The 617th Air and Space Operations Center at Ramstein AB, Germany—Air Forces Africa’s nerve center for supporting US military air activities on the African continent—is expected to be fully operational by June, Army Gen. William Ward, US Africa Command head, told Senate lawmakers Tuesday. This new AOC stood up in May 2009 and in January assumed responsibility for US missions in African airspace. Ward said it will eventually provide a common operating picture of all air and space missions in African. He said its maturation is just one example of AFAFRICA’s growth. For example, AFAFRICA is expanding its air domain safety and security program to develop regional air safety and security tools for civil and military purposes on the continent.
The Space Force should take bold, decisive steps—and soon—to develop the capabilities and architecture needed to support more flexible, dynamic operations in orbit and counter Chinese aggression and technological progress, according to a new report from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
