Former CENTCOM Deputy CFACC highlights Kessel Run impact
By Kessel Run Public Affairs
BOSTON (JULY 14, 2023) – U.S. Central Command’s former Deputy Combined Force Air Component Commander spoke to Kessel Runners about the operational impact their applications deliver to Airmen downrange, here on July 14, 2023.
Maj. Gen. David A. Harris visited Kessel Run headquarters to learn about advances in its various applications, and to talk with employees here about his personal experience with the applications and how the unit is relied on to deliver future capabilities to warfighters.
As DCFACC, Harris used Kessel Run applications while overseeing command and control operations of the 609th Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. There, Harris coordinated assets for not only that AOC, but also a 21-nation area of responsibility in CENTCOM. He said Kessel Run’s applications gave him data in real time that better enabled him to carry out those combined operations.
Halfway through his assignment, Airmen from Kessel Run replaced his 609th AOC’s legacy Theater Battle Management Core System with their own suite of applications. Adopting the software, known as the Kessel Run All Domain Operations Suite, or KRADOS, marked the first time in history that air tasking and airspace control orders were operationally built and flown in that AOC without TBMCS and the master air attack planning toolkit.
“Your applications were so adaptable that I could use the data to work with our allies there and make a compelling argument for why I needed more assets, or certain capabilities,” Harris said.
He also highlighted Kessel Run’s unique Liaison Officer program during his presentation. Kessel Run embeds LNOs directly within AOCs to help troubleshoot any issues that may arise within its applications and also make improvements custom tailored to Airmen’s needs.
“There were three Kessel Run LNOs who were there with us,” he said. “I could give them a requirement or talk about some issues that I was facing. They would go back, or call back here, and within days I had a solution.”
He noted that while Kessel Run delivered great capabilities so far, the team should focus on how to achieve real-time evolution to ensure future warfighter needs are met in the future.
“When you start building the capabilities we need, you need to think about how agile, how adaptable, and how flexible they need to be,” he said. “You need to think about how you sustain programs like these capabilities as they grow and morph, and how do you go back into that code and update it to keep missions going.
“Warfighters need the solutions you provide, and they need them in short order. I want to make sure the professionals at Kessel Run understand that we appreciate the work they do each and every day.”
Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
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