GEILENKIRCHEN, Germany - On Tuesday 28 March, Major General Thierry Dupont, Commander Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) Uedem, witnessed the hard work of the flight and mission crew on board of a NATO AWACS plane.

 

"NATO"s Air Policing mission requires close coordination between the CAOC Uedem, the Control and Reporting Centres, the Quick Reaction Alert bases and the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force at Geilenkirchen," said General Dupont. 

 

"The way they seamlessly work together as one team is just impressive. The operators on the ground and in the air, responsible for all aspects of the mission, convey their concerted efforts to maintain 24/7 Air Policing capabilities in a huge airspace of more than 4 million square kilometers. The AWACS planes have flown more than 1000 airborne early warning missions over the territory of the eastern Allies in the frame of assurance measures - quite an achievement! the General added.

 

"I am extremely proud of the continuous efforts in this long-standing peacetime Allied mission demonstrating Allied resolve, unity and solidarity," General Dupont concluded.

 

NATO conducts the Air Policing Mission preserving the integrity of the Alliesí airspace. CAOC Uedem in the north, and CAOC Torrejon in Spain control the mission across all NATO Allies in Europe by working with both static and airborne sensors and command and control elements to provide a consolidated Air picture.