A-6E Intruders Forever 1998, the Italians who worked for me in Vicenza, Italy 1998
Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC)
by Capt. Marcella F. Adams, Vicenza, Italy
1400Z. The narrow hallway buzzes with activity as a young Royal Air Force lieutenant makes his way through a blur of olive-drab flight suits. Floors of the prefab building vibrate under his boots. The reinforced metal door in front of him reads "Mission in progress, do not enter unless important," but he really doesn't notice it ... this is important. Pushing the door aside, he adjusts his eyes to the dimly lit battlestaff of the 5th Allied Tactical Air Force's Combined Air Operations Center in Vicenza, Italy.
The CAOC's latest tasking is an unexpected one. A Ramstein AB, Germany CT-43 carrying U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and U.S. businessmen traveling from Tuzla AB in Bosnia-Herzegovina to Dubrovnik, Croatia, is missing, propelling the CAOC into action.
The CAOC is a coalition melting pot, combining the talents and efforts of more than 13 NATO and non-NATO nations, including Russia, into a single multiservice, and multinational command and control headquarters. The operations center's primary missions in supporting the peacekeeping operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina is to provide air protection to NATO Implementation Force ground troops, and to supply intelligence and reconnaissance information for the NATO IFOR commander in Sarajevo. This particular evening's work is concentrated on coordinating a multinational search and rescue effort to locate the missing aircraft.
The CAOC is familiar with contingencies both expected and unexpected. Organized during the early days of the Bosnian conflict, the organization has matured through Operations Deny Flight, Deliberate Force and now Joint Endeavor, growing from a handful of coalition partners to a 1,200-member force in three years.
It's a one-stop shop for intelligence, reconnaissance, airlift, air refueling, treaty compliance and determining airspace requirements for flight operations over Bosnia and the surrounding areas. If an aircraft flies for Operation Joint Endeavor, the CAOC has coordinated it.
"What we do here, in essence, is provide the planning and command and control for the IFOR commander's air component and connectivity and synchronization with the ground component," said Maj. Gen. Hal Hornburg, CAOC director. "Organizations similar to the CAOC have existed before, but this one is unique in several respects. There are other very important ongoing contingency operations like Operations Provide Comfort and Southern Watch, but this is the only current operation in which an air component works hand-in-hand with a ground component.
"The subsets of our air operation are mission planning and execution, surveillance and other key doctrinal elements, which include combat air patrol, close air support, suppression of enemy defenses and the vital support elements that allow all this to happen," Hornburg said.
Throughout the series of United Nations Security Council resolutions, the CAOC's mission evolved so drastically, that at one point during the height of operations, it employed more than 300 tactical aircraft. The organization remains the implementing headquarters for all coalition air forces supporting the United Nations' peacekeeping efforts in eastern Slovenia and IFOR.
While some may be familiar with elements of Operation Joint Endeavor, the CAOC remains somewhat unknown. Located on a small Italian military base, the center shares its home with a small runway, a few deer, and NATO's 5th ATAF headquarters, which, as the host unit, provides additional support, people and infrastructure.
CAOC's lime-green building stands out as the only non-permanent structure on base-an indication that although an integral part of the Bosnian operations, its existence is only temporary.
From the confines of a small booth, a young Italian military carabiniere restricts access through the white, metal gate leading into the operations center.
"There is never a dull day here, although our job is much easier because the former warring factions have largely adhered to the provisions outlined in the Dayton Peace Accords," said Maj. Terry Pobst-Martin, chief of the Peace Agreement Compliance Cell.
The major's job is to determine if the former warring factions are, indeed, complying with the Dayton Peace Accords and to compile the data for future assessment. During the latest part of her 11 months and two temporary duty assignments to the CAOC, she and the rest of her compliance cell have worked closely with the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps' intelligence cell in Sarajevo to give ground commanders critical intelligence information
Although small, her staff of two Canadians, one French, one British and three Americans is part of the most internationally diverse cell in the operations center.
The battlestaff area is clearly the CAOC's nucleus -- all activities revolve around its multinational core. Two British NCOs and an Italian lieutenant colonel huddle in conference against the glow of an oversized computer screen, while across the room, an enlisted Dutch air controller learns his job with assistance from his supervisor, a NATO officer.
Computers cover every tabletop, giving the CAOC some of the most sophisticated technology in the Air Force. Desks fit snugly in the small room, thick cables snaking along the floor. With its rapid growth, the center's space has become a real commodity. The arrangement is a little tight, but it works.
Five large maps illuminate the CAOC's walls. Spidery multicolored lines display a synthesis of data collected from E-3 NATO Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, Airborne Command, Control and Communications aircraft, as well as ship and ground-based radar sites and intelligence platforms.
Together, this compilation of reconnaissance and intelligence data forms what's known as a "recognized air picture." The display provides tactical commanders with a near real-time computerized picture of what is flying over Croatia, the Adriatic Sea, in Hungary and parts of Serbia as well as current air operations, weather conditions and other essential information."
One of the most intriguing aspects of the CAOC may exist in the pioneering efforts of intelligence sharing among NATO and, more surprisingly, non-NATO countries.
"Intelligence is critical to military operations, whether in full combat or in peacekeeping operations, " said Col. Raleigh Macklin, director of intelligence.
"Intel needs and focuses may be different, but as we have seen during operations such as Deny Flight and Desert Storm, there is definitely a greater need for sharing of intelligence between countries that are battling a common enemy, particularly hostile threats to friendly air operations. All pilots and crews should receive the best threat intelligence we can collectively provide them. Nothing less is acceptable," Macklin said.
Four Russian officers led by a brigadier general, integrated their airlift operations into the CAOC. Each morning they sit alongside NATO allies to receive an intelligence briefing. Operation Joint Endeavor is the first time Russians and the free western world have cooperated in a military operation like this.
"Just the fact that the Russians are here is, to say the least, unusual, and it's been a positive experience," said Col. Mike Gould, director of the Regional Air Movement Control Coordination Center. "Just a few short years ago this would have been absolutely unheard of. Their presence and integration into this operation is most likely an indication that a new military era is upon us."
The center, which is housed in seven adjoining mobile shelters next to the CAOC, plans and coordinates all U.S. and NATO airlift operations.
"Designed to coordinate airlift during the start of the Joint Endeavor deployment, the RAMCC has broken new ground and should form the basis for future NATO airlift doctrine," Gould said.
It's apparent by the successes of recent air operations like Deliberate Force that the CAOC as a command and control function works. The question is just how does it work in a joint-service and multinational environment where language differences exist not only between countries, but between services as well?
The answer lies partly in the joint efforts among the U. S. Air Force, Army and Navy and communication between representatives from the different countries.
"If there is one common denominator as to why the CAOC works, it's leadership," Hornburg said. "We have extremely strong colonels and senior supervisors from all countries who provide overarching guidance to people who take the vector from their leaders, roll up their sleeves and get the job done. You'll find superstars from every nation, especially in the enlisted ranks, who bring individual talents and fresh approaches.
The rest of the answer may be found along the road of mutual cooperation NATO paved for its allies over the past 50 years. Not that this road is always smooth, however. Hornburg explained: "We've all had to be patient with each other in determining individual host nations' requirements, fusing different ways of operating into one cohesive organization. Although everyone here speaks English, we continuously work to break down the harder 'language barriers' existing between services.
"All of the countries are unique. The Italian government allows us to be here and set up this military hardware in their country. It's an awesome responsibility they've accepted, one that we are very grateful for. This is a NATO operation, and we all share equally in the responsibilities," he added.
This CAOC may provide a basic blueprint for similar structures which could be used in future contingency operations.
"Now this isn't the only way ... certainly there are other ways, and there may well be better ways, but right now we're doing our very best to establish a firm foundation which will offer a blueprint for command and control centers in future contingency operations," Hornburg said. "The CAOC is not the end-all and be-all, but it encapsulates one of the best capabilities that exists anywhere today."
A-6E Intruders Forever 1998, the Italians who worked for me in Vicenza, Italy 1998
Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC)
by Capt. Marcella F. Adams, Vicenza, Italy
1400Z. The narrow hallway buzzes with activity as a young Royal Air Force lieutenant makes his way through a blur of olive-drab flight suits. Floors of the prefab building vibrate under his boots. The reinforced metal door in front of him reads "Mission in progress, do not enter unless important," but he really doesn't notice it ... this is important. Pushing the door aside, he adjusts his eyes to the dimly lit battlestaff of the 5th Allied Tactical Air Force's Combined Air Operations Center in Vicenza, Italy.
The CAOC's latest tasking is an unexpected one. A Ramstein AB, Germany CT-43 carrying U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and U.S. businessmen traveling from Tuzla AB in Bosnia-Herzegovina to Dubrovnik, Croatia, is missing, propelling the CAOC into action.
The CAOC is a coalition melting pot, combining the talents and efforts of more than 13 NATO and non-NATO nations, including Russia, into a single multiservice, and multinational command and control headquarters. The operations center's primary missions in supporting the peacekeeping operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina is to provide air protection to NATO Implementation Force ground troops, and to supply intelligence and reconnaissance information for the NATO IFOR commander in Sarajevo. This particular evening's work is concentrated on coordinating a multinational search and rescue effort to locate the missing aircraft.
The CAOC is familiar with contingencies both expected and unexpected. Organized during the early days of the Bosnian conflict, the organization has matured through Operations Deny Flight, Deliberate Force and now Joint Endeavor, growing from a handful of coalition partners to a 1,200-member force in three years.
It's a one-stop shop for intelligence, reconnaissance, airlift, air refueling, treaty compliance and determining airspace requirements for flight operations over Bosnia and the surrounding areas. If an aircraft flies for Operation Joint Endeavor, the CAOC has coordinated it.
"What we do here, in essence, is provide the planning and command and control for the IFOR commander's air component and connectivity and synchronization with the ground component," said Maj. Gen. Hal Hornburg, CAOC director. "Organizations similar to the CAOC have existed before, but this one is unique in several respects. There are other very important ongoing contingency operations like Operations Provide Comfort and Southern Watch, but this is the only current operation in which an air component works hand-in-hand with a ground component.
"The subsets of our air operation are mission planning and execution, surveillance and other key doctrinal elements, which include combat air patrol, close air support, suppression of enemy defenses and the vital support elements that allow all this to happen," Hornburg said.
Throughout the series of United Nations Security Council resolutions, the CAOC's mission evolved so drastically, that at one point during the height of operations, it employed more than 300 tactical aircraft. The organization remains the implementing headquarters for all coalition air forces supporting the United Nations' peacekeeping efforts in eastern Slovenia and IFOR.
While some may be familiar with elements of Operation Joint Endeavor, the CAOC remains somewhat unknown. Located on a small Italian military base, the center shares its home with a small runway, a few deer, and NATO's 5th ATAF headquarters, which, as the host unit, provides additional support, people and infrastructure.
CAOC's lime-green building stands out as the only non-permanent structure on base-an indication that although an integral part of the Bosnian operations, its existence is only temporary.
From the confines of a small booth, a young Italian military carabiniere restricts access through the white, metal gate leading into the operations center.
"There is never a dull day here, although our job is much easier because the former warring factions have largely adhered to the provisions outlined in the Dayton Peace Accords," said Maj. Terry Pobst-Martin, chief of the Peace Agreement Compliance Cell.
The major's job is to determine if the former warring factions are, indeed, complying with the Dayton Peace Accords and to compile the data for future assessment. During the latest part of her 11 months and two temporary duty assignments to the CAOC, she and the rest of her compliance cell have worked closely with the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps' intelligence cell in Sarajevo to give ground commanders critical intelligence information
Although small, her staff of two Canadians, one French, one British and three Americans is part of the most internationally diverse cell in the operations center.
The battlestaff area is clearly the CAOC's nucleus -- all activities revolve around its multinational core. Two British NCOs and an Italian lieutenant colonel huddle in conference against the glow of an oversized computer screen, while across the room, an enlisted Dutch air controller learns his job with assistance from his supervisor, a NATO officer.
Computers cover every tabletop, giving the CAOC some of the most sophisticated technology in the Air Force. Desks fit snugly in the small room, thick cables snaking along the floor. With its rapid growth, the center's space has become a real commodity. The arrangement is a little tight, but it works.
Five large maps illuminate the CAOC's walls. Spidery multicolored lines display a synthesis of data collected from E-3 NATO Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, Airborne Command, Control and Communications aircraft, as well as ship and ground-based radar sites and intelligence platforms.
Together, this compilation of reconnaissance and intelligence data forms what's known as a "recognized air picture." The display provides tactical commanders with a near real-time computerized picture of what is flying over Croatia, the Adriatic Sea, in Hungary and parts of Serbia as well as current air operations, weather conditions and other essential information."
One of the most intriguing aspects of the CAOC may exist in the pioneering efforts of intelligence sharing among NATO and, more surprisingly, non-NATO countries.
"Intelligence is critical to military operations, whether in full combat or in peacekeeping operations, " said Col. Raleigh Macklin, director of intelligence.
"Intel needs and focuses may be different, but as we have seen during operations such as Deny Flight and Desert Storm, there is definitely a greater need for sharing of intelligence between countries that are battling a common enemy, particularly hostile threats to friendly air operations. All pilots and crews should receive the best threat intelligence we can collectively provide them. Nothing less is acceptable," Macklin said.
Four Russian officers led by a brigadier general, integrated their airlift operations into the CAOC. Each morning they sit alongside NATO allies to receive an intelligence briefing. Operation Joint Endeavor is the first time Russians and the free western world have cooperated in a military operation like this.
"Just the fact that the Russians are here is, to say the least, unusual, and it's been a positive experience," said Col. Mike Gould, director of the Regional Air Movement Control Coordination Center. "Just a few short years ago this would have been absolutely unheard of. Their presence and integration into this operation is most likely an indication that a new military era is upon us."
The center, which is housed in seven adjoining mobile shelters next to the CAOC, plans and coordinates all U.S. and NATO airlift operations.
"Designed to coordinate airlift during the start of the Joint Endeavor deployment, the RAMCC has broken new ground and should form the basis for future NATO airlift doctrine," Gould said.
It's apparent by the successes of recent air operations like Deliberate Force that the CAOC as a command and control function works. The question is just how does it work in a joint-service and multinational environment where language differences exist not only between countries, but between services as well?
The answer lies partly in the joint efforts among the U. S. Air Force, Army and Navy and communication between representatives from the different countries.
"If there is one common denominator as to why the CAOC works, it's leadership," Hornburg said. "We have extremely strong colonels and senior supervisors from all countries who provide overarching guidance to people who take the vector from their leaders, roll up their sleeves and get the job done. You'll find superstars from every nation, especially in the enlisted ranks, who bring individual talents and fresh approaches.
The rest of the answer may be found along the road of mutual cooperation NATO paved for its allies over the past 50 years. Not that this road is always smooth, however. Hornburg explained: "We've all had to be patient with each other in determining individual host nations' requirements, fusing different ways of operating into one cohesive organization. Although everyone here speaks English, we continuously work to break down the harder 'language barriers' existing between services.
"All of the countries are unique. The Italian government allows us to be here and set up this military hardware in their country. It's an awesome responsibility they've accepted, one that we are very grateful for. This is a NATO operation, and we all share equally in the responsibilities," he added.
This CAOC may provide a basic blueprint for similar structures which could be used in future contingency operations.
"Now this isn't the only way ... certainly there are other ways, and there may well be better ways, but right now we're doing our very best to establish a firm foundation which will offer a blueprint for command and control centers in future contingency operations," Hornburg said. "The CAOC is not the end-all and be-all, but it encapsulates one of the best capabilities that exists anywhere today."