Air Officer Commanding (AOC) is a title given in the air forces ofCommonwealth (and some other) nations to anair officer who holds a command appointment which typically comprises a large, organized collection of air force assets.[1] Thus, anair vice marshal might be the AOC 38 Group. The equivalent term for army officers isgeneral officer commanding (GOC), from where the air force term was derived.
An air officer heading a particularly large or important command may be called an air officer commanding-in-chief (AOC-in-C).
In theRAF those air officers who command agroup are styled air officer commanding, followed by the name of the group. Currently, there are five AOCs:
In theIAF, Officers of the rank ofAir Commodore who commandWings, Base Repair Depots, Equipment Depots andAir Bases are styled as Air Officer Commanding (AOC). Similarly,Air Vice Marshals commandingGroups (like the J&K Group & Maritime Air Ops Group) and Advance Headquarters are styled as Air Officer Commanding (AOC).
SeniorAir Marshals who command the Seven Air Commands are styled asAir Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C).[3] The Seven appointments are :
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In theUnited States Air Force, the term "Air Officer Commanding" is used specifically to refer to the specially selected officers who command cadet squadrons and groups at theUnited States Air Force Academy inColorado Springs,Colorado. In the case of a cadet squadron, the AOC is normally amajor or alieutenant colonel. These officers exercise command authority over their cadet units and are expected to train cadets in officership and military matters, advise the cadets who hold leadership positions in the unit, and act as role models for the future officers.
Although the vast majority of AOCs at the academy are, logically,United States Air Force officers, a small number may come from the Army. While holding these positions at the Academy, these officers are still referred to as "Air Officers Commanding" despite their beingArmy officers who may or may not be aviators.