UNCLASSIFIED 6 MAR 2023
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Air Force Future Operating Concept Executive Summary
The Air Force Future Operating Concept (AFFOC) articulates how Airmen will successfully fight in the
future and deliver airpower to deter and, if necessary, stop aggression by a peer adversary. The AFFOC is
a key component to accomplishing the needed “change” in General Brown’s Accelerate, Change, or Lose
concept, guiding the U.S. Air Force to fly, fight, and win in a new era. Specifically, the AFFOC explains how
Airmen offer unique contributions to the Joint Force – and the forces of our Allies and partners – in
support of the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the Joint Warfighting
Concept.
In a situation where a peer adversary initiates military aggression, the U.S. Air Force brings trained Airmen
and advanced capabilities to accomplish its five core functions: Air Superiority; Global Strike; Rapid Global
Mobility; Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; and Command and Control. In doing so, the U.S.
Air Force creates opportunities for the rest of the Joint Force to apply their strengths and stop the
aggression. No service or force element operates alone, but in the face of the advanced threat, it is the
Airmen who open the door … or kick it down.
The AFFOC presents the current military problem as six critical and concurrent fights that Airmen must
win through “pulsed airpower,” which is the concentrating of airpower in time and space to create
windows of opportunity for the rest of the force. The Department of the Air Force’s investments in seven
Operational Imperatives will provide critical capabilities to make these pulses possible. The AFFOC states
that winning the six fights depends on Airmen empowered to make decisions under a doctrine and culture
of mission command.
The AFFOC’s primary audience is Airmen, including Headquarters Air Force (HAF) staff, the Air Force Major
Commands (MAJCOMs), and Airmen across the Joint Force who lead strategy, planning, and mission
execution in all geographic and functional combatant commands. When Airmen apply the principles of
the AFFOC, it will enable the Joint Force to coalesce combat power in unstoppable, all-domain pulses.
To do this, Airmen must be able to prevail in six key “fights” as they apply airpower in the defense of Allies,
partners, and national interests.
o The (1) fight to compete with and deter endures from competition through conflict. Even
in combat, Airmen will compete to nurture partnerships and strengthen alliances and
deter horizontal and vertical escalation throughout the spectrum of conflict. While
competing and deterring, Airmen deploy according to the Air Force Force Generation
model, fostering relationships with Allies and partners and sharing capabilities and
concepts that are integrated by design. They pre-position key warfighting materiel, create
resilient infrastructure, and practice Agile Combat Employment.
o When ready to act globally, Airmen will overcome adversary attacks and (2) fight to get
into theater. Our adversaries have studied how we fight – Airmen should expect
resistance and interference from the very beginning of any crisis. Airmen will execute
Agile Combat Employment when getting into theater. This will require Advanced Battle
Management Systems capabilities, agile control powered by the deployable Tactical
Operations Center, and Adaptive Defense to protect Airmen and operating locations from
multi-domain threats, both kinetic and non-kinetic.
