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Air Force officials are reviving a deployment scheme introduced in the mid-1990s and abandoned three years ago. But while the original Air Expeditionary Wing concept quickly assembled airmen and aircraft from across the service to deploy for conflicts, AEW 2.0 aims to give the team up to 18 months to train together.
“AEW 2.0 builds upon successes and lessons learned from previous [Unit of Action] evolutions,” an Air Force spokesperson told Defense One on Friday evening. “It also accounts for dynamic operational requirements and aligns with senior leader priorities.”
The move, announced in a Friday-evening press release, is the latest Trump-administration shift away from Biden-era efforts to orient the force to confront China.
Set to launch in October, AEW 2.0 reflects the Trump administration’s Western Hemisphere focus, the spokesperson said, by striking “the balance in preserving capacity to fulfill the in-garrison mission and defend the homeland while the [Unit of Action] trains and deploys.”
The new AEW 2.0 concept will keep some existing ideas, like keeping deliberately teamed groups together for training and deployment.
“A key strength of this unit of action model is the deliberate training and teaming that improves collaboration and readiness across the service,” said Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham, the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for operations, in the news release. “It’s imperative we continue empowering wings and commanders with necessary resources and guidance to be the agile, decisive force our nation demands.”
But the concept discards the Biden-era plan to run deployed forces with a leadership structure called the A-staff.” Air Force officials said last month they would keep the existing group-level organization “to minimize change-fatigue to airmen and enable commanders to concentrate on readiness, lethality, and mission accomplishment.”
The AEW 2.0 concept will work within the service’s 24-month deployment cycle known as AFFORGEN. The schedule, which was established in 2022, has been criticized by commanders and government watchdogs for leaving bases overworked and understaffed. In November 2024, the Government Accountability Office reported that major commanders had torched the service’s AFFORGEN-related guidance as “policy by PowerPoint presentations and emails,” described it as a “concept ahead of Air Force processes,” and claimed it moved at the “speed of change faster than speed of communication.”
In the press release, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach praised the AEW revival as “the next step in evolving our readiness.” More than a decade ago, Wilsbach led the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force in Afghanistan.
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13 Comments
The AEW 2.0 concept’s alignment with senior leader priorities is essential, but it’s also important to consider the potential risks and challenges associated with this new approach, what contingency plans are in place to address potential setbacks or failures?
I’m skeptical about the new AEW 2.0 concept discarding the Biden-era plan to run deployed forces with an A-staff leadership structure, what specific reasons led to this decision and how will it affect the command structure?
The revival of the Air Expeditionary Wing concept, now known as AEW 2.0, with its 18-month training period, seems like a significant departure from the original concept that quickly assembled airmen and aircraft for deployment, I wonder how this change will impact the team’s readiness and effectiveness in conflicts.
The fact that AEW 2.0 will give the team up to 18 months to train together is a significant improvement over the original concept, I believe this will lead to better collaboration and readiness, but it’s essential to monitor the outcomes and make adjustments as needed.
The AEW 2.0 concept’s emphasis on preserving capacity to fulfill the in-garrison mission and defend the homeland while the Unit of Action trains and deploys is crucial, how will the Air Force ensure a balance between these competing priorities?
Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham’s statement about the importance of deliberate training and teaming in the AEW 2.0 concept resonates with me, as it’s essential for improving collaboration and readiness across the service, I’d like to know more about how this training will be implemented.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach’s praise of the AEW revival as the next step in evolving readiness is noteworthy, given his experience leading the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force in Afghanistan, I’m curious to know more about his vision for the AEW 2.0 concept.
I’m concerned that the AEW 2.0 concept might lead to change-fatigue among airmen, despite the efforts to minimize it by keeping the existing group-level organization, what measures will be taken to mitigate this risk?
The Trump administration’s Western Hemisphere focus, as reflected in the AEW 2.0 concept, seems to be a significant shift away from the previous administration’s efforts to orient the force to confront China, what implications will this have on the Air Force’s strategic priorities?
This shift in focus might lead to a rebalancing of resources and personnel, potentially affecting the Air Force’s ability to respond to threats in other regions.
The fact that AEW 2.0 will work within the service’s 24-month deployment cycle known as AFFORGEN, which has been criticized for leaving bases overworked and understaffed, raises concerns about the potential impact on airmen and mission accomplishment, can the Air Force address these concerns?
The Government Accountability Office’s report in November 2024 highlighted the issues with AFFORGEN, it’s crucial that the Air Force learns from these criticisms and adjusts the AEW 2.0 concept accordingly.
The criticism of the AFFORGEN-related guidance as ‘policy by PowerPoint presentations and emails’ by major commanders and government watchdogs is troubling, how will the Air Force address these concerns and ensure that the AEW 2.0 concept is effectively implemented?