Dale: Benefits of our military moving to all joint operations Published Oct. 22, 2007 By Senior Airman Matthew Dale 603 ACOMS/SCM RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- The benefits of our military moving towards all joint operations include each service member receiving a more complete understanding of the tactical and operational capability of each branch and an increased chance that the mission will be completed with little to no causalities. Joint operations enable America to adapt to the changes in the pattern of modern warfare. As each branch of the military works together, there is an opportunity for each service member involved to gain knowledge about the overall war-fighting picture and not only their respective "piece of the pie". During a recent POTUS mission, I had the unique opportunity to work with naval forces. Throughout the mission, my unit provided radio communications to coordinate the air picture and assisted the interoperability with a naval satellite transceiver. The equipment played a vital role in ensuring the protection of the President. While I was deployed to Afghanistan, I had the opportunity to work with all branches of the military. My unit supported a Special Operation Forces Medical Element mission while I was down range. During the mission, I installed a High Performance Wave satellite network on a MC-130 Combat Talon II that was able to communicate back to the Combined Air Operations Center relaying how many personnel required medical attention and relayed triage information. Communication between the aircraft and operations center provided medical personnel vital information necessary to save each injured service members life. Today's war-fighting environment is extremely unpredictable, with continually changing coalitions, alliances, partnerships, and new threats. The battlespace is ever-growing encompassing land, sea, air, and space. Although one adversary may only be capable of a one dimensional attack, the door may be open on another front to be exploited by an unknown enemy to attack an over-extended or distracted United States or coalition. All joint operations will enable us to defend more adequately all fronts by having Active Service forces ready for combat on all fronts and Reserve Component forces appropriately mobilized and readied to join active forces. Thinking about the direction of our future and the progression of military operations, the benefits of our military moving towards all joint operations reflect the most strategically sound way to train and progress our military. Joint operations enable all services to come together and reach a common goal of preserving the world's premier democracy and protecting our fore father's vision of freedom and liberty for all.