Modernizing Mobility: AMC Outlines Path to Deliver Battlespace Connectivity and Secure Joint Force Maneuver

Air Mobility Command:

"Col. Derrick McClain, deputy director of Air Mobility Command Strategy, Plans, Requirements and Programs, addressed Total Force service members, defense leaders and industry partners on the future of air mobility during the 2026 Airlift/Tanker Association Symposium at Kissimmee, Florida, Nov. 6.

During his seminar, McClain discussed how Air Mobility Command is sustaining the current airlift and tanker aircraft, adapting for future needs, and designing tomorrow’s fleet to meet future requirements.

“Air Mobility Command solves geography for the Joint Force: unrivaled reach, unrivaled maneuver,” said Col. McClain. “We meet those challenges head on. Nobody does it better than AMC.”

McClain opened the briefing by laying out the stark realities of the modern threat environment. The days of operating in uncontested airspace are over; today's mobility crews face a highly transparent battlespace where aircraft can be tracked from takeoff to touchdown. Furthermore, adversary threats reach farther, logistics chains are increasingly contested, and operational decision-making time is continuously compressing.

Because the Joint Force relies on daily global mobility operations, AMC cannot afford to pause today's missions to build tomorrow's fleet. To address this, McClain outlined a three-pronged development strategy: Sustain, Adapt and Evolve, and Design.

“This is a continuous and deliberate effort,” said McClain. “We’ve got to look for opportunities to not just make small improvements, to make more incremental improvements and insert capability.”

First, AMC will Sustain by keeping current fleets ready, addressing parts obsolescence, upgrading secure communications, and installing defensive systems on tankers and strategic/tactical airlifters. Second, AMC will Adapt and Evolve into the near future by inserting immediate combat-relevant capabilities into existing platforms. Third, AMC will Design the future fleet by shaping requirements, architectures, and investments to recapitalize support assets and build next-generation platforms like the Next Generation Airlift and Advanced Tanker Systems.

Connectivity is one area where AMC is continuously improving its capability with the help of programs like Maf Nexus, an open-architecture federated mission system that connects mobility aircraft to the Department of the Air Force Battle Network, delivering high-bandwidth communications and situational awareness straight to the cockpit.

“We need to future-proof connectivity,” said McClain. “We’ve got to unlock the power of software and spiral development and be able to change our aircraft at the same rate of the world around us.”

Connectivity is not limited to physical aircraft; it extends to the ground operations that direct them. McClain highlighted the digital transformation underway at the 618th Air Operations Center. By using platforms like Mattermost, utilizing the Unified Data Library and MAVEN Smart Systems, and accelerating decisions via Platform One, AMC is connecting the entire enterprise.

“I want you to know that there is a great group of people in Air Mobility Command, across the Department of the Air Force, across the Joint Force, trying to get as much capability into the hands of the warfighter as fast as possible,” said McClain.

As AMC looks to the future, the ultimate measure of success remains clear: sustained freedom of maneuver for the Joint Force. Whether flying a 70-year-old KC-135 or designing the clean-sheet architectures of tomorrow, AMC is focused on fielding capabilities that ensure mobility forces never wait on the sidelines."