Commanding presence

By LACW Simone Liebelt

Corporal David Waller, an avionics technician, does a preflight inspection on an F-111 during Tasmanex. Photo by LAC Bruce Brown

View video of Tasmanex (4.51Mb)

Flight Lieutenant Susan Youngman, an F-111 navigator, and Corporal Jason Webber, an engine fitter, inspect a worn tyre. Photo by LAC Bruce Brown

Flying Officer David Scomazzon conducts a preflight inspection of his Hawk on the flightline at RAAF Base East Sale. Photo by LAC Bruce Brown

Combined Air Operations Centre staff Squadron Leader Mark Robinson and Flying Officer Jeremy Feldhahn review the progress of Tasmanex. Photo by CPL Matt Moore

Squadron Leader Phil Frawley, detachment commander of No. 76 Squadron during Tasmanex, readies to leave East Sale at the end of the exercise. Photo by LAC Bruce Brown

RNZAF Warrant Officer Rod Simpson, Pilot Officer Chris Lloyd, RNZAF Flight Lieutenant Nathan McMaster, Wing Commander Chris Westwood and Squadron Leader Ken Bowes discuss the day’s activities during Tasmanex in the Combined Air Operations Centre at RAAF Base Richmond. Photo by CPL Matt Moore

A COMBINED Air Operations Centre (CAOC) has been run for the first time under the new Joint Forces Air Component Command (JFACC) structure.

The CAOC was responsible for coordinating air operations during Tasmanex 2004, a two-week joint Air Force and Navy exercise held between Australia and New Zealand off the coastlines of southern NSW and Victoria last month.

More than 2000 personnel and a large contingent of military assets participated, including F/A-18 Hornets, F-111s, Hawks, C-130 Hercules, AP-3C Orions, civilian Lear jets, and Navy submarines, helicopters and Anzac ships. Coordinated by the New Zealand Navy, Tasmanex involved mock attacks from various aircraft in a test of skills learnt during Ocean Protector, an earlier exercise held off the coast of Jervis Bay.

Following the establishment of a permanent JFACC at Headquarters Air Command in January, a CAOC was created at RAAF Base Richmond for the command and control of all air activity supporting Tasmanex.

Under the direction of the JFACC Commander, Air Commodore John Quaife, the CAOC is the authority for all air operations. It comprises airpower experts from within Air Command and participating forces and develops mission plans to ensure aircraft are tasked when and where they are needed and in the right quantities.

Ocean Protector and Tasmanex provided an opportunity to test the new command function, and provided important development and experience milestones, according to AIRCDRE Quaife.

“Our most important learning point from these exercises was the potential of the CAOC for the integration and coordination of airpower,” he said. “By bringing the planning, tasking, monitoring and reporting functions together, we create a very powerful and responsive mechanism for applying operational art.”

As the newly appointed Air Component Commander, AIRCDRE Quaife said his approach was to “take a much greater leadership and hands-on role in the establishment and function of Air Operations Centres”.

“The standing JFACC arrangements and the creation of Air Operations Centre functionality as part of everyday business at Air Command means we are going to get very good at the operational command and control of airpower,” he said.

“We will be better placed to apply the lessons learned from operations and exercises as we will be growing our experience within a dedicated team.”

The new command concept will be taken further during Exercise Pitch Black in mid-year when the entire Air Command Headquarters will form the core of the CAOC.

.