HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. — More than 10,000 personnel from the Department of Defense, the United Kingdom, and Australia participated in a large-scale joint exercise last month to test critical command, control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C2ISR) systems and tactics.
Exercise Bamboo Eagle 24-3, said to have been held across multiple locations in the Western U.S. and the eastern Pacific, involved operational test and evaluation (OT&E) experts from the 605th Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), based at Hurlburt Field.
The squadron focused on identifying vulnerabilities in coordination between command levels while entities practiced agile combat employment techniques against a peer adversary.
During the exercise, the 605th TES conducted its first-ever mission-under-test observation and tactics investigation plan, reportedly deploying experts to eight locations. These efforts were designed to provide comprehensive situational awareness for the planning and execution of long-range missions.
Key assessments of Bamboo Eagle 24-3 included U.S. and allied abilities to execute complex, multi-domain operations and long-range strikes, integration of innovative C2ISR concepts, and friendly force awareness. Additional evaluations focused on systems such as the E-3 AWACS survivability tactics, Common Mission Control Center integration, and new software applications supporting tactical command and operations centers.
“The data and insights gathered during Bamboo Eagle 24-3 will inform a series of comprehensive reports and recommendations, which will be shared with the U.S. Air Force’s Combat Air Forces and allies to drive necessary changes and improvements to ensure favorable operational outcomes in future conflicts,” said Lt. Col. Brad Short, 605th TES commander.
