Controlling the fight

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rachelle Coleman
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Dropped off by a UH-60 Blackhawk into a remote location, several Airmen are on a mission - to direct the action of combat aircraft engaged in close air support and other offensive air operations.

Tactical Air Control Parties advise ground commanders on the best use of air power, establish and maintain command and control communications, and provide precision terminal attack guidance of U.S. and coalition fixed- and rotary-wing close air support aircraft, artillery, and gunfire.

"We ensure safety for the ground forces. The pilots are flying at 330 to 500 knots so we have to make sure they're engaging correct targets on the ground. Plus we provide them with timely and accurate targeting data - which means we're on the ground looking at whomever we need to kill," said Staff Sgt. Derek Snyder, 25 Air Support Operations Squadron Joint Terminal Attack Controller from Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii.

A TACP always includes at least one JTAC qualified to control attack aircraft. It can also include an Air Liaison Officer who works primarily in an advisory capacity and a Tactical Air Command and Control Specialist, formerly known as ROMADs or Radio Operator, Maintainer and Driver, who are communication experts that assist JTACs in the performance of their duties while working to attain JTAC status for themselves.

TACPs are usually aligned with Army maneuver units like scout teams, Special Forces, infantry or mechanized infantry, and armor calling out targets for the pilots.

"Real world we could do something similar to [RED FLAG]. I've been on observation points before doing very similar stuff. We had all of our gear set up and we're just talking to aircraft trying to see if they can find the bad guys," said Sergeant Snyder.

Setting up wherever they can, which could be on top of a large shipping container or in the middle of a field, JTACs watch their target from a couple of klicks, or kilometers, away.
"We're the link between the guys on the ground and the aircraft flying," said Sergeant Snyder. "It's our job, a no kidding team effort. We talk to the ground commander, the Army guys, and talking to the birds [Air Force] so they can come together and find the bad guys."

JTACs usually only deploy with the Army and therefore "translate blue-to-green", allowing for smooth communication between the Army and the Air Force.
During RF-A 10-4, the JTACs brush up on their "blue" while creating different scenarios from the Army perspective, keeping the exercise as realistic as possible. "The exercise truly gives us an opportunity to work with live airplanes on a daily basis, whereas we don't necessarily get that at home station," said Maj. Thomas Ikehara, 25 ASOS Detachment commander and Air Liaison Officer.

According to Major Ikehara, in order to get live aircraft controls the JTACs stationed in Hawaii usually have to travel to the lower 48 or the big island.

"We're really trying to maximize the number of controls we're getting and maximize our training - getting guys on the mic and controlling live airplanes," he said.

The team has established a number of priorities for this particular exercise and this particular group of folks but their main focus is controlling the live airplanes and getting Airmen effective training.

RF-A allows the JTACS to train with multiple observation points, multiple types of aircraft and to see how their job affects everyone.

"At RED FLAG we get to see how the CAS piece plays into the bigger Air Force fight," said Major Ikehara. "With the current fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, it's very ground centric and our younger JTACs have grown up only knowing the Air Force in its CAS role and primarily integrating with the Army. This gives an opportunity to show the younger guys the bigger picture, that there are other airplanes in the Air Force inventory and that bad guys fly airplanes too. This exercise gives a broader scope to a larger campaign, and it's not always going to be about CAS, and not just about the Army."

Because TACP works so closely with the Army, some people may not understand or realize their mission and how truly important it is across the military. They're the link between the Army and the Air Force so that it's a joint fight - not just side-by-side but