Last year, the Joint Force Air Component Headquarters (JFACHQ), one of the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Command and Control (C2) assets participated in Air Combat Power Visit (ACPV) held at Royal Air Force Waddington in Lincolnshire, UK.

The goal of ACPV was to broaden the understanding of air power roles, the RAF’s expeditionary capability and the how air power assets are deployed, and then managed at all levels of the command chain.

The event was attended by a wide range of both military and civilian personnel as part of Force Development as well as students from the Advanced Command and Staff Course (from the UK’s Military Command and Staff College), academics and Members of Parliament. For JFACHQ’s newest members ACPV provided an opportunity to receive some real hands on training in establishing a C2 HQ in a deployed environment.

As part of the training, ACPV personnel setup a command post outfitted with all the necessary communications equipment required for a deployment. The command post was constructed using several of the unit’s DRASH Shelter Systems. JFACHQ has several M’s, J’s, and 1XBT’s.

"JFACHQ utilises DRASH because they needed a system that was modular, flexible and easy to transport," said Bryan Wright, a Business Development Representative for DHS Systems International who was on hand for the training and provided the newest members with some helpful hints.

"Participating in ACPV gave us a unique opportunity to showcase our rapid deployment capabilities," said Flt Lt Catherine Baily, a member of JFACHQ Support Division with responsibility for JFACHQ DRASH. "At anytime our unit could be called up to deploy to an area that is not ideal for our electronics equipment. Our DRASH assets provide us with a climate-controlled and well-lit environment suitable for even our most sensitive equipment."

Once the shelter systems were in place, the unit personnel provided up to 48 briefings per day to educate ACPV visitors on how JFACHQ plans and manages air operations. Liaison Officers from the Royal Navy and army also participated in the presentations and spoke of how they work in conjunction, JFACHQ to coordinate joint activities.

The event was well received and participants were able to view the wider capabilities of the RAF beyond the aircraft, many of which were also on display.

Baily concluded: "It was a great platform for exchanging information as well as gaining some valuable training."