There’s an old adage in the SOF command & control (C2) world, “If you’ve seen one JSOAC, you’ve seen one JSOAC.” For most Air Commandos, the Joint Special Operations Air Component (JSOAC) is a relatively unknown or misunderstood organization. Joint doctrine allows joint special operations component commander to designate JSOAC commander to control SOF aviation across a theater operations. For special air operations in Africa, the commander of Special Operations Command Africa (COMSOCAFRICA) has created a JSOAC. It is collocated with SOCAFRICA in Stuttgart, Germany. A key point in special operations C2 doctrine, especially as it relates to the planning, resourcing, and execution of ISR support, is that whether operating autonomously or in conjunction with other forces, special operations ISR must be synchronized and closely coordinated with other air operations in the theater. For JSOAC-Africa, the challenges of meeting those requirements are herculean, in terms of geography, scope of taskings, and complexity of the environment. This article will explore those challenges in order to show how one JSOAC is overcoming tremendous odds to ensure effective and timely ISR to achieve COMSOCAFRICA’s strategic objectives.
a By Col Lance Schmidt, Commander, and a the JSOAC-Africa ISR Team of
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t is no secret that Africa is home to some of the world’s most dangerous terrorist groups: Boko Haram operates in Central Africa, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb is in much of West Africa, the Islamic State has moved to North Africa, and Al Shabab keeps East Africa in turmoil.
The Challenge of Geography
Few people comprehend just how large Africa is as a continent. From Tunis, Tunisia, in the north, to Cape Town, South Africa, in the south, is about 5,000 miles, or a 16-hour flight in a C-130. From Dakar, Senegal, in the west, to the eastern tip of Somalia is 4,600 miles, about the same distance as from MacDill AFB, FL, to Hickam AFB, HI. One 40 │ AIR COMMANDO JOURNAL │Vol 8, Issue 1
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