Combined Air Operations Centre

This article is about NATO Combined Air Operations Centres and is not to be confused with the Air Operations Centers used by the United States Air Force.

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 subordinate to NATO's Allied Air Command (AIRCOM), and 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 deployable 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. "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].