📋 Tender Overview
Published Sept. 10, 2025 By Deb Henley 505th Command and Control Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) -- Bamboo Eagle 25-3 united U.S. and allied forces across multiple continents to practice tactical and operational command and control in a contested environment. Led by the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center, the exercise tested joint and coalition responses to complex short-notice threats, sharpening speed, flexibility and cooperation to defend national and allied interests, July 27 - Aug. 9. U.S. Marine, U.S. Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force members participate Bamboo Eagle 25-3, a combat-realistic scenario in combined live-fly, virtual, and constructive exercise, at the 705th Combat Training Squadron, also known as the Distributed Mission Operations Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., Aug. 5, 2025. The DMOCs live, virtual and constructive, or LVC, training environment provides a high-fidelity proving ground where commanders and battle managers can practice decision-making in contested, degraded, and operationally complex environments without risk to life or assets. (Screens were blurred and a security badge was removed for security purposes; photo cropped to focus on subject.) (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Alenne Mojica) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res The Department-Level Exercise highlighted how U.S. and coalition C2 forces operate as one team across live, virtual and constructive domains. Real-world operations at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Camp Smith were linked with the Distributed Mission Operations Centers scenario at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, while the 505th Command and Control Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida, generated a synthetic air expeditionary task force and theater-wide constructive air picture. Together, these efforts integrated distributed tactical and operational C2 forces, connecting U.S. and coalition partners in real and simulated environments in combat-realistic Indo-Pacific scenarios. Using virtual assets, the 505th Command and Control Wing roughly doubled the scope and scale of the live-fly element while providing theater-representative problem sets for the 613th Air Operations Center and the AFFOR [Air Force Forces] staff, said U.S. Air Force Col. Ryan Hayde, 505th CCW commander. The DMOC linked eight tactical C2 units, MQ-9 Reaper and naval simulators, personnel recovery assets and the Air Force Reserve Commands 349th Air Mobility Wing staff into the larger Bamboo Eagle environment. These connections tied directly to the 613th AOC and the AFFOR staff, bridging tactical decision-making to operational command. Beyond the DMOCs synthetic environment, Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and Australian Army operational C2 members served within the 613th AOC and Joint Battle Watch. Together they synchronized real-world C2 for joint air and maritime operations in the Indo-Pacific Commands area of responsibility. This included: Tasked tactical mission tasking for air expeditionary wings and maritime patrol forces Coordinated and synchronized joint all-domain fires in the JBW Integrated live operational assets, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and personnel recovery missions Coordinated directly with the 613th AOC, JBW, AFFOR and theater leadership Shown are Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and United Kingdom Space operational command and control members serving in Exercise Bamboo Eagle 25-3s Air Operations Center at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii, July 22 - Aug. 8, 2025. BE is a large scale live-fly, virtual and constructive exercise, designed to employ command and control through rapid reaction, coordination, and integration of weapon systems in a combat-representative environment, generating combat airpower while moving and sustaining the expeditionary air base in a dynamic environment. (Photo cropped to focus on subjects) (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jonathan Stephens) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Bamboo Eagle was an enlightening insight into the conduct of strategic level planning, to operational/tactical execution of very complex multi-domain missions within the USINDOPACOM theatre, said RAAF Group Capt. Jeremy Feldhahn, Australian Defense Force Headquarters Joint Operations Command, Operations and Plans Branch director of theatre effects. There were some great lessons in the command and control of these types of missions, when considering the vast distances, logistical challenges and degraded communications. This exercise showed that integration isnt just about sharing airspace, its about sharing decisions, Hayde said. U.S. and coalition officers worked side by side making operational calls that directly impacted joint air and maritime operations. This iteration expanded coalition participation at the planning level. For the first time, the Royal Air Force embedded combat air, non-kinetic effects and space experts from the U.K. Air and Space Warfare Centre into the 613th AOC. Im thrilled the RAF can now play a pivotal role in this specific planning environment at the joint level of warfare. In past iterations, our absence at this planning environment limited how U.K. assets could be tasked. This is an important first step toward routinely providing non-U.S. solutions for joint planners, said RAF Wing Commander Richard Kinniburgh, BE 25-3 U.K. lead and 505th CCW RAF exchange officer. He continued, this allowed for RAF assets and capabilities to be brought to the joint planning environment, posturing for the return of live air platforms in exercise Bamboo Eagle 26-1. For the first time, Australian Defense Force specialists and operational SMEs integrated into the JBW, providing critical insight into multi-domain operations and strengthening joint and all-domain fires synchronization. Air Command and Headquarters Joint Operations Command involvement in Bamboo Eagle was excellent and provided opportunities to practice high-end planning and executio
