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601st Air and Space Operations Center

601st Air and Space Operations Center at Tyndall AFB, Florida

USAFCENT CAOC

USAFCENT CAOC

An Air and Space Operations Center (AOC) is a type of command center used by the United States Air Force. It is the senior agency of the Air Force component commander to provide command and control of air and space operations.[1]

The US Air Force employs two kinds of AOCs: regional AOCs (the AN/USQ-163 Falconer) that support geographic combatant commanders, and functional AOCs that support functional combatant commanders.[2] When there is more than one military service working in an AOC, it is called a Joint Air and Space Operations Center (JAOC). In cases of allied or coalition (multinational) operations, the AOC is called a Combined Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC).[1]

An AOC is the senior element of the Theater Air Control System (TACS). The Joint Force Commander (JFC) assigns a Joint Forces Air Component Commander (JFACC) to lead the AOC weapon system. Quite often the Commander, Air Force Forces (COMAFFOR) is assigned the JFACC position for planning and executing theater-wide air and space forces.

Divisions[]

There are five divisions in the AOC. These separate, but distinct, organizations fuse information that eventually becomes the Air Tasking Order.

Strategy Division (SRD)[]

  • Strategy Plans Team
  • Strategy Guidance Team
  • Operational Assessment Team
  • Information Operations Team

Combat Plans Division (CPD)[]

  • Target Effects Team
  • Master Air Attack Plan Team
  • Air Tasking Order Production Team
  • Command and Control Planning Team

Combat Operations Division (COD)[]

  • Offensive Ops Team
  • Defensive Ops Team
  • Personnel Recovery
  • Senior Intelligence Duty Officer
  • Interface Control
  • Weather Specialty Team

Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) Division[]

  • Analysis, Correlation, and Fusion
  • Targeting and Tactical Assessment
  • ISR Operations

Air Mobility Division (AMD)[]

  • Commander's Support Staff (CCS)[3]
    • AMD Chief
    • Deputy AMD Chief
    • Superintendent
  • Air Mobility Control Team (AMDM)
    • Execution Cell
    • Mission Management
    • Flight Management
    • USAPAT Mission Planner
    • Maintenance
  • Airlift Control Team (AMDL)
    • Airlift Plans
    • DV Airlifts
    • Diplomatic Clearance
    • Requirements
  • Air Refueling Control Team (AMDR)
  • Aeromedical Evacuation Control Team (AMDA)
  • Unique Missions Support Team (AMDU)

List of Air and Space Operations Centers[]

The table below lists the Air and Space Operations Centers currently in service in the US Air Force, the Numbered Air Force (NAF) and Major Command (MAJCOM) to which they are assigned, Unified Combatant Command they support, and where they are stationed.

Shield AOC NAF MAJCOM UCC Role Station
601st Air and Space Operations Center 601st Air and Space Operations Center 1AF/AFNORTH ACC USNORTHCOM Regional Tyndall AFB, Florida[4]
603d Air and Space Operations Center 603d Air and Space Operations Center 3AF/AFEUR USAFE USEUCOM/AFRICOM Regional Ramstein AB, Germany[5]
607th Air and Space Operations Center 607th Air and Space Operations Center (HTACC / KAOC) 7AF/AFKOR PACAF USPACOM Regional Osan AB, South Korea[6]
608th Air and Space Operations Center 608th Air and Space Operations Center 8AF/AFSTRAT-GS AFGSC USSTRATCOM Functional Barksdale AFB, Louisiana[7]
609th Air and Space Operations Center 609th Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC) 9AF/AFCENT ACC USCENTCOM Regional Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
USAF - 611 Air Operations Center 611th Air and Space Operations Center 11AF PACAF USPACOM/USNORTHCOM Regional Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska[8]
612th Air and Space Operations Center 612th Air and Space Operations Center 12AF/AFSOUTH ACC USSOUTHCOM Regional Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona[9]
613th Air and Space Operations Center 613th Air and Space Operations Center 13AF/AFPAC PACAF USPACOM Regional Hickam AFB, Hawaii[10]
614th Air and Space Operations Center 614th Air and Space Operations Center 14AF/AFSTRAT-SP AFSPC USSTRATCOM Functional Vandenberg AFB, California[11]
618AOC-TACC 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center) 18AF/AFTRANS AMC USTRANSCOM Functional Scott AFB, Illinois[12]
623d Air and Space Operations Center 623d Air and Space Operations Center 23AF/AFSOF AFSOC USSOCOM Functional Hurlburt Field, Florida
624th Operations Center 624th Operations Center 24AF/AFCYBER AFSPC USCYBERCOM Functional Lackland AFB, Texas[13]

Training/Experimentation[]

AOC-equipping Units[]

NATO Air Operations Centres[]

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) also uses the Combined Air Operations Centre concept at multiple locations. Supporting the air component commands are 5 static Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOCs) to direct NATO air operations: in Finderup, Denmark; Eskisehir, Turkey; Larissa, Greece; Torrejon, Spain and Lisbon, Portugal. There are 2 further CAOCs with a static as well as a deployable role; Uedem, Germany and Poggio Renatico, Italy. The static CAOCs can support Allied air operations from their fixed locations, while the deployable CAOCs will move where they are needed.

Active AOCs[]

NATO CAOC 8-TORREJON Emblem

Shield of the CAOC-8-Torrejon (Spain)

  • Combined Air Operations Centre Finderup (CAOC-F) - Finderup, Denmark[19]
  • Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem (CAOC-U) - Uedem, Germany[20] (Deployable)
  • Combined Air Operations Centre-5 (CAOC-5) - Poggio Renatico, Italy (Deployable)
  • Combined Air Operations Centre-6 (CAOC-6) - Eskisehir, Turkey[21]
  • Combined Air Operations Centre-7 (CAOC-7) - Larissa, Greece[22]
  • Combined Air Operations Centre-8 (CAOC-8) - Torrejon, Spain[23]
  • Combined Air Operations Centre-10 (CAOC-10) - Lisbon, Portugal[24]

Inactive AOCs[]

  • CAOC 1 - Finderup, Denmark (Deactivated in 2008, replaced at same location by Combined Air Operations Centre Finderup)[19]
  • CAOC 2 - Uedem, Germany (Deactivated in 2008, replaced at same location by Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem)[25]
  • CAOC 3 - Reitan, Norway (Deactivated in 2008, responsibility moved to Combined Air Operations Centre Finderup)
  • CAOC 4 - Meßstetten, Germany (Deactivated in 2008, responsibility moved to Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem) [26]
  • CAOC 9 - RAF High Wycombe, United Kingdom (Deactivated in 2008, responsibility moved to Combined Air Operations Centre Finderup)
  • Balkans Combined Air Operations Center - Vicenza, Italy (Deactivated in 2001)[27]

Future[]

NATO plans to rationalize its Force Structure further in 2013, which will see the number of CAOCs reduce to 2 (at Uedem and Torrejon) plus a Deployable AOC at Poggio Renatico.[28]

See also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Air Force Doctrine Document 1-2, Air Force Glossary. 11 January 2007. Accessed 29 January 2011.
  2. Air Force Doctrine Document 2, Operations and Organization. 3 April 2007. Accessed 29 January 2011.
  3. http://www.afcent.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=12153
  4. 601st Air and Space Operations Center factsheet
  5. 3rd Air Force - Units
  6. 7th Air Force - Units
  7. 8th Air Force - 608th AOC
  8. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson - 11th Air Force
  9. Factsheets : 612th Air and Space Operations Center
  10. Factsheets : 613th Air and Space Operations Center
  11. Extreme make-over: 14th Air Force becomes component numbered AF
  12. 618th Air and Space Operations Center (TACC) - Home
  13. Factsheets : 624 Operations Center (AFSPC)
  14. [1]
  15. [2]
  16. 112d Air Operations Squadron Homepage
  17. NYANG - 152d AOG Homepage
  18. Air Force Reserve News
  19. 19.0 19.1 http://web.archive.org/20130218073428/www.airn.nato.int/BRTE_IV/factsheets/pdf/Fact_Sheet_CAOC1.pdf
  20. "CAOC 2: State-of-the-Art Engineering for more Security" Allied Air Component Command HQ Ramstein - Press Release
  21. CAOC-6 Factsheet
  22. Allied Joint Force Command Naples
  23. "Air Operations Centre in Spain" - NATO Official Website
  24. US Army NATO
  25. http://web.archive.org/20130221112704/www.airn.nato.int/brte_VII/factsheets/PDF/AIRN_FACTSHEET_CAOC_UEDEM_NU.pdf
  26. Globalsecurity.org
  27. "Combined Air Operations Center will move to new Italy location"
  28. http://web.archive.org/20130214230048/www.airn.nato.int/Activation%20Torrejon/13-02-07%20NR%20Activation%20CAOC%20TJ-e%20FINAL.pdf


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The original article can be found at Air and Space Operations Center and the edit history here.
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