A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II pilot conducts a systems check in an undisclosed location on Dec. 11, 2024. A Rand Corp. report released on April 18, 2025, found that airmen are confused on elements of Agile Combat Employment, a combat strategy introduced by the service in 2021, and that ACE efforts suffer from understaffing. (Ricky Arnold/U.S. Air Force)
Shortfalls in staffing, organization and training could undermine the Air Force’s execution of its maneuver concept for modern warfare, according to a recent report.
Introduced in late 2021, the Agile Combat Employment strategy to spread out forces and equipment across smaller, remote locations has faced challenges and confusion in execution, Rand Corp. researchers said in an April 18 report.
The Air Force intended ACE to offer combat strength through flexibility via a shift away from large, traditional air bases to smaller, forward-operating expeditionary units on airfields that could be used during crises.
However, Rand found that current combat support elements — such as maintenance, logistics, engineering and force-protection specialties — remain undertrained and undermanned to participate as anticipated.
Such activities do not provide adequate preparation for turning these personnel into what are referred to as “mission-ready airmen.”
In a 2024 article in Air & Space Forces Magazine, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi explained that term.
“Mission ready is very specific,” Flosi said. “It means you are assigned to a specific organization that is going to employ a certain airpower methodology in a contested environment and we need you to be ready to execute that mission.”
But airmen interviewed by the study’s authors reported confusion on what qualifies an airman as mission ready, prompting Rand to recommend that the Air Force communicate more detailed guidance.
Additionally, wings might not prioritize the development of combat support airmen into mission-ready airmen unless training and proficiency standards are established, according to Rand.
The report cited a lack of cross-training as a significant barrier to producing mission-ready personnel.
Staffing remains another concern. While ACE relies on small units, referred to as air task forces, the report noted many of those units have struggled to fill key specialties.
Sourcing combat support airmen “from the same bases will likely continue to be a challenge for (air task forces) and combat wings,” the report said.
Part of the issue is some specialties are stressed in their current base environments, which still need to be supported while the ACE units are active, researchers noted.
Among other proposals, the report suggested the Air Force use alternative career field-management approaches and have civilians fill more combat-support roles on bases.
It also recommended that the service ensure there are enough properly trained airmen expected to remain in specific fields who are capable of serving in ACE units for adequate periods of time.
