Commander, ACC visits Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

by Lee Casillas
Headquarters Air Combat Command Public Affairs

12/16/2015 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va.  -- Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, visited the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore California recently. He reviewed technologies offering potential enhancements to ACC mission needs.

Carlisle's visit allowed him to see developing technologies designed to enhance air superiority, global integration of information, surveillance and reconnaissance, personnel recovery and command and control. LLNL is a federally funded research and development center designed to tie industry, academia, scientists and government. Since 1952, LLNL has offered potential scientific solutions to emerging needs.

"Rapid changes in technology continue to change the face of global security, so we need to explore innovations that can help us design the force of the future," Carlisle said.  "Our ability to integrate emerging technology into ACC operations quickly assures the Air Force that follows us is better than it is today."

During the visit, Carlisle toured the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and the Terrascale High Performance computing facility.  He was briefed on defense department advancements across ACC mission needs as well as energy and laser developments.

"LLNL develops expertise in new technology.  They have a history of providing significantly useful tools once mature. I explore to see if ACC can use these new technologies now in infant stages," said Col. Peter Ford, Carlisle's liaison to the director of LLNL.

"If ACC can make use of it, fly it supersonic, or apply it to our mission needs...we do not need more delay. There are timely, innovative solutions here," said Ford.
In addition to finding technologies enhancing ACC missions, another goal of the collaboration with LLNL is examining how industry and research practices might help Airmen use ACC capabilities more efficiently.

This ACC collaboration ties innovation efforts at LLNL with the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Industrial Partners and the Defense Innovation Unit experiment (DIUx). These agencies and many others are pursuing timely solutions to warfighter needs.

Ford, an experienced group commander and combat leader, works as the ACC liaison providing mission perspectives and requirements to LLNL and many of these other organizations. 

"My primary job in this endeavor is to pioneer a fresh perspective into what innovation offers," he said.