The AN/USQ-163 Falconer, better known as the Air and Space Operations Center (AOC), is the senior element of the Theater Air Control System (TACS) and is the weapon system Commander, Air Force Forces (COMAFFOR) provides the Joint Forces Air Component Commander (JFACC) for planning and executing theater-wide aerospace forces. When the COMAFFOR is also the JFACC, the AOC is also the Joint Air Operations Center (JAOC). In cases of Allied or Coalition (multinational) operations, the AOC is also a Combined Aerospace Operations Center (CAOC).
Contents |
Divisions
Strategy Division
Plans Division
Operations Division
Air Mobility Division
Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) Division
Falconer AOCs
Non-Deployable
- 609th Air Operations Group/Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) - Al Udeid AB, Qatar
- 607th Air Operations Group/HTACC - Osan AB, South Korea
Deployable
- 612th Air Operations Group/USSOUTHCOM/12th Air Force AOC - Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona[1]
- 603rd Air Operations Group/EUCOM AOC - Ramstein AB, Germany
- 613th Air Operations Group/PACOM AOC - Hickam AFB, Hawaii
Tailorable AOCs
- 601st Air Operations Center/1st Air Force AOC - Tyndall AFB, Florida (Homeland Defense)
- AFSOF AOC - Hurlburt AFB, Florida (Special Operations)
- 608th Air Operations Group/8th Air Force AOC - Barksdale AFB, Louisiana (Global Strike)
- 611th Air Operations Group/11th Air Force AOC - Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
Functional AOCs
- 614th Space Operations Group/14th Air Force AOC - Vandenberg AFB, California (aka Joint Space Operations Center or JSpOC)
- Tanker Airlift Control Center/Air Mobility Command AOC - Scott AFB, Illinois
Training/Experimentation
- 505th Command and Control Wing (AOC Formal Training Unit) - Hurlburt Field, Florida
- Combined Air Operations Center-Nellis (CAOC-N) - Nellis AFB, Nevada
- Combined Air Operations Center-Training (CAOC-T) - Barksdale AFB, Louisiana
- Combined Air Operations Center-Experimental (CAOC-X) - Langley AFB, Virginia
AOC-equipping Units
- 152d Air Operations Group - Syracuse, New York (New York Air National Guard)[2]
- 157th Air Operations Group - St Louis, Missouri (Missouri Air National Guard)
- 112th Air Operations Squadron - State College, Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Air National Guard)[3]
- 701st Combat Operations Squadron - March ARB, California (California Air Force Reserves)
- 710th Combat Operations Squadron - Langley AFB, Virginia (Virginia Air Force Reserves)[4]
NATO Air Operations Centres
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) also uses the Combined Air Operations Center concept at multiple locations. Supporting the air component commands are four static Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOCCs) to direct NATO air operations – in Udem , Germany ; Finderup , Denmark ; Poggio Renatico , Italy ; and Larissa , Greece ; and two deployable CAOCs in Udem and Poggio Renatico. The static CAOCs can support Allied air operations from their fixed locations, while the deployable CAOCs will move where they are needed.
Active AOCs
- Combined Air Operations Centre-1 (CAOC-1) - Finderup, Denmark
- Combined Air Operations Centre-2 (CAOC-2) - Uedem, Germany[5]
- Combined Air Operations Centre-3 (CAOC-3) - Bodo, Norway
- Combined Air Operations Centre-4 (CAOC-4) - Messtetten, Germany[6]
- Combined Air Operations Centre-5 (CAOC-5) - Poggio Renatico, Italy (Deployable)
- Combined Air Operations Centre-6 (CAOC-6) - Eskisehir, Turkey[7]
- Combined Air Operations Centre-7 (CAOC-7) - Larissa, Greece[8] (Fixed)
- Combined Air Operations Centre-8 (CAOC-8) - Torrejon AB, Spain[9]
- Combined Air Operations Centre-9 (CAOC-9) - RAF High Wycombe, United Kingdom
- Combined Air Operations Centre-10 (CAOC-10) - Lisbon, Portugal[10]
Inactive AOCs
See also
References
- ^ Davis-Monthan Getting AOC
- ^ NYANG - 152d AOG Homepage
- ^ 112d Air Operations Squadron Homepage
- ^ Air Force Reserve News
- ^ "CAOC 2: State-of-the-Art Engineering for more Security" Allied Air Component Command HQ Ramstein - Press Release
- ^ Globalsecurity.org
- ^ CAOC-6 Factsheet
- ^ Allied Joint Force Command Naples
- ^ "Air Operations Centre in Spain" - NATO Official Website
- ^ US Army NATO
- ^ "Combined Air Operations Center will move to new Italy location"
