Combined Aerospace Operations Centre
Active 9 April 1993–Present
Country Canada
Branch  Royal Canadian Air Force
Part of 1 Canadian Air Division
Nickname CAOC
Engagements Bosnian War
  • NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina
    • Operation Deny Flight

Kosovo War

  • NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
2026 Iran war

The Combined Aerospace Operations Centre, also known as the Combined Air Operation Centre is a Canadian military unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

History

The Combined Aerospace Operations Centre was formed on 9 April 1993.[1] The CAOC was initially formed in order to support NATO operations during Operation Deny Flight during the Bosnian War.[2] It later supported NATO air operations during the Kosovo War.[3] It is currently attached to the 1 Canadian Air Division.[4] In 2019, United States Air Force Brigadier-General Ed “Hertz” Vaughan implemented a new award for the CAOC known as the GRIT Award (Generous, Relentless, Innovative, Tough Award).[5] According to Retired Major-General Denis Thompson, the CAOC has been providing intelligence support during the 2026 Iran war.[6] According to a CBC News report citing the Canadian Department of National Defense's website, members of the CAOC were present at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar the time of the Iranian attack.[7] On 3 March 2026, Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed Canadian military presence in the Middle East and confirmed that they hadn't suffered any casualties. McGuinty also stated that the Canadian Armed Forces will “assess any potential impacts on CAF personnel in the region."[8]

References

  1. ^ "Combined Air Operation Centre (CAOC)". Government of Canada. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Combined Air Operation Centre (CAOC)". Government of Canada. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2026. The Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) was first set up in 1993 to support Operation Deny Flight, NATO's first combat air operation established in support of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) ground troops in the former Yugoslavia. Under Operation Deny Flight, more that 100,400 missions were flown between April 9, 1993 and December 20, 1995.
  3. ^ "Combined Air Operation Centre (CAOC)". Government of Canada. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2026. Thereafter, more than 119,000 additional air missions were flown including 38,408 missions during the 78-day Allied Force air war in Kosovo that began on March 24, 1999.
  4. ^ "Organizational structure of the Royal Canadian Air Force". Government of Canada. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  5. ^ "Showing some GRIT – 1 Canadian Air Division/Canadian NORAD Region launches new operational award". North American Aerospace Defense Command. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Did Canadian exchange officers participate in U.S. Iran strike planning? DND says no, but questions linger". CBC News. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026. "Unless the Canadian government said, 'No, you cannot be directly engaged in this conflict,' then … typically, when we attach officers to another military and they go to war and the prime minister endorses this attack, then it's quite likely that they're actively engaged in the targeting process," Thompson told CBC News. He said Canada has members of three branches of the military — army, navy and air force —attached to CENTCOM and "we specifically have staff officers inside what's known as the Combined Aerospace Operations Center ... so, they are going to be directly involved in targeting."
  7. ^ "Did Canadian exchange officers participate in U.S. Iran strike planning? DND says no, but questions linger". CBC News. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026. The Department of National Defence website shows that as many as 18 military personnel with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are attached to Operation Foundation, working at the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and at the Combined Aerospace Operations Center (CAOC) at Al Udeid airbase in Qatar.
  8. ^ "Canadian troops in Middle East 'are all fine' amid Iran war, McGuinty says". Global News. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.