Persistent surveillance allows enemies to strike precisely. This requires friendly dispersal to survive. Dispersed friendly forces need robust communications to mass effects from dispersed forces.
Marine and Air Force F-35s exercising in northern Michigan and Wisconsin demonstrated distributed operations:
The relatively low count of centrally based fighters at Volk Field is certainly a noticeable but understandable trend in training exercises, whereby dispersing forces, assets and command elements across multiple locations has become the standard. As Lt. Col. Cady commented, “The DoD has continued to shift focus to distributed operations, which brings new logistical challenges, communication difficulties, etc. It is critical to simulate these difficulties so our force can train to solving tactical problems in an environment that more closely replicates combat operations around the world, and especially, in the Pacific theater of operations”.
Thirty years ago I was looking at using information for massing effort rather than massing physically:
If we can harness the potential of information dominance, we will allow the Army to exploit its training and equipment advantages to create a fast and agile force whose flexibility and firepower stun an enemy by massing effort against weak points. [emphasis added]
That was an Army-focused essay, but massing air power effects from distributed air assets is part of that way of operating. Ground forces must do the same.
UPDATE: And yes, the American strike on Iran's nuclear facilities is an example of bringing together dispersed assets to focus efforts.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. You know you want to.
NOTE: I made the image with Bing.
