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Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division (ISRD)

Mission
The Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division (ISRD) provides the Combined Force Air Component Commander (CFACC), Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) and subordinate units with intelligence analysis, ISR planning and targeting support to provide situational awareness to help leadership with decision making. As one of five divisions, the ISRD enables the CAOC to meet its mission as the primary command and control facility for Coalition air operations in the U.S. Central Command's (USCENTCOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR). 

Function

The ISRD provides comprehensive air domain awareness and targeting support critical to planning and executing theater-wide airpower operations to meet CFACC objectives. The ISRD performs post war analysis to ensure we are fighting with the highest level of efficiency to help improve our warfighting abilities for the future. ISR personnel plan and monitor the execution of airborne ISR operations 24/7 and adjust ISR plans to meet battlespace demands and provide situation awareness to the warfighter. 

Organization

ISRD is composed of members from the Air Forces' five AN/USQ-163 Falconer Air Operations Centers, the Distributed Ground Station community, as well as the major commands and their subordinate units, and Coalition and joint partners. The ISRD personnel composition adapts to operational changes in the USCENTCOM AOR. The ISRD is led by the Chief of the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Directorate and organized into three functionally-oriented teams with embedded intelligence support from joint, intelligence community, and coalition counterparts apportioned throughout. The three primary teams within the ISRD are: Analysis Correlation and Fusion (ACF); ISR Plans; and Targets.

The Analysis, Correlation and Fusion (ACF) Team focuses on near-to-mid term, airpower-centric issues to inform Airmen, from the CFACC down to the pilot, and deliver decision advantage to the warfighter.  ACF analysts develop regional and enemy analysis reports related to air, missile, space, and information warfare threats and assess the operational environment’s characteristics, adversary capabilities and tactics, and adversary courses of actions. Teams of ACF analysts assist the target development by identifying violent extremist organization points of interest in the USCENTCOM AOR and support CFACC mission objectives. The team receives post-mission reports from flying units to update enemy tactics and order of battle while also alerting the flying units of any new threats or tactics in the area. ACF aids every step in the Air Tasking Order process through analytical products and available reach back via embedded intelligence community organizations and Coalition liaisons. The ACF Team’s production includes daily intelligence summaries for theater and global customers, as well as daily staff briefings to the CFACC and the CAOC staff.

The ISR Plans Team manages and directs the collaborative effort of collection managers, reconnaissance and surveillance planners, airborne platform liaisons and Processing Exploitation and Dissemination (PED) centers to deliver situational awareness and decision advantage to the warfighter. Collection management is the creation, registration and validation of collection requirements supporting CFACC intelligence and operational priorities, ultimately resulting in a prioritized list of requirements. Collection operations managers take these requirements and use them to direct, schedule, and control specific collection platforms in theatre to create a warfighter-focused collection plan. ISR Coordinators consult with platform liaisons and the Combat Operations Division to ensure operations are adequately covered by ISR. After a collection plan is executed, the PED assessments analysts ensure sorties are effectively flown through customer feedback.

The Targets Team (TT) provides target development, force application, weapons recommendations, and Collateral Damage Estimates (CDE) to the CAOC Director, the Combat Plans and the Combat Operations Divisions, as well as the forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. This support is provided for both pre-planned targets and time sensitive targeting situations. The TT is the only organization in the theater with the capability to provide precise coordinates and conduct formal CDEs necessary for pre-planned target approval. In all situations, the cell works to achieve the desired effects while minimizing or eliminating unnecessary harm to the civilian populace and the environment. The TT also houses the Target Fusion Cell, which focuses on providing intelligence support to dynamic targeting and the time-sensitive application of airpower. They combine multiple types of intelligence along with dedicated ISR assets to provide the most up-to-date and reliable data available for the Combat Operations Division and CAOC leadership, shortening the length of time between finding a target and striking it.

Updated July 2017