In CAOCs such as the one pictured at left in an undisclosed location, analysts pore over real-time data provided by US and NATO manned and unmanned intelligence resources. (USAF photo)Warheads On Foreheads -- Air Force Magazine
The USAF-led combined air and space operations center is helping craft an “airman’s view” of counterinsurgency warfare.
The facility is located somewhere in the Persian Gulf region. Within the confines of US Central Command’s combined air and space operations center (CAOC), scores of flat screen monitors project a stream of images that have been beamed back to Earth from aircraft patrolling in the skies above Iraq and Afghanistan.
Airmen here most closely watch the videos of US and allied forces under enemy fire. Such videos depict "troops in contact"—TICs, for short.
It is a TIC, in fact, that on this day occupies the attention of Lt. Gen. Gary L. North, the commander of US Air Forces Central and combined air forces in the Middle East. "The ground commander has said that we have troops in contact," said North, commenting as the video images flash across the monitors. He added, "We need [airpower] overhead, right now."
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Update: Despite Precautions, U.S. Airstrikes Kill Afghan Allies -- The Danger Room
My Comment: A fascinating and well written report. It gives the scoop on the thinking that goes into using ordinance and strategy against enemy combatants. A must read for those who are interested in knowing how operations are conducted. The article from the Danger Room is also a good summary.