Secretary Troy Meink says DAF Battle Network infrastructure is ready for real-world experimentation as Air & Space Forces integrate ground, air and space sensors for rapid warfighting decisions.
COLORADO SPRINGS | The Department of the Air Force (DAF) is preparing to launch a new series of high-end experimentation exercises dubbed “Ringleader,” aimed at testing its ability to fuse data from disparate sensors across air, land, sea, cyber, and space — and convert it into actionable targeting decisions at operational speed.
Unveiled by Secretary Troy Meink during a keynote at the Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium, the initiative represents a pivotal step in operationalizing the DAF Battle Network — the Air Force’s backbone contribution to the Pentagon’s broader Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) architecture.
“Over the last few years, we’ve built out the necessary software, hardware, and network infrastructure — now it’s time to test it,” Meink said.
From Infrastructure to Integration
Ringleader is designed to evaluate how effectively the department can integrate — and exploit — sensor data collected from:
- Ground-based ISR systems
- Airborne platforms
- Proliferated low-Earth orbit satellite constellations
- Joint-force and commercial sensors
The exercises will focus on tracking multiple targets simultaneously using fused data streams processed through the DAF Battle Network and the emerging Joint Fires Network.
The Air Force’s Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management (C3BM) now holds acquisition and budget authority for the Joint Fires Network after assuming executive agent responsibilities in October 2025 — consolidating authority critical to scaling all-domain battle management.
Practicing Battle Management at Scale
Chief of Space Operations Chance Saltzman emphasized that Ringleader will go beyond theoretical integration and move toward operational decision-making under simulated combat conditions.
“Let’s practice,” Saltzman said. “Let’s figure out how we take all the data that’s collected associated with targeting, how it comes together, how it’s used, and how we rapidly make the kinds of decisions that need to be made.”
The effort builds upon ongoing space-based Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) and Airborne Moving Target Indication (AMTI) initiatives. The United States Space Force, in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office, is deploying on-orbit sensors capable of tracking mobile targets globally — a capability long considered a missing piece in joint-force targeting architecture.
Why Ringleader Matters
For years, the Pentagon has struggled not with collecting data — but with integrating and exploiting it in real time. Ringleader aims to stress-test:
- Network resilience
- Data processing at scale
- Cross-domain sensor interoperability
- Warfighter decision cycles
- Tactical development for fused targeting
Funding and Strategic Backing
Meink confirmed that Ringleader will draw funding from both prior DAF appropriations and the 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” providing the financial runway to sustain experimentation.
While timelines and exercise cadence remain undisclosed, the department’s leadership framed the effort as essential to preparing for high-end conflict scenarios where speed, precision, and data dominance determine battlefield outcomes.
As adversaries field their own sensor networks and counter-space capabilities, Ringleader will test whether the U.S. Air and Space Forces can turn global data collection into decisive action.
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-- By Sarah Darden
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