The Light and Dark Sides

The Light and Dark Sides: The nerve center for air and space operations within the US Central Command area of responsibility is the Southwest Asia combined air operations center, which orchestrates 24/7 air support throughout the AOR, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa. The coalition forces staffing the CAOC form what they call the “light” side—the creators of air tasking orders—and the “dark” side—the watchers of real-time surveillance imagery.