Cooperation System of the American Air Forces

The System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces (Spanish: "Sistema de Cooperación entre las Fuerzas Aéreas Americanas", SICOFAA) is an apolitical voluntary international organization among the North and South American air forces.

SICOFAA's mission is to promote and strengthen the bonds of friendship prevalent in the Air Forces of the American Continent, members of the System, as well as to achieve the mutual support among them through their cooperation to act jointly when directed to do so by their respective governments. Critical topics include air operations, human resources, education and training, search and rescue, disasters relief, telecommunications, aerospace medicine, weather, prevention of plane crashes, and scientific research.

History

On April 16, 1961, US Air Force Chief of Staff Thomas D. White hosted a conference at Randolph Air Force Base. Here the delegates proposed on creating an organization that would help fortify the inter-institutional relations and planning of effective professional cooperation of the American Air Forces.

In 1964, the Peruvian Air Force proposed the creation of a voluntary organization of mutual professional relations in a document titled "Bases and Procedures for a Cooperation System between the American Air Forces". This document was accepted in 1965 as the first corporate charter of SICOFAA.

Before 1990 SICOFAA consisted of three parts: the administrative (SPS), the communications (SITFAA), and the educational ( [http://www.lackland.af.mil/iaafapub IAAFA] ). During that time SICOFAA was under the Twelfth Air Force (AFSOUTH). It was in that year that Hurricane Andrew destroyed Homstead Air Force Base where both the administrative and educational parts of SICOFAA were stationed. It was then that SICOFAA was reorganized, IAFAA was moved to Lackland AFB and the administrative portion was moved to Andrews AFB. After this reorganization, the administrative partition was the only one that remained under the Twelfth Air Force.

Members

SICOFAA is composed of 18 member countries:

*Argentina
*Bolivia
*Brazil
*Canada
*Chile
*Colombia
*Dominican Republic
*Ecuador
*El Salvador
*Guatemala
*Honduras
*Nicaragua
*Panama
*Paraguay
*Peru
*United States of America
*Uruguay
*Venezuela

And six observer countries:

*Belize
*Guyana
*Jamaica
*Costa Rica
*Haiti
*Mexico

Organization

Committees

Committees are permanent organisms that study and analyze subjects, interchange ideas and share procedures that improve the operations and collaboration between the member countries of SICOFAA.

There are five committees named after their respective area of research:

*A-I Personnel ("Asuntos de Personal")
*A-II Information ("Información")
*A-III Operations ("Operacional")
*A-IV Logistics ("Asuntos Logísticos")
*A-V Science and Technology ("Ciencia y Tecnología")

SPS

The Permanent Secretary of the System (Spanish: "Secretaría Permanente del Sistema", SPS) is responsible for administrative functions of SICOFAA and is located at Andrews Air Force Base. Its purpose is to centralize and ensure continuity and permanence to all the activities of SICOFAA as they are established at the CONJEFAMER. The SPS consists of a Secretary General (an USAF O-6), and a Sub Secretary, and Editor, and other support staff (military and civilian). The Sub Secretary position rotates among Colonels of the member countries, it is a two year tour.

OENFA

The Liaison Officer of the Air Force (Spanish: "Oficial Enlace de la Fuerza Aérea", OENFA) is the link between Air Force Chiefs of Staff and SICOFAA. Each member country has an OENFA.

SITFAA

The Information Technology System of the American Air Forces (Spanish: "Sistema de Información Tecnológica de las Fuerzas Aéreas de América", SITFAA) is responsible for communications between SICOFAA's member countries. In 1964 SITFAA was created to meet the commnication needs of SICOFAA. Originally SITFAA was part of the Science and Technology Committee but advances and technology have spurred SITFAA to become its own entity inside SICOFAA.

SITFAA's capabilities include voice, fax, Internet, and High Frequency. Each country has its own station within the SITFAA network.

Each member country has a SITFAA station, however, after SICOFAA reorganized in 1990 the United States SITFAA station moved from Puerto Rico to Andrews AFB in Maryland. The United States does not have a SITFAA station, its station serves as the Master Net Control Station ("ECR or Estacion en Control de la Red ").

Network

SITFAA is broken into two networks: the Northern Circuit ("Circuito Norte") and Southern Circuit ("Circuito Sur").

The Northern Circuit consists of:

*Canada
*Colombia
*Ecuador
*El Salvador
*Guatemala
*Honduras
*Nicaragua
*Panama
*Dominican Republic
*Venezuela

The Southern Circuit consists of:

*Argentina
*Bolivia
*Brazil
*Chile
*Paraguay
*Peru
*Uruguay

The United States is the Network Control Station ("Estación Control de la Red", ECR). This station is manned by the 89th Communications Squadron of the 89th Airlift Support Group of the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base.

Each circuit members take turns being the Northern Circuit Control Station ("Estación Control del Circuito Norte", ECCN) or the Southern Circuit Control Station ("Estación Control del Circuito Sur", ECCS).

Meetings

Each year, the five committees meet and discuss their fields. The findings are then brought to the yearly PREPLAN where the member countries decide on what topics will be discussed for implementation in the Conference of the Chiefs of the American Air Forces ("Conferencia de los Jefes de las Fuerzas Aéreas Americanas", CONJEFAMER).

The member country that hosted PREPLAN hosts CONJEFAMER. At CONJEFAMER, the top Generals of the member Air Forces make decisions on the findings of the committees brought before them. The Chief of the Air Force of the host nation awards the SICOFAA Legion of Merit Medal at this conference.

External links

* [http://www.sicofaa.org Official website]