JAPCC Steering Committee Approves 5th Gen Position & Aligns Centre’s Focus with Warsaw Summit Declaration

Kalkar, Germany. From 12-14 June, senior leaders from the JAPCC’s 16 Sponsoring Nations (SN) attended the annual Steering Committee (SC) and Senior Resource Committee (SRC) meetings.

General Tod D. Wolters, the JAPCC’s Director, chaired the SC which invites JAPCC SN Air Chiefs to review the Centre’s program of work, discuss manning, and direct the future focus of NATO’s only air and space power think tank.

Several nations expressed that the studies and articles produced by the Centre not only influence military decisions at the highest levels but are now being used by policymakers as well. The SC requested JAPCC continue to produce similar thought pieces and the Allied doctrine for which it has long been known. The Committee also supported the fairly new process of subject matter experts engaging at the tactical level to ensure thought pieces and doctrine address future needs while remaining grounded in current operations.

Gen Wolters, who also simultaneously commands NATO Allied Air Command, US Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, praised the JAPCC for proactively seeking more ways to collaborate with the EU, international and NATO entities to ensure assets and personnel are being used to their fullest potential. Supporting the JAPCC’s work in this area, he remarked, “If it’s not Joint, multi-domain and multi-national, it’s a non-starter.”

The SC agreed that a new position addressing 5th Generation systems should be created at JAPCC. The USA has provisionally bid on the position pending home nation staffing.

Finally, the SC approved 13 new Focus Areas based on the outcomes of the 2016 NATO Summit which will guide the future JAPCC program of work. The Senior Resource Committee approved a change to the organization to create a 5th Generation post. The SRC also approved the 2018 budget request and reported a savings of 2% for the previous fiscal year.