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Torrejón Air Base, Madrid - The annual NATO Southern Flank Nations Control and Reporting Centres (CRC) conference was held at Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) of Torrejón, October 6 - 7.

Inaugurated by the commander of CAOC Torrejón, Lieutenant General Fernando de la Cruz Caravaca, the conference was attended by personnel from the CRCs in its area of responsibility which includes all southern NATO countries as well as representatives from Austria and Switzerland.

The conference is aimed at reviewing and refining procedures for airspace surveillance and the NATO Air Policing mission. This meeting represents a forum in which participating staff address issues of interest to nations in this area, in addition to updating the procedures implemented by the CAOC Torrejón.

Lieutenant General Fernando de la Cruz Caravaca addresses the delegation from southern European CRCs, the conference helps harmonise procedures ensuring NATO can react to and threat to its airspace. Photo courtesy of CAOC Torrejón.

The area of responsibility of the CAOC TJ covers a total of 11 million square kilometres and extends from the Black Sea and the Mediterranean in the East to the Atlantic Ocean in the West, covering the continental fringe of the Alliance.

Since the implementation of the new NATO command structure in 2013, CAOC Torrejón assumes Tactical Command and Control of all subordinate units in the NATO integrated air and missile defence system. Therefore, the harmonisation of procedures is crucial for the optimisation of resources, enabling the Alliance to response efficiently to any threats in the area of responsibility.