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The groundbreaking ceremony for a new facility for the 603rd Air and Space Operations Center took place on Ramstein Nov. 14.
“The construction of this facility has been long overdue,” said Lt. Gen. Phil Breedlove, 3rd AF commander. “We will soon be moving a lot of great warriors into a facility that matches their skills.”
The AOC is a critical weapon system that provides the 3rd Air Force command continuous theater-wide situational awareness and the ability to exercise operational control of the nine wings within U.S. Air Forces in Europe. It develops the strategy, plans and command and control processes necessary to successfully employ air, space and information forces to achieve desired effects in support of campaign objectives.
Col. Peter Davidson, 603rd AOC commander, said the day represented an epic moment in AOC history.
“Currently, the 220 men and women who work hard on the AOC mission are spread across three locations. I am excited about this project because, for the first time, it will bring us together geographically as a unit and will allow us to do our jobs even better,” Colonel Davidson said. “By bringing all of the AOC functions together in one state-of-the-art facility, the AOC can more efficiently plan, successfully execute and expedite assessment operations for 3rd AF, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and the European Command.”
Colonel Davidson said the groundbreaking marked an important milestone not only for the AOC, but for 3rd Air Force and USAFE.
“The 603rd AOC is composed of a Falconer weapon system and personnel trained and equipped to deliver integrated command and control of air, space and cyber forces from concept development and planning to combat execution and assessment,” he said. “This will be a premier facility in Europe for air operations that will showcase the best of our Air Force and will be a center for improving our ability to operate with other nations.”
Norman Guenther, Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment construction project manager, said that while the new facility will bring all the functions of the AOC together under one roof, it will more importantly, enhance the integration of theater air control system elements.
“It also provides a modern, state of the art facility for our most valuable resource – our people,” he said.
Maj. Anela Arcari, Army Corps of Engineers deputy commander, said the new AOC will protect our airspace, and in the event of a natural or man-made disaster, coordinate much-needed lifesaving relief efforts almost anywhere in Europe.
“It’s going to be a big complex, and will take about two years to complete, but with steady partnership and a dedication to a common goal, we’ll have success,” she said.
There are several different orga-nizations working together on this project. The AFCEE is the lead Air Force office, working in conjunction with two German companies – Firma Budau and LBB-Kaiserslautern – as well as the Army Corps of Engineers and the 435th Civil Engineer Group.
The facility, which is scheduled to be completed by September 2010, will be located near Bldg. 519.
