Major General James G. Blunt

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Combined Air Operations Centres monitor airspace throughout Europe

Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOCs) are multinational headquarters for tactical and operational control of NATO Air Forces below the Joint Force Command level. They operate within the NATO Integrated Air Defense System (NATINADS) framework.

Within the European NATO command structure they are subordinated to NATO's Allied Air Command (AIRCOM), and is superior to Control and Reporting Centres, national airspace control centers and Regional Airspace Surveillance Coordination Centres (RASCC) such as BALTNET. NATO may also operate in Europe static and deploy-able CAOCs.

Predecessor organizations of the CAOC were Air Tactical Operations Centre (ATOC) and Air Defence Operations Centre (ADOC). Until 1980 the two HQs for air attack and air defence operated autonomously.

Active locations

Active NATO Combined Air Operations Centres
Designation Location Country Notes Ref.
CAOC UE Uedem  Germany [1]
CAOC TJ Torrejon Air Base  Spain [1]
DACCC PR Poggio Renatico Air Base  Italy Deployable Air Command and Control Centre [2][3]

Former locations

Former NATO Combined Air Operations Centres
Designation Location Country Year deactivated Notes Ref.
CAOC 1 Finderup  Denmark 2008 Replaced at same location by CAOC Finderup
CAOC 2 Uedem  Germany 2008 Replaced at same location by Deployable CAOC Uedem Deployable [4]
CAOC 3 Reitan  Norway 2008 Responsibility transferred to CAOC Finderup
CAOC 4 Meßstetten  Germany 2008 Responsibility transferred to CAOC Uedem
CAOC 5 Poggio Renatico Air Base  Italy 2013 Replaced at same location by Deployable CAOC
CAOC 6 Eskişehir  Turkey 2013 Responsibility transferred to CAOC Torrejon [5]
CAOC 7 Larissa  Greece 2013 Responsibility transferred to CAOC Torrejon [6]
CAOC 8 Torrejon Air Base  Spain 2013 Replaced at same location by CAOC Torrejon [7]
CAOC 9 RAF High Wycombe  United Kingdom 2008 Responsibility transferred to CAOC Finderup
CAOC 10 Lisbon  Portugal 2013 Responsibility transferred to CAOC Torrejon [8]
CAOC F Finderup  Denmark 2013 Responsibility moved to CAOC Uedem [9]
Balkans CAOC Vicenza  Italy 2001 [10]
DCAOC UD Uedem  Germany 2013 Deployable CAOC Uedem, Replaced at same location by CAOC UD [11]

References

  1. ^ a b "Home". ac.nato.int.
  2. ^ "Home". ac.nato.int.
  3. ^ "SHAPE | Progress in NATOs Deployable Air Command and Control Capability". aco.nato.int. Archived from the original on 2015-04-28. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  4. ^ "NATO HQ Aircom" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  5. ^ CAOC-6 Factsheet Archived June 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Allied Joint Force Command Naples Archived February 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "NATO Update - Air Operations Centre in Spain - 28 June 2001". www.nato.int.
  8. ^ "US Army NATO". Archived from the original on February 11, 2007.
  9. ^ "NATO HQ Aircom | We're sorry" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-18. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  10. ^ "Combined Air Operations Center will move to new Italy location". May 22, 2001. Archived from the original on 2001-07-16. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
  11. ^ "CAOC 2: State-of-the-Art Engineering for more Security" Allied Air Component Command HQ Ramstein - Press Release Archived August 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

  • MILITÄRISCHES STUDIENGLOSAR ENGLISCH Teil I, A – K, Bundessprachenamt (Stand Januar 2001), page 309, definition: Combined Air Operations Centre [CAOC].