AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar -- Whether it’s to fuel the fight, drop bombs on target, or provide intelligence; aircraft and their aircrew require an Air Tasking Order that tells them what their mission for the day will be. But how does the ATO get from point A to point B? Where does it come from?
The strategy first comes from U.S. Central Command’s Combined Joint Task Force who then provides it to the overall campaign strategy division in the Combined Air and Space Operations Center at Al Udeid.
The CAOC is responsible for taking that strategy and creating what’s called an air operations directive, a document that aligns the Combined Force Air Component Commander’s desired effects with the aircraft needs and availability.
From the strategy division it goes to the combat plans division where a master air attack plan is made, which translates to how airpower assets will be used for the next 24 hours. Once the plan is approved it becomes an air tasking order.
“Our tasking comes from the CAOC,” said Maj. Tim, 763rd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron director of operations. “As soon as we receive an ATO from the CAOC a team begins mission planning. It’s a busy time that requires a lot of detailed preparation to make sure a mission executes successfully.”
As one of five squadrons assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Operations Group, the 763rd ERS’s mission is to provide near real-time on-scene intelligence, collection, analysis, and dissemination that is used by national and theater level consumers. It takes a team of people from pilots to electronic warfare officers to intelligence operators, to prepare and execute this mission.
“During mission planning one of the cryptologic operators will study intelligence updates of the target area in preparation for the next days' mission,” said Tim. “Once mission planning is complete, the aircrew will begin crew rest 12 hours prior to their showtime the following day.”
When the aircrew arrives to work on the day of their mission, they receive a mission briefing, which includes updates on intelligence, weather, and mission changes. Finally, the crew double-checks that all the paperwork is accurate before takeoff.
“When the mission is complete the aircrew returns back to the squadron where they debrief the events of the mission and lessons learned are rolled into the next planning cycle,” said Tim. “While one mission is executing, another is being planned and the lessons learned are incorporated into the planning and execution cycle.”
(Editor's note: Due to security and safety reasons, last names were removed)