Allied Air Command is responsible to stand up the NATO Command Structure JFAC HQ for any NATO operation.  Depending on the size of the operation, the JFAC HQ may be specially tailored to meet the mission requirements; it can be supplemented from all Allied Air Command entities or augmented from other NATO Force Structure or national JFACs, as required by the scale of the NATO mission.

 

For Exercise RAAN18 personnel from across the NATO Command and Force Structures, contributions from national JFACs and Allied Air Command’s subordinate units will augment Headquarters Allied Air Command colleagues at Ramstein, Germany to form a scaled JFAC HQ of approximately 630 personnel. Partner nations Azerbaijan and Algeria have participated with exercise planning and will observe the operations for the duration of the execution phase.

 

"Based around a Peace Support Operation within a simulated contemporary hybrid war scenario, Exercise Control will be established to make the scenario as realistic as possible by ensuring a synthetic Recognised Air Picture is made available,” said the exercise Project Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Mrazik .  "With relevant headquarters and tactical elements role played, the planned air campaign will be fully prosecuted to ensure all participants are trained in their operational roles and our procedures, systems and tactics are tested and validated,” he added.

 

NATO’s Allied Air Command is tasked to provide effective command and control of Allied air operations.  This exercise ensures that NATO continues to evolve to meet new security challenges and serves to demonstrate the range and scale of military capabilities the Alliance can bring to bear to collectively defend against a range of threats.