On Friday (3 July 2015), NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment Patrick Auroy welcomed the activation of NATO's new Air Command and Control System (ACCS). Italy recently decided to declare the first ACCS site operational, with other NATO and national sites to follow in 2015 and subsequent years.
Poggio Renatico in Italy is the first ACCS site in NATO to achieve operational status. In addition to a static NATO air command and control centre, the site also hosts a deployable ACCS capability that SACEUR can use to conduct complex air operations anywhere in NATO or out of area. It is expected that this capability may also support NATO's Readiness Action Plan, if required.
"This is a major step forward," said the Assistant Secretary General; "I express my great appreciation to the Italian authorities and to NATO's Air Command and Control community, the NATO Communication and Information Agency and industry who made this possible. I look forward to the speedy activation of the next sites. This system is a good example of integrated national and NATO defence capabilities."
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