Air and Space Operations Center

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.

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. 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).

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)
 * 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.

Training/Experimentation

 * 505th Command and Control Wing.png Command and Control Wing (AOC Formal Training Unit) - Hurlburt Field, Florida
 * CAOC-Nellis.PNG Combined Air and Space Operations Center-Nellis (CAOC-N) - Nellis AFB, Nevada
 * Combined Air Operations Center-Experimental (CAOC-X) - Langley AFB, Virginia

AOC-equipping Units

 * 102d Air Operations Group - Cape Cod, Massachusetts (Massachusetts Air National Guard)
 * 103d Air Operations Group - East Granby, Connecticut (Connecticut Air National Guard)
 * 112th Air Operations Squadron.PNG 112th Air Operations Squadron - State College, Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Air National Guard)
 * 152d Air Operations Group - Syracuse, New York (New York Air National Guard)
 * 157th Air Operations Group.PNG 157th Air Operations Group - St Louis, Missouri (Missouri Air National Guard)
 * 183rd Air Operations Squadron - Springfield, Illinois (Illinois Air National Guard)
 * 217th Air Operations Group - Battle Creek ANGB, Michigan (Michigan Air National Guard)
 * 701st Combat Operations Squadron - March ARB, California (Air Force Reserve)
 * 710th Combat Operations Squadron - Langley AFB, Virginia (Air Force Reserve)

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

 * Combined Air Operations Centre Finderup (CAOC-F) - Finderup, Denmark
 * Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem (CAOC-U) - Uedem, Germany (Deployable)
 * Combined Air Operations Centre-5 (CAOC-5) - Poggio Renatico, Italy (Deployable)
 * Combined Air Operations Centre-6 (CAOC-6) - Eskisehir, Turkey
 * Combined Air Operations Centre-7 (CAOC-7) - Larissa, Greece
 * Combined Air Operations Centre-8 (CAOC-8) - Torrejon, Spain
 * Combined Air Operations Centre-10 (CAOC-10) - Lisbon, Portugal

Inactive AOCs

 * CAOC 1 - Finderup, Denmark (Deactivated in 2008, replaced at same location by Combined Air Operations Centre Finderup)
 * CAOC 2 - Uedem, Germany (Deactivated in 2008, replaced at same location by Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem)
 * 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)
 * 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)

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.