Here’s an Article on an AFSOC Commander’s Q & A discussing ATAK (and Gilligan’s Island):
To symbolize how the NDS changes affect AFSOC, Smith referenced “Gilligan’s Island,” a classic television show from the mid-1960s, which transitioned from black and white to color.
“The counter terrorism fight is our black and white core,” said Smith. “The picture is clear and we understand it. The NDS is transitioning us into color. We are at an innovative crossroad right now where we’re transitioning to a wider aperture across the spectrum; this is really the CT fight coming in, refracting out and looking at the whole problem set in color.”
Smith mentioned this revolution will be possible with the innovation of AFSOC’s Air Commandos.
“There are tremendous innovative ideas that will help us see the future in color,” said Smith. “That’s what we have to harness and grab. Our Special Tactics Airmen utilized technology with disaster response. They used the Android Tactical Assault Kit, a smartphone app, after the hurricanes down in the Caribbean in 2017 in an unclassified manner and marked buildings for the Federal Emergency Management Agency that revolutionized how we aided in disaster relief.”
Smith further commented that these problem solving ideas will manifest on the battlefield and go out to the population.
