Theater Battle Management (TBM) C4I

Theater Battle Management (TBM) C4I, Program Element 0207438F, funds joint-partner requirements for the Air Operations Center (AOC) Weapon System Modification effort. Its sole project, Applications Development, delivers command-and-control (C2) capabilities identified in the 2013 Joint Command and Control Capability Development Document. The work is funded through the Air Force Research, Development, Test & Evaluation appropriation under Budget Activity 7, Operational Systems Development. That category covers upgrades to fielded systems or systems approved for full-rate production.

Applications Development provides worldwide operational C2 capabilities for the Air Force in support of the Department of War, coalition partners, and other government agencies. Its principal operational focus is the Joint Forces Air Component Commander (JFACC), who provides air, space, and cyber support to Air Force and joint-service C2 systems. In FY 2027, the project will develop software to build, disseminate, and execute the Master Air Attack Plan (MAAP). It also provides an Airspace Management tool for constructing airspaces, evaluating requests, and generating the Airspace Control Order (ACO) instantaneously.

The software is intended for inclusion in AOC Weapon System modifications, incrementally replacing the Master Air Attack Plan-Toolkit (MAAPTK) and portions of the Theater Battle Management Core System Force Level (TBMCS FL). FY 2026 work delivered software toward that replacement; FY 2027 work will continue delivery to the larger AOC Weapon System Modifications program under PE 0207410F. The requested-year effort will also support the AOC's transition from legacy to modernized systems. These are operational changes to planning and airspace-management workflows, not a standalone replacement of the entire AOC weapon system.

Applications Development depends on the All Domain Common Platform (ADCP), an extensible cloud-based infrastructure and platform-as-a-service environment that hosts resilient mission applications and data for Airmen deployed worldwide. Its work also aligns with Air Force investments in Mission Planning Systems, the AOC, the Command and Control Incident Management Emergency Response Application (C2IMERA), the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), and Flight Ops. Together, these interdependent efforts deliver the Theater Air Planning System of Systems (TAP-SoS) architecture for the DAF BATTLE NETWORK. TAP-SoS supports deliberate planning, dynamic mission replanning, friendly order-of-battle management, and mission tasking and execution.

The acquisition approach uses the Software Acquisition Pathway, agile development, and evolutionary modification of existing capabilities to standardize and modernize C2 applications. Teams engineer, integrate, and test software using test-driven development and continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) processes. The objective is to deliver effective operational capabilities iteratively while supporting their integration into AOC modifications. The schedule identifies C2 Applications Development as an activity running from the first quarter of FY 2025 through the fourth quarter of FY 2031.

Program Executive Office Digital at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, directs program management. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), also at Hanscom, serves as contracting authority and supplies contracting, legal, comptroller, programmatic, engineering, test, and logistics support. The FY 2027 request supports both agile software product development and program-management administration, with software development accounting for the larger share. The project may also fund civilian pay needed to manage, execute, and deliver weapon-system capability, in addition to civilian-pay funding carried in other program elements.

The FY 2027 request continues work funded in FY 2025 and FY 2026; the stated FY 2026-to-FY 2027 increase reflects inflationary adjustments. Related funding lines identify Strategic Command and Control procurement and ADCP research and development, underscoring the application effort's connection to broader C2 investment and its hosting platform. The prior President's Budget did not display FY 2027 through FY 2030 funding for this element, so the budget documents do not present a meaningful comparison between its prior and current FY 2027 positions.