INSIDE THE CAOC

March 28, 2024 | By Chris Gordon
The CAOC is the Air Force nerve center in the Middle East, responsible for planning and executing air operations across the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of operations.
Maj. Gen. Derek C. France has been nominated to become the top U.S. Air Force commander in the Middle East, the Pentagon announced on March 14. If confirmed, he will have to deal with continued unrest in the region that has resulted in multiple rounds ...
USAF F-15s, F-16s, and C-130s are training in Poland in an agile combat employment exercise that comes as Russia has executed a massive buildup on the border with neighboring Ukraine, though U.S. officials say the exercise was long-planned. F-15Es from the 492nd Fighter Squadron at ...
A B-1 Lancer assigned to the Air Force's 7th Bomb Wing supported training for foreign joint terminal attack controllers and integrated with Swedish Gripen fighters during a Bomber Task Force mission in Norway and Sweden on March 8, according to a U.S. Air Forces in ...
The Air Force is now flying MQ-9 Reaper operations from Romania, in a new mission that aims to provide 24/7 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance coverage in the Balkans. U.S. Air Forces in Europe based the Reapers at the Romanian base in Campia Turzii earlier this ...
Real-time, highly-detailed airfield status around the Pacific theater was one of the standout features of the Valiant Shield/Advanced Battle Management experiment run in September, Pacific Air Forces chief Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach reported at an AFA Mitchell Institute streaming event Oct. 27. It's the single ...
Three USAF B-52s flew through the Baltic Sea region on Aug. 31, training with aircraft from six nations and flying over Latvia just days after a Russian aircraft reportedly violated NATO airspace to intercept another B-52. During the Aug. 31 flight, the B-52s, which are ...