The Afghan Mission Network Operations Centre (AMNOC) facility has just celebrated its fourth birthday. The current centre was set up in June 2013 to ensure the interoperability of troops contributing to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan.
While a previous operations centre existed on site, the 'new' AMNOC was purpose-built as a hardened facility to ensure continuity of CIS management and supervision. Over 70 people initially moved into the new building located in Kabul Afghanistan International Airport North and it has since hosted up to 100 specialists at a time.
AMNOC was designed as a Mission Critical round-the-clock capability providing System Management and Single Enterprise Service Management for all the NATO Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities deployed in Afghanistan.
On 12 July 2013, the day of the centre's official opening ceremony, Major General Dieter Warnecke, the Deputy Commander of ISAF Joint Command at the time, commented:
"The new AMNOC enables all communication links from the ISAF Joint Command to command and control its subordinate units. It also establishes connection to the higher echelon and flanking commands, as well as the gateway to NATO CIS back in Europe and North America. Moreover, the new AMNOC provides the 'plug in' for all National extensions of the Afghanistan Mission Network."
In 2017, AMNOC is still a state-of-the-art facility supporting one of NATO's most important missions.
"Four years later, we still have one of the best work-spots in the whole of Resolute Support. Everybody who visits this place is really taken by surprise that this well-maintained and nice working place exists in Afghanistan. After seeing it, all our visitors also understand that we are capable of providing a TOP CIS-services here in Resolute Support" Walter Stienaers, AMNOC's current director said as he commemorated the special occasion.