In a covered wagon incident involving the Alert E-4B, who is the termination authority?

In a covered wagon incident involving the Alert E-4B, who is the termination authority?

• A. Installation commander
• B. NAOC commander
• C. DFC
• D. FPCAM

Answer: (B)

In this context, the person in charge of deciding to end an Alert E-4B mission is the NAOC commander. The National Airborne Operations Center is the airborne command post for national continuity operations, so the officer who leads the NAOC has the authority to terminate the alert status and abort the mission when conditions warrant. The installation commander would not automatically control an asset that’s executing national-level duties, and the Duty Flight Commander is responsible for the real-time flight execution, not the ultimate end-state of the alert posture. FPCAM isn’t the designated authority for terminating an Airborne Alert mission. So the NAOC commander is the correct choice because they hold the appropriate authority for airborne national command-and-control assets.

In this context, the person in charge of deciding to end an Alert E-4B mission is the NAOC commander. The National Airborne Operations Center is the airborne command post for national continuity operations, so the officer who leads the NAOC has the authority to terminate the alert status and abort the mission when conditions warrant. The installation commander would not automatically control an asset that’s executing national-level duties, and the Duty Flight Commander is responsible for the real-time flight execution, not the ultimate end-state of the alert posture. FPCAM isn’t the designated authority for terminating an Airborne Alert mission. So the NAOC commander is the correct choice because they hold the appropriate authority for airborne national command-and-control assets.