Members of Squadron II conduct Operation Afghan Assist (OAA) training on the mission simulator Sept. 3, 2014, in preparation for the E-3A Component’s last deployment to Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan. OAA, which started Jan. 14, 2011, to support the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, is slated to conclude at the end of September. Over the past three and a half years, NATO AWACS has provided air command and control, airspace deconfliction, communications relay and radar coverage in the Afghan airspace, aerial refuelling flow management and civil/military aircraft deconfliction. Furthermore, the AWACS has enhanced situational awareness for air and ground commanders as well as enabling control of close air support assets, surveillance and communications support to ground operations including medical evacuation operations and personnel recovery. With more than 1,200 missions and approximately 12,000 flying hours, the Component’s efforts have helped ensure no critical air or ground related incidents.
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