The ACE and Mission Director

Context in Which Decisions and Actions Took Place 

Safety Requirements and Constraints The ACE and mission director must follow the procedures specified and implied by the ROE, the ACE must ensure that pilots 

Controls The controls include the ROE to slow down the engagement and a chain of command to prevent individual error or erratic behavior. 

Roles and Responsibilities The ACE was responsible for controlling combat operations and for ensuring that the ROE were enforced. He flew in the AWACS so he could get up-to-the-minute information about the state of the TAOR airspace. 

The Mission Director on the ground provided a chain of command for real-time decision making from the pilots to the CFAC commander. On the day of the accident, the Mission Director was a lieutenant colonel with more than eighteen years in the Air Force. He had logged more than 1,000 hours in the F-4 in Europe and an additional 100 hours worldwide in the F-15 [191]. 

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