LeMay Center launches 2009 CFACC Course Published July 2, 2009 By Capt. Jennifer Lovett LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- When food is airlifted, bombs dropped or radio messages broadcasted over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, those operations are ordered by the Combined Forces Air Component Commander or CFACC. The LeMay Center completed its 2009 Combined Forces Air Component Commander Course Wednesday where 19 joint and international general and flag officers attended the weeklong course in commanding air operations. "The Combined Force Air Component Commander course is a senior professional military education course to prepare future CFACCs with a broad perspective of leadership at the operational level of war," said Lt. Col. Ira Collier, Flag Officer Division chief. "Attendees study warfighting, military doctrine, and the application of joint, unified and combined combat forces with particular emphasis on airpower employment in theater-level operations." The current CFACC course has nine Air Force generals, one Naval Officer, one Army officer, and eight international flag officers from Australia, Canada, France, South Korea, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. "We attempt to take our CFACC courses to a functioning Air Operations Center after spending four to five days in the classroom here at Maxwell," said Colonel Collier. "This summer we're traveling to Hurlburt Field, Fla., and 1st Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., to continue our lectures and to provide practical application." The CFACC is designated by the combined forces commander and generally depends on which service has the proponent of assets and the ability to command and control those assets. For example, when the evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Beirut was ordered during the Israeli-Hezbollah war, a naval admiral was the first CFACC before the Air Force hit the ground. To complete the international perspective for the course, the Netherlands deputy chief of defense, who attended CFACC in 2006, Lt. Gen. F. H. Meulman, briefed the International Security Assistance Force perspective to the attendees. ISAF is the organization in charge of the current effort in Afghanistan.