Air Force to update deployment design in Air Expeditionary Wing 2.0

The U.S. Air Force is launching a new version of its deployment design later this year, dubbed Air Expeditionary Wing 2.0, in an effort to improve readiness by forming the AEW 2.0 and allowing the unit’s components to train 18 months before a deployment.

AEW 2.0 will be implemented in fiscal 2027, according to a Friday service release, and was established after changes in “clear strategic environment” highlighted a need for a more elevated state of readiness.

“It is the next step in evolving our readiness, and it’s based on input from across the total force and feedback from the major commands and wings,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach said in the release.

Along with feedback from major commands and wings, the service used lessons learned from previous deployment models to develop AEW 2.0, per the release. These included the Expeditionary Air Base, Air Task Force and Deployable Combat Wing.

The memo states that AEW 2.0 better reflects national priorities and utilizes talent and resources more efficiently.

The new, modified version is a scalable and modular wing-level unit of action that provides a force package with the necessary capabilities to C2 and project “platform-agnostic air power in any theater,” the statement reads.

According to the release, the legacy AEW model was permitted through crowdsourcing by the Air Expeditionary Force process, a system for organizing, training and deploying airmen.

That model demeaned warfighting capability and made deployed unit cohesion and integration more difficult, according to the release.

AEW 2.0 is meant to improve agility in operations and leave decision space for combat commanders, the release states.

AEW 2.0 forms around 18 months prior to deployment to ensure its components can train and certify as a cohesive unit arriving ready to fight.

“This model allows airmen to train at home in a manner consistent with how they will operate when they deploy,” Wilsbach said.

The new model will continue previous presentation concepts, like force packages that train and certify together through the Air Force Generation cycle, which is a 24-month cycle broken down into four phases to provide a structured deployment, per the statement.

While the unit of action trains and deploys, the new model allows for the preservation of capacity at the host wing to complete the in-garrison mission.

AEW 2.0 updates also include the continuation of group command opportunities at deployed locations and the implementation of Wing Operations Centers instead of A-Staffs, an organizational structure meant to improve decision-making, at deployed locations.