It’s been two years since John Bordeaux, a 2003 Ph.D. graduate, defended his dissertation about the inefficient use of combat aircraft during conflict. But he’s still sharing his research in this country and abroad. After delivering his dissertation at the Command and Control Research Technology Symposium (CCRTS) in San Diego in June, he was chosen to host a second discussion session – this time at CCRTS’ international symposium in Copenhagen in September. Bordeaux’ research addresses what he considers a major inefficiency in the use of combat aircraft. “It can take up to 72 hours from when a target is nominated for attack to when the aircraft conducts the strike.

John Bordeaux, a 2003 Ph.D. graduate wrote his dissertation about the inefficient use of combat aircraft during conflict.

The problem we've found in past conflicts is that targets tend to move, disappear, or otherwise require replanning,” he explained. “In recent conflicts, the use of airpower has been more ad hoc, but a shift in Air Force doctrine is still needed to move a fully decentralized control environment.”

When Bordeaux first learned about this weakness from a colleague at the RAND Corporation in the 1990s, he knew there had to be a better strategy. “I wanted to explore the possibilities of moving beyond the scripted tasking model and allow aircraft, in effect, to pick their own targets based on opportunity. The idea is to let each aircraft (already aware of its location, its weapon load, and other attributes) … decide "on the fly" which targets it should attack,” he explained.

During his recent presentations, Bordeaux said that he learned as much by sharing his knowledge with others as they did from him. “There is no substitute for presenting your work and getting feedback from others thinking through similar issues,” he said. “Should I choose to advance this work, I have a clear direction for the next steps -- not just because of where I think it would be interesting, but because I've now spoken to people who actually work in Air Force command centers during conflicts as well as fellow researchers.”