QUANTICO, Va. -- The Office of Special Investigations Futures and Doctrine Cell hosted the Agile Combat Employment Conference, or ACECON, April 16-19, at the Russell-Knox Building in Quantico, Virginia, a seventh annual effort for OSI to consolidate and refine organizational strategies.
The conference, led by Vasaga Tilo, OSI Futures and Doctrine Directorate associate director, brought together OSI senior leaders from strategic locations worldwide and key operational and futures staff planners from the Air Staff to discuss critical aspects of the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept and how it relates to OSI.
For example, OSI’s Adaptive Operations strategy, wartime readiness and information warfare integration were all discussed, Tilo said.
“These lines of effort—and avenues of further integration across Department of the Air Force platforms—ensure holistic mission success across the competition continuum,” he added.
In addition, attendees had the opportunity to present and collaborate on a myriad of topics.
Air Force Futures, the Headquarters Air Force Staff directorate responsible for future strategy integration and implementation, briefed information about the ACE enterprise, with a key focus on Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s prioritization of optimizing departmental efforts in response to Great Power Competition.
Additionally, leaders from across OSI provided examples of how their units have fostered ACE strategy and their involvement in ACE exercises in several geographic areas of responsibility.
OSI’s global counterintelligence and criminal investigations mission is a vital cornerstone enabling the successful execution of OSI’s Adaptive Operation strategy in support of the ACE concept, Tilo said.
However, ACE is not unilateral. It requires being able to leverage the expertise, experience and innovation of personnel from a variety of functional areas.
OSI Special Agents play a crucial role in this process, leading strategic engagements with host nation partners to promote opportunities for increased interoperability and critical information sharing.
The 4-day conference culminated in various mission-focused working groups, where attendees contributed to the further development of OSI’s ACE and Adaptive Operations strategy.
“This year’s ACECON was a tremendous success,” Tilo said. “To have motivated leaders throughout the Air Force meet together and synchronize their efforts is absolutely essential to organizational goals. I am looking forward to next year’s conference and witnessing the creativity and passion of our Special Agents, and the tremendous impact they will bring to the Department of the Air Force in Great Power Competition.”