Centralized info hub stands up at AOC

by Mary McHale
AFNORTH Public Affairs

3/28/2014 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- A centralized hub meant to streamline operational information stood up here March 24, to enhance senior leadership's situational awareness about all non-aerial events that could affect Air Forces Northern.

The AFNORTH Domestic Operations Desk (DOMOPS) will be manned by force protection professionals, chemical officers and emergency preparedness liaison officers.
Working from the operations floor in the 601st Air and Space Operations Center, it focuses on five primary missions requiring real or near real-time senior-leadership awareness including Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear issues, Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection, land-based symmetric and asymmetric threat reporting, Defense support to civil authorities and theater security cooperation. Other concerns for DOMOPS are Public Affairs, Logistics, Safety and Cyberspace.

"Before we established DOMOPS, senior leadership would receive operational and awareness updates from multiple agencies," said John Brooks, Chief of Force Protection and current acting Installation and Mission Support Directorate (A7) Deputy Director. "With this concept, all routine, non-air-domain operational reporting to the AFNORTH commander will route through DOMOPS. From there, the chief, combat operations on duty will validate it and if necessary, relay the information to senior leadership."

Brooks explained coming up with the original concept and bringing it to life was truly a team effort and involved people from directorates across the enterprise.

"This concept became a reality thanks to a whole lot of hard work not only from A7 but across the enterprise, and we are very grateful for everyone's patient efforts to make this a success," he said.

While management and supervisory responsibilities for DOMOPS resides within the A7, Brooks said directorates and personal staff still retain overall management of their functional activities.

But as the centralized information conduit, DOMOPS is not only responsible for event management and reporting, they also determine, based on the event, whether a subject matter expert is required. All on-duty and after-hours contact numbers are maintained by the DOMOPS desk for all applicable mission and program SMEs within the organization.

Currently, DOMOPS is in its initial operating capabilities stage. During this stage, the need for further training and additional materials is evaluated. The transition to full operational capability will take approximately 60 days, according to Brooks.

"The ultimate goal of DOMOPS is to maximize value through effective information transfer," Brooks said. "It's an architecture designed to minimize time and maximize information."

To contact DOMOPS, call (850) 283-5678 or e-mail afnorth.domops@us.af.mi