The 609th Air Operations Center (609 AOC) is an active unit of the United States Air Force based at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The unit is responsible for the daily execution of the air tasking order (ATO) on behalf of the Combined Forces Air Component Commander (CFACC) in the United States Central Command area of responsibility. The unit's personnel work with partners from 18 other nations to complete their mission.

When the United States and Israel launched the 2026 Iran War, among the allied and partner liaison officers in the CAOC were the Canadian Forces. "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."

Lineage

• Established as the 609th Air Operations Group and activated on 1 January 1994

• Redesignated 609th Air and Space Operations Center on 1 March 2008

• Redesignated 609th Air Operations Center on 1 December 2014

Assignments

• Ninth Air Force (later, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central), United States Air Forces Central Command, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central)), 1 January 1994 – present

Components

• 609th Air Support Squadron: 17 September 2019 – present

Stations

• Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, 1 January 1994

• Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, 1 March 2008 – present

References