Deb Henley, 505th Command and Control Wing Public Affairs
The Department of the Air Force took a bold step toward future command and control capabilities with the successful completion of its first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, recently held at the Howard Hughes Operations Center, or H2O, in Las Vegas, Nev.
"The DASH experiment showed how machine support can dramatically reduce decision time and improve decision quality for air battle managers working in complex operational environments," said Col. Christopher Cannon, Advanced Battle Management Cross-Functional Team lead. “Battle management teams were exercising command and control decision advantage.”
This two-week event brought together operational U.S. and Canadian warfighters, industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis, or ShOC-N, software developers, to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model for Decision Advantage developed by the ABMS CFT.
“To deliver meaningful capability to the joint force, we must co-develop with industry partners who can iterate rapidly and help us operationalize software to meet urgent warfighter needs for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s fights. DASH experiments accelerate delivery of C2 and intelligence microservices that go beyond user interfaces and dashboards to directly address the CJADC2 [Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control] imperative for decision advantage,” said Col. Jonathan Zall, ABMS Capability Integration chief.
Designing Software for Decision Pressure
Led by the ABMS CFT in partnership with the 711th Human Performance Wing, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Integrated Capabilities Command and the 805th Combat Training Squadron, also known as the ShOC-N, the event focused on a critical subfunction of the Transformational Model – Battle Management: Perceive Actionable Entity, or PAE.
“This is not just about accelerating data,” said Cannon. “It’s about accelerating decisions. DASH lets us move beyond buzzwords and into real-world prototyping, software built around the actual decisions our warfighters must make under pressure.”
The Transformational Model – Battle Management: Perceive Actionable Entity function determines which actions are possible, permissible, and desirable against an operational entity, from targeting to rescue to resupply. Four selected industry teams and a ShOC-N coding team partnered with Total Force and Royal Canadian Air Force air battle managers in a simulated, high-pressure combat environment, building and testing code designed to help warfighters make faster and more effective decisions.
“Our C2 systems are still putting the burden of complex decision-making entirely on the human; this sprint starts to change that by giving our Airmen digital teammates that help them perceive, decide, and act faster,” said Lt. Col. Shawn Finney, 805th CTS/ShOC-N commander, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. “The ShOC’s H2O center serves as an unclassified software development and vendor engagement hub allowing the DASH teams to rapidly code.”
U.S. Air Force Col. Jonathan Zall, Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team Capability Integration chief, left, answers participating industry partners questions during the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) 
U.S. Air Force Col. Jonathan Zall, Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team Capability Integration chief, center, answers participating industry partners questions during the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) 
U.S. Air Force Col. Jonathan Zall, Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team Capability Integration chief, center, answers participating industry partners questions during the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) 
U.S. Air Force Col. Christopher Cannon Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team lead, center, briefs industry software teams participating in the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) 
U.S. Air Force air battle managers participate in the Department of the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, recently held at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) 
U.S. Air Force Col. Jonathan Zall, Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team Capability Integration chief, left, works with participating industry partners during the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) U.S. Air Force Col. Christopher Cannon Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team lead, center, briefs industry software teams participating in the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) 
U.S. Air Force Col. Jonathan Zall, Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team Capability Integration chief, rt, and Col. Christopher Cannon, ABMS CFT lead, center, brief participating industry partners in the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) U.S. Air Force air battle managers participate in the Department of the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, recently held at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) U.S. Air Force Col. Jonathan Zall, Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team Capability Integration chief, left, answers participating industry partners questions during the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) U.S. Air Force Col. Jonathan Zall, Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team Capability Integration chief, center, answers participating industry partners questions during the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) U.S. Air Force Col. Jonathan Zall, Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team Capability Integration chief, left, works with participating industry partners during the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) U.S. Air Force Col. Jonathan Zall, Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team Capability Integration chief, center, answers participating industry partners questions during the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) U.S. Air Force Col. Christopher Cannon Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team lead, center, briefs industry software teams participating in the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo) U.S. Air Force Col. Jonathan Zall, Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team Capability Integration chief, rt, and Col. Christopher Cannon, ABMS CFT lead, center, brief participating industry partners in the Department of the Air Force’s first Decision Advantage Sprint for Human-Machine Teaming, or DASH, experiment, at the Howard Hughes Operations, or H2O, Center in Las Vegas, Nev., April 8, 2025. This two-week event brought together operational warfighters and industry and Shadow Operations Center-Nellis software developers to prototype microservices aimed at accelerating and improving decision-making in high-tempo battle management scenarios framed by the Transformational Model. (The image has been cropped to focus on the subjects.) (U.S. Air Force photo)