CAOC Bodø was formally opened on Oct. 10, 2025, becoming a member of CAOC Uedem, Germany, and CAOC Torrejón, Spain as NATO’s third lively Mixed Air Operations Centre.
Mixed Air Operations Centres, or CAOCs – to not be confused with the U.S. Air Pressure’s 609th Air Operations Centre in Qatar, which is also called the Mixed Air Operations Centre – are NATO’s multinational command and management (C2) nodes for the coordination and course of allied air property and air defence.
Bodø will take cost on operations throughout Scandinavia – bolstered by the addition of Sweden and Finland to the NATO alliance – and the Excessive North, the place Russian air exercise close to NATO airspace is more and more frequent. Initially based mostly at Bodø Air Station itself, which has already hosted quickly deployed CAOCs, the everlasting CAOC will transfer to the close by Reitan mountain facility when preparatory building work has been accomplished. Rygge Air Station was additionally thought of, however not chosen.
NATO’s new Mixed Air Operations Heart (CAOC) shall be positioned within the Excessive North, at Reitan – outdoors of Bodø✈️👩💻
The CAOC serves as a command-and-control facility chargeable for the coordination of airspace surveillance, in addition to the planning and execution of navy air… pic.twitter.com/Dfbtz4QVW7
— Norwegian Ministry of Defence (@Forsvarsdep) Might 20, 2025
Dwelling to 2 squadrons of F-16 Combating Falcons till 2023, Bodø’s function in Norway’s air defence was supplanted by Ørland Most important Air Station with the arrival of the F-35A Lightning II. Now, Bodø will tackle a wider mission, overseeing the operation of Norway’s fast response alert fighter pressure itself and tasking them, in addition to allied NATO plane, with intercept directions.
NATO’s CAOCs monitor as many as 30,000 plane actions every day throughout Europe. The primary CAOC was established in 1993, unifying beforehand separated command constructions for air defence and assault operations. Personnel are drawn from throughout the alliance in addition to from the host nation itself. Moreover, many NATO nations additionally function Management and Reporting Centres (CRCs) that are the subsequent step down within the command chain from CAOCs, offering extra centered protection throughout a person nation or area and managing nationwide air defence missions.
A press launch documenting the opening of CAOC Bodø states that the brand new everlasting facility will construct vital redundancy into NATO’s air C2 structure, complementing, quite than changing, the present two CAOCs. The opening ceremony was attended by NATO officers, together with representatives from Norway, Finland, and Sweden. It concluded with a flypast by a Royal Norwegian Air Pressure (RNoAF) F-35A Lightning II.
👏 We congratulate @NATO_AIRCOM and Norway on the opening of the Alliance’s third Mixed Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Bodø 🇳🇴!
Through the ceremony, our Commander Vice Admiral (VAdm) Doug Perry underscored the significance of this functionality:
🗨️ “The opening of this CAOC… pic.twitter.com/cAN2qqKKus
— NATO JFC Norfolk (@JFCNorfolk) October 10, 2025
Above the CAOCs are three Joint Forces Instructions – JFC Brunsumm within the Netherlands, JFC Naples in Italy, and JFC Norfolk in Virginia, USA. Norfolk is the latest of the JFCs, having opened in 2018, and oversees the biggest space of duty of the three – masking the whole jap seaboards of the US and Canada, and stretching throughout the Atlantic to embody the UK, Iceland, Norway, and the Arctic area.
“The opening of this CAOC marks a brand new milestone in demonstrating NATO’s preparedness and unity,” stated Vice Admiral Doug Perry, Commander of Joint Pressure Command Norfolk, in the course of the ceremony. “Alongside Norway and AIRCOM, our collective planning, integration, and readiness will proceed to evolve and contribute to stability and safety throughout Europe, the Atlantic, Excessive North and Arctic. I’m grateful to Norway for his or her earnest and deliberate efforts in pursuing this vital functionality.”
CAOC Bodø’s first commander is Main Basic Tron Strand of the RNoAF. He stated “The mission process and our space of duty will proceed to extend because the group matures and grows. CAOC Bodø will present the mandatory contributions to the longer term CAOC mannequin. We are going to contribute credible deterrence for the Alliance, and we shall be able to battle if needed.”
Royal Air Pressure Air Marshal Johnny Stringer, who presently serves because the Appearing Commander of NATO Allied Air Command, added: “Immediately, we inaugurate a vital and pivotal Command and Management node for additional securing NATO Airspace. NATO is supremely grateful to the Norwegians for internet hosting this enhanced C2 functionality within the Excessive North.”
NATO’s Evolving Air Defence Image
NATO’s latest CAOC opens because the alliance faces a harder air defence scenario than it has for many years. As Russia’s conflict with Ukraine continues, numerous NATO member states have reported incidents involving suspected drones working close to airports and delicate services. This adopted the direct engagement of Russian assault drones which breached the Polish border with Ukraine final month, subsequently crashing in or being shot down over Polish sovereign territory throughout a NATO-coordinated air defence effort. Since this intrusion, NATO members have stepped up air defence patrols throughout the area.
🇵🇱🇷🇺 A map of the place in Poland the stays of Russian drones have been discovered to this point.
▪️ As of 11:00am native (10:00am GMT), Polish companies had discovered the stays of seven drones and the stays of a missile.
▪️ So far as I perceive, all the drone components found to date… pic.twitter.com/UICmMLPzpt
— Standing-6 (Navy & Battle Information) (@Archer83Able) September 10, 2025
Probing flights by manned plane have additionally continued, most notably on Sept. 19 when three Russian Air Pressure MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor/strike fighters entered Estonian sovereign airspace. Italian F-35s deployed to Poland as a part of NATO’s Enhanced Baltic Air Policing operation had been launched to intercept the MiG plane, which had been inside Estonia’s airspace for round 12 minutes.
On the opposite aspect of the globe, U.S. Air Pressure interceptors have launched on more and more frequent missions to establish and shadow Russian plane detected inside the Alaska Air Protection Identification Zone (ADIZ). The ADIZ itself just isn’t sovereign territory, and Russia is inside their proper to function within the space, although because the U.S. is chargeable for air site visitors management inside the area the presence of non-transponding plane not in radio contact presents a possible hazard to each civilian and navy site visitors. In addition to displaying a forceful response, the deployment of armed interceptors is moreover a technique of preserving a constant observe of the Russian plane and permitting air site visitors management to deconflict the place needed.
Two 🇭🇺 Gripen fighters on @NATO Baltic #AirPolicing scrambled on 25 Sep from Siauliai 🇱🇹 in response to a 🇷🇺 Su-30, Su-35 and 3x MiG-31 flying near 🇱🇻 airspace
🇭🇺 demonstrates the Alliance’s dedication to defending and safeguarding the Baltics and the jap flank pic.twitter.com/EMG035s0qm
— NATO Air Command (@NATO_AIRCOM) September 25, 2025
The coincidental timing of many flights inside the Alaska ADIZ in addition to close to NATO airspace in Europe leaves many to conclude that the missions are intentionally coordinated by Russia. A serious incidence in truth came about shortly after a noteworthy speech by U.S. President Donald Trump, who had urged NATO members may shoot down intruding Russian plane and that Ukraine may regain all territory that it has to this point misplaced to Russia.
