doctrine for decision points with senior leaders.
For the next year, the OSI ACE team will look to capitalize on the discussions and adopt new initiatives which enable OSI Airmen to strengthen partnerships and deter adversaries.