ABCCC2 (airborne command, control and communications)

ABCCC2 stands for airborne command, control and communications. It is an entry in the Glossary of NATO Acronyms and Abbreviations (AAP-15), which adds the note "ABCCC system" beside the expansion.

The glossary lists ABCCC2 next to a separate entry, ABCCC1, which means airborne battlefield command and control centre. Canadian suppliers who see either abbreviation in a defence document should treat them as distinct terms and rely on the definitions given in that document.

How NATO's glossary defines ABCCC2

AAP-15 is NATO's reference list of acronyms and abbreviations. In it, ABCCC2 is expanded as airborne command, control and communications, and the entry points to an "ABCCC system." The glossary entry is the basis for the definition on this page.

The entry is a short glossary definition. Equipment lists, system architecture and operational roles are set out in the specific documents that a program or solicitation relies on, not in the glossary line itself.

ABCCC2 and ABCCC1 are separate entries

The same NATO glossary defines ABCCC1 as airborne battlefield command and control centre. The two abbreviations differ by one digit, but the glossary gives them different expansions:

• ABCCC1: airborne battlefield command and control centre.
• ABCCC2: airborne command, control and communications, noted as the "ABCCC system."

A bid team reading a requirement should check which digit is used and should not swap one expansion for the other.

Command and control in Canadian and allied usage

Royal Canadian Air Force doctrine defines command and control as the exercise of authority and direction over assigned, allocated and attached forces in accomplishing a mission. The same doctrine states that command and control is performed through personnel, equipment, communications, facilities and procedures. Both statements appear in the RCAF doctrine article on command or control. That article describes the general concept and does not label it ABCCC2.

NATO uses related but broader language. Its Integrated Air and Missile Defence policy identifies Air Command and Control as part of that framework. Air Command and Control is a wider term than ABCCC2 and is not a synonym for it.

Canada's NORAD material names a separate initiative, NORAD Cloud-Based Command and Control (CBC2), in its NORAD authorities and operations briefing. That material does not use or define ABCCC2, and CBC2 is a different term.

What ABCCC2 means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

ABCCC2 is a NATO glossary term. It is not a defined requirement in the Canadian command-and-control sources cited on this page, so a supplier should not assume any compliance obligation, certification or technical standard comes with the abbreviation.

If ABCCC2 appears in a Canadian solicitation, contract or standing offer, the obligations come from that document. Bid teams should read the following closely:

• the definitions section, to see how the buyer expands and uses the term;
• the technical specifications and statement of work, for the deliverables tied to it;
• the security and interoperability requirements stated for the work;
• any referenced NATO publications, such as AAP-15, that the solicitation incorporates.

Where the wording is unclear, a supplier can raise a question with the contracting authority during the solicitation period so that the answer becomes part of the bid record. Also confirm whether the solicitation means ABCCC2 or ABCCC1 before pricing or writing technical responses.