On Monday 27 June, Vice-Admiral Binelli Mantelli was welcomed on his arrival by General S.A. Ottone. Following a brief meeting with Air Force General Mario Renzo Ottone, Commander of Air Operations and CAOC5, Admiral Binelli Mantelli proceeded to the Centre’s facilities where, following a brief meeting with USAF Lieutenant General Ralph J. Jodice II, Combined Forces Air Component Commander (CFACC), that is, the Commander of the Command and Control Centre managing NATO’s ‘Unified Protector’ Air Operation (OUP) for Libya, he was able to attend an illustrative briefing on ongoing activities and visit the operations room. At the end of the visit, Admiral Binelli Mantelli, whilst signing the Unit’s Guest Book, thanked General Ottone for his kind hospitality and expressed his sincere appreciation for the effectiveness of the work carried out and for the excellent cooperation established with the Naval Task Force during the air operations related to the Libyan crisis. The COA, established at the Poggio Renatico base on 4 October 2010, is responsible for exercising command and control over SAR (Search and Rescue) assets, so-called “operational” air transport (including transport to and from theatres outside national borders, but excluding state flights) and Air Defence. These tasks are carried out every day of the year, without interruption, through the COA’s National Operations Centre (AOC), which manages and coordinates all assigned assets and resources. In addition to its routine operational activities, the COA may be called upon to provide an appropriate air security framework for ‘high-profile’ events, as was the case, for example, with the G8 summit in L’Aquila in 2009. Furthermore, the COA acts as the link between the NATO Command and Control chain and the national organisation, as its Commander fulfils the dual role of COA Commander and CAOC5, that is, the NATO Command and Control Centre for air defence operations in Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia and Albania.
