From 29 February to 4 March 2016, the DACCC (Deployable Air Command and Control Center) of Poggio Renatico (Ferrara) conducted, for the first time within NATO, the "BMD Planning Training Course" using the new Air Command and Control system C2IS; this system is soon to be introduced in NATO as a new tool for defense planning against a threat deriving from the use of ballistic missiles by a hostile entity.
The Air C2IS application was already delivered, in the second half of the 2015, to some of the NATO Commands, including the Poggio Renatico DACCC.
NATO personnel selected by the DACCC as an instructor, including an Air Force Officer, attended specific training on the use of the new system; the training received was therefore adapted to the educational objectives of the new "BMD Planning" course.
The participants in the "BMD Planning Training Course 16-01" were mainly from the NATO Command Structure (NCS), including the air, land and missile defense components, but were also open to personnel of the Air Operations Command (AOC) of the Air Force, which participated with two officers; this participation strengthens the knowledge base supporting the activities of the Italian Joint Forces Air Component (JFAC), an integral part of the NRF (NATO Response Forces) 2016 device.
The "BMD Planning Training Course" ended with the presentation, by the participants, of a "Defense Design" prepared by them interfacing using the Air C2IS, based on a fictitious scenario prepared by the instructors and with the subsequent delivery of the deserved certificate of participation.
The realization and conduct of the "BMD Planning" course in an autonomous way by the DACCC is an important piece in the complex puzzle of the process still in progress, which will soon bring NATO to declare its own "BMD Initial Operational Capability".
