Kessel Run’s C2IMERA featured at RED FLAG
RED FLAG-Nellis 23-1 integrated a Kessel Run application into its operations for the first time this past January.
Close to 100 aircraft and 3,000 coalition service members participated in this large force air combat training exercise centered on readiness and interoperability between joint and allied forces. This iteration focused on the Indo-Pacific theater and the pacing challenge, alongside allied partners.
RED FLAG is a multinational exercise held at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, three times a year, meant to test and prepare service members and coalition partners’ capabilities through various real-world scenarios.
Exercise planners used Kessel Run’s C2IMERA, or Command and Control Incident Management Emergency Response Application. Its software focuses on reporting, planning, force generation, emergency management, and command and control monitoring and execution.
“Aligning the development of agile combat employment concepts with this critical capability has been a priority of the 505th since Air Combat Command directed the fielding of C2IMERA at all installations in August 2021,” said Col. Adam Shelton, 505th Test and Training Group commander, Hurlburt Field, Florida. “Merging new employment concepts, maturing technology, and redesigned wing organizational structures is a complex task. However, the teamwork between the 705th Training Squadron cadre and Kessel Run professionals enabled the integration of C2IMERA into RED FLAG 23-1 for the first time. This development will continue to improve future RED FLAG training for wing command and control force elements and will set the stage to better prepare and certify wings prior to their commit phase of the Air Force Force Generation model.”
The application uses a common operating picture and dashboarding capabilities as communication tools, which consolidates and shares information for leaders, and boasts a plethora of features to provide C2 capabilities. These tools are customizable and optimized based on the individual needs of the installation and also focus on updating and communicating data in real time to give commanders a constant picture of their installations, environment, assets and personnel.
C2IMERA was employed throughout the training to give exercise participants in multiple locations a continuous picture, in real time, of assets, personnel, mishaps, aircraft, and munitions according to Master Sgt. Kirsten Sigerson, 355th Wing Command Post superintendent.
Multiple scenarios included downed aircraft, mishaps and personnel recovery. Sigerson said she was able to leverage C2IMERA to track information and report it to leadership in real time.
“C2IMERA is a system where we have a common installation picture,” said Sigerson. “You have a full picture of what is happening real time at the location viewing such as road closures, threats to buildings, or any kind of medical responses. Anyone with an account can see what's happening in real time.”
Kessel Run is a Division within Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Digital Directorate. Kessel Run is an Agile Software Development unit building a scalable software factory to architect, manufacture and operate wing and operational-level C2 systems.
