601st Air Operations Center

601st Air Operations Center
601st Air Operations Center
	Airmen coordinate airspace activity at the 601st Air and Space Operations Center, 2010
Active	1 November 2007 – present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Command and Control
Part of	Air Combat Command First Air Force ;
Garrison/HQ	Tyndall AFB, Florida
Nickname(s)	America's AOC
Insignia
601st Air and Space Operations Center emblem

Last updated November 29, 2024

The 601st Air Operations Center (601 AOC) is an active unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the First Air Force and stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. The unit plans, directs, and assesses air operations for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) as the Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR), and the United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM), as the operations hub for First Air Force. It provides aerospace warning and control for NORAD Defensive Counter Air (DCA) activities. It also directs Air Force activities in support of NORTHCOM homeland security and civil support missions. The 601 AOC directs all air sovereignty activities for the continental United States.^[1]

The 601st Air & Space Operations Center was activated on 1 November 2007 at Tyndall.^[2] The DAF/A1M letter directing this action was dated 25 October 2007, and is almost certainly the date of the center's constitution. Other Air Operations Centers dropped the "space" from their name in late 2014. Simultaneous with the center's activation, the 701st Air Defense Squadron, 1st Information Operations Flight, and Air Forces Northern (First Air Force), Provisional, were all inactivated. Manning for America's AOC primarily comes from the 101st Air and Space Operations Group (AOG) of the Florida Air National Guard. The 101st AOG, formally known as the Southeast Air Defense Sector, stood up on July 1, 2009.^[3]

Mission

The 601st Air and Space Operations Center provides strategic air defense/sovereignty, tactical warning/assessment to Commander NORAD and Combined Air Operations Center in support of homeland defense and security of the southeastern United States. The AOC also integrates ground, maritime, and airborne sensors/communications and employs fighter and air refueling aircraft. The organization also interfaces with other services/agencies including USSOUTHCOM, FAA, USCG, and U.S. Customs Service.^[1]^[4]

Units and partner organizations

Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS)

The EADS is one of two sectors responsible for the air defense of the continental United States, the other being the Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

Western Air Defense Sector (WADS)

The WADS is one of two sectors responsible for the air defense of the continental United States, the other being the Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) located at Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, New York, the former Griffiss Air Force Base.

Joint Based Expeditionary Connectivity Center

The Joint Based Expeditionary Connectivity Center (JBECC) is a highly mobile, small footprint, vehicle-mounted set of communications equipment that can rapidly deploy to build an integrated air picture, from multiple Federal Aviation Administration and tactical radars, within a defined geographical area.^{[ citation needed ]} This capability enabled NORAD to better detect, track, identify, and engage any airborne aircraft, cruise missile, unmanned aerial vehicle, or remotely piloted vehicle.

It was developed in early 2001 as part of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program. Since 11 September 2001, the JBECC has participated in over a dozen operational missions, to protect the President of the United States, the National Capital Region, the 2004 Group of Eight (G8) Summit, United Nations General Assembly, Space Shuttle Launches, and Super Bowl XLI. It was a key component of NORAD's Deployable-Homeland Air and Cruise Missile Defense Mission.^[1]

Air Force Rescue Coordination Center

As the United States inland search and rescue (SAR) mission coordinator, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) serves as the single agency responsible for coordinating life saving federal SAR services, ensuring timely and effective lifesaving operations within the 48 contiguous United States and supporting Mexican and Canadian requests for their SAR operations. The unit’s responsibilities include: initiating searches for missing/overdue aircraft (e.g., all DoD, commercial, and interstate aircraft or intrastate aircraft if requested by the state), managing all inland emergency beacon searches, and supporting state and local SAR operations (e.g., missing person searches, MEDEVAC, organ transport, etc.) The AFRCC operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is staffed by one watch supervisor and up to four SAR controllers.^[1]

Related Research Articles

North American Aerospace Defense Command, known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection for Canada and the continental United States.

Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located 12 miles (19 km) east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing of the Air Combat Command (ACC). The base hosts 2,902 active duty members. In October 2018, Hurricane Michael caused significant damage to the base.

The First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission is the air defense of the Contiguous United States (CONUS), United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Since May 2022, it also provides the Air Force contribution to United States Space Command, as Air Forces Space (AFSPACE), including support functions for NASA human space flight.

The United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support for non-military authorities in the U.S., and protecting the territory and national interests of the United States within the continental United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, The Bahamas, and the air, land and sea approaches to these areas. It is the U.S. military command which, if applicable, would be the primary defender against an invasion of the U.S.

As the United States' inland search and rescue (SAR) coordinator, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) serves as the single agency responsible for coordinating on-land federal SAR activities in the United States, including Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS), was a unit of the US Air Force located at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida. It provided air defense and surveillance of the southeastern region of the US. SEADS closed in winter 2005, giving up surveillance and control of their airspace to the Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) and the former Northeast Air Defense Sector (NEADS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">701st Air Defense Squadron</span> Former US Air National Guard unit

The 701st Air Defense Squadron was an Air National Guard unit stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida. As part of First Air Force, it was responsible for the operation of NORAD's Continental United States Region Air Operations Center. The 701st was inactivated in 2007 and replaced with the 601st Air & Space Operations Center, which later became the 601st Air Operations Center.

Griffiss Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force installation in the northeastern United States, located in Central New York state at Rome, about fifteen miles (25 km) northwest of Utica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continental NORAD Region</span> Joint U.S.-Canadian defense region

The Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR) is a component of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) that provides airspace surveillance and control and directs air sovereignty activities for the continental United States (CONUS). CONR is one of three NORAD regions. The two other Regions are the Canadian NORAD Region (CANR) and the Alaskan NORAD Region (ANR).

The Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) is a unit of the Washington Air National Guard located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington.

The 24th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force intermediate echelon command and control organization. It was last assigned to First Air Force, Tactical Air Command (ADTAC). It was inactivated on 30 September 1990 at Griffiss Air Force Base, New York.

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The 125th Fighter Wing is a unit of the Florida Air National Guard, stationed at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Florida. If activated to federal service with the United States Air Force, the 125 FW is operationally gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">176th Air Defense Squadron</span> Military unit

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Falcon Virgo is a series of exercises designed to test airspace security, especially around major American cities like New York City and Washington, D.C. They involve both regular military fighter aircraft and air operations centers and Civil Air Patrol forces.

The Florida Air National Guard is the aerial militia of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a reserve component of the United States Air Force and along with the Florida Army National Guard, an element of the Florida National Guard. It is also an element of the Air National Guard (ANG) at the national level, falling in with the Army National Guard (ARNG) as part of the greater United States National Guard under the National Guard Bureau (NGB).

The Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) is a United States Air Force unit of Air Combat Command (ACC), permanently assigned to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). A joint, bi-national military organization, EADS is composed of US and Canadian military forces, federal civilians and contractors. It is located at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, New York, the former Griffiss Air Force Base. EADS is a subordinate command of the First Air Force and Continental NORAD Region, located at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.

The Southwest Air Defense Sector (SWADS) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, being stationed at March Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on December 31, 1994.

The Joint Surveillance System (JSS) is a joint United States Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration system for the atmospheric air defense of North America. It replaced the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system in 1983.

Cudjoe Key Air Force Station is a Formerly Used Defense Site of 68.5 acres (27.7 ha) in Monroe County, Florida, 7 mi (11 km) Northeast of Perky, Florida.

References

1 2 3 4 "CONR-1AF (AFNORTH) > Units > 601st AOC & 101st AOG". www.1af.acc.af.mil. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
↑ Air Force Organizational Status Change Report, prepared by AFHRA, for November 2007
↑ "601st Air Operations Ctr & 101st Air and Space Operations Grp". CONR-1AF (AFNORTH & AFSPACE). Archived from the original on 7 October 2024.
↑ "1st AF/America's AOC (@1stAF) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018.

External links

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[:0-1] 1 2 3 4 "CONR-1AF (AFNORTH) > Units > 601st AOC & 101st AOG". www.1af.acc.af.mil. Retrieved 27 March 2018.

[2] Air Force Organizational Status Change Report, prepared by AFHRA, for November 2007

[3] "601st Air Operations Ctr & 101st Air and Space Operations Grp". CONR-1AF (AFNORTH & AFSPACE). Archived from the original on 7 October 2024.

[4] "1st AF/America's AOC (@1stAF) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 27 March 2018.

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