# Allied Command Operations

The Allied Command Operations (ACO) is one of the two strategic commands of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the other being Allied Command Transformation (ACT). The headquarters and commander of ACO is Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), respectively.

## Structure

* POLITICAL-STRATEGIC LEVEL:
* North Atlantic Council (NAC) NATO Headquarters, Brussels, BEL
* Secretary-General (SECGEN) NATO Headquarters, Brussels, BEL
* International Staff (IS) NATO Headquarters, Brussels, BEL
* MILITARY-STRATEGIC LEVEL:
* International Military Staff (IMS) NATO Headquarters, Brussels, BEL
* Military Committee (MC) NATO Headquarters, Brussels, BEL
* STRATEGIC COMMANDS:
* Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Allied Command Transformation (ACT) Norfolk, USA
* Supreme Allied Commander Europe Allied Command Operations (ACO) Mons, BEL
* TRANSFORMATION COMMANDS:
* OPERATIONAL COMMANDS:
* Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) Stavanger, NOR
* Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC Brunssum) Brunssum, NLD
* Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) Ramstein, DEU
* Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC) Bydgoszcz, POL
* Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples) Naples, ITA
* Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) İzmir, TUR
* Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre (JALLC) Lisbon, PRT
* Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC Norfolk) Norfolk, Virginia, USA
* Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) Northwood, GBR
* Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) Ulm, DEU
Under ACO, there are three Strategic Level Commands and three tactical level commands:
Strategic Level Commands:
* Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS), Netherlands
* Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFCNP), Italy
* Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC-NF), United States
Tactical Level commands:
* Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) at Ramstein, Germany
* Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) at Izmir, Turkey
* Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) at Northwood, United Kingdom
Other commands:
* Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (aka. Strike Force NATO, STRIKFORNATO) at Oeiras, Portugal
* NATO Communication and Information Systems Command (NCISG) at Mons, Belgium
* Joint Support and Enabling Command in Ulm, Germany

### Joint Force Command Norfolk

Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFCNF) was established after allied re-assessment of the security environment which emphasizes the importance of the Atlantic Ocean and its sea lines of communication to Europe. As an organization governed by an international memorandum of understanding (MoU), the command provides the capability to act early in a crisis to ensure a joint deterrent response and improve the responsiveness of NATO within that trans-Atlantic domain.
JFCNF works seamlessly with allies and NATO partners in all domains and to provide awareness and synchronization with allies, while ensuring readiness and contributing to NATO objectives and core tasks. The NATO functions of JFCNF are related to the transition from a crisis to a high-intensity conflict. In this role, the command will contribute to enhance NATO's warfighting capability.
Established in 2018, the first JFCNF commander was Vice Admiral Andrew L. Lewis, USN who also commanded the recently re-established United States Second Fleet, also headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. As of 2021, the JFCNF and 2nd Fleet commander is Vice Admiral Daniel W. Dwyer, USN.

### Joint Support Enabling Command

SACEUR also has operational command of the Joint Support and Enabling Command.