The air operations center has been managed by the 71st Expeditionary Air
Control Squadron in Qatar. The squadron has consisted of 140 U.S. and
coalition airmen, who coordinate air and missile defense, including
deployment of the PAC-3 batteries in such countries as Bahrain, Kuwait and
the United Arab Emirates.
"Through radio and radar, this precision team orchestrates air power to
meet the needs of the supported commander in the field," Brig. Gen. Randy
Kee, commander of the 379th, said.
The squadron was said to be linked to a range of U.S. Air Force assets
in Qatar and other Gulf Cooperation Council states. Officials said the
squadron, through its Battlespace Command and Control Center, processes
information from radars, sensors, radios and data links.
The U.S. military has used the Gulf for both the withdrawal from Iraq as
well as the escalation of the war in Afghanistan. Officials said the C2
center in Qatar, which cost $30 million, has been tracking more than 1,000
aircraft a day in the Gulf as well as supporting ground operations in
Afghanistan and Iraq.
"We basically control all maintenance actions and coordinate with
outside agencies to ensure the mission equipment is available for
operation," Master Sgt. Cate Mulder, a coordinator with the 71st, said.