November - Department of Defence

eventsReopening of Air ForceCommand and ControlSchool34By Brig Gen Portia Sibiya, DirectorCorporate Staff Service, SAAFThe history of Air ForceCommand and ControlSchool, as it is known today,can be traced back to 1January 1956 when the controland reporting school atWaterkloof AFB was opened.During the seventies and early eightiesradar operator and mission controltraining took place at the Air DefenceSchool, air traffic controllers weretrained at the Air Traffic ControlSchool at Pietersburg and missile controltraining was conducted at 250 AirDefence Unit at Hammanskraal.The three groups, namely the AirDefence School, the Air Traffic ControlSchool and 250 Air Defence UnitTraining Wing amalgamated in 1985to form the Air Space Control School.Organisational development andrestructuring later necessitated therelocation of the joint operations trainingwing, previously stationed at theAir Force College, to the Air SpaceControl School. Owing to the lack ofsufficient accommodation and facilitiesat the former school for logisticaltraining, the communication-trainingwing was likewise moved to the AirSpace Control School. Transformationand the establishment of the new systemgroups saw the integration of theAir Traffic Control, mission controland reporting, communications andcommand post functions in the SA AirForce into one directorate, namely theDirectorate Command and ControlSystems. This subsequently led to therenaming in 1999 of the Air SpaceControl School to the Air ForceCommand and Control School.S A S O L D I E R • N OV EMBER 2 0 0 4Up to and until April 2003 AirForce Command and Control Schoolfunctioned as a force structure elementof Directorate Education, Training andDevelopment, which managed thetraining required for command andcontrol systems.The core business of Air ForceCommand and Control School is to bethe proud provider of command andcontrol training for the SA Air Force. Itconducts the functional developmentsof air traffic controllers, mission controllers,communication officers, commandpost officers, MAOT commanders,air traffic service assistants, radaroperators, communications operatorsand command post assistants. Becausethe most of the training at the school isadvanced functional training the AirForce Board decided to transfer theCommand and Control School toDirectorate Command and ControlSystems. As training lies at the heart ofthe development of excellence,Directorate Command and Controleagerly accepted the Command andControl School as its force structureelements and saw the school as thetrue cornerstone for the future of commandand control excellence.In September 2003 the Air ForceBoard decided to re-locate two units toHoedspruit AFB, namely the Air ForceCommand and Control School and 19Squadron. The Air Force Board gavethe target date as December 2004.Directorate Command and ControlSystems grasped the relocation opportunityas the catalyst to bring about afundamental change to a real learningenvironment. To this end it was decidedto relocate during December 2003to give impetus to the required culturechange. This decision did put extremepressure on the organisation, and itwas only due to the excellent teamapproach and dynamic leadershipwithin the command and control environmentand the greater Air Force thatthis huge task was completed in such ashort time.Maj Gen C. Gagiano, Chief Director Air Policy and Plan (left), congratulatesCol M.O. Mcetywa on his new appointment as OC Command and ControlSchool and with the reopening of the school in Hoedspruit.