Room with a view

The US Central Command's combined air and space operations center (CAOC) personnel bend to the task of tracking, planning, and executing the air war in real time. The CAOC resides on a coalition air base in an allied country. Rows of uniformed personnel sit among computers, telephones, encryptors, and banks of command and control gear. On the right side of one screen is a display of activity in Afghanistan. The system highlights Helmand Province, home of both the Kajaki Dam complex and the Sangin Valley. Across the CAOC complex, personnel responsible for every imaginable aspect of the fight are arrayed in cubicles, offices, and open rows of equipment. They range from legal advisors and coalition liaison officers, to signals intelligence deconfliction cells and subject matter experts. The CAOC personnel are guiding a massive movement of machinery, personnel, and cargo in combat. The CAOC's air mobility division oversees the movement of people, fuel, and equipment. This covers all kinds of missions, from refueling to aeromedical evacuations and two-pallet airdrops at remote Afghan firebases.