MDTFs incorporate an Air Defense Battalion for force protection, including missile defense capabilities and a Direct Energy Battery. These air defenses are vital as adversaries employ increasingly capable targeting systems, missiles and drone swarms. In addition, MDTFs include a security force to provide ground force protection when operating in non-permissive environments. Finally, a Brigade Support Battalion plans, directs and supervises supply distribution and logistics—including field maintenance and medical capabilities.
The Army is creating All-Domain Operations Centers (ADOCs) that integrate the diverse components of the MDTFs. ADOCs are intended to serve as command nodes that enhance information-sharing, allowing commanders to see data from the field and provide faster analyses to ensure that MDTFs persistently compete from home station and while employed forward.22 The Army intends the ADOCs to be “joint from inception”23—fully networked across the joint interorganizational multinational (JIM) spectrum. It is not yet clear at what echelon the ADOCs will provide this integration and whether they would function complementary to centers like the Air Force’s Air Operations Center (AOC) to mitigate concerns that the AOC is a single point of failure,25 or if the Army envisions presence from all services.
