HOHENFELS, Germany - Ground forces, whether in Afghanistan or Iraq, can be reasonably certain any aircraft above them is friendly aircraft. What they can't be certain of is what kind of aircraft is up there, who owns the aircraft, what kind of help the aircraft can offer and, finally, how they can talk to the aircraft about the situation on the ground.
To fill this information void, in steps the Joint Tactical Air Controller, or JTAC. These U.S. Air Force personnel, experts on the identifying the capabilities of both foreign and domestic military aircraft, recently teamed up with members of the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) during the multinational Allied Strike exercise to hone their skills, while familiarizing the members of the 1/4 Infantry on what they bring to the fight.
Under the direction of the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command, whose footprint is within close-proximity of other U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine bases within Europe, the JMRC regularly conducts training with its joint partners. Training together helps to improve each service's readiness to execute missions throughout the region and across the globe, while building relationships among troops destined to fight together in future security operations.
"It was my first time working with JTAC; It was outstanding," said Staff Sgt. Kevin Wilson, Squad Leader, Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1 /4 Infantry after leading this squad through a simulated Afghanistan based scenario. "I gained a lot better idea of what I have available to accomplish my mission. Instead of using just manpower, I have an entirely new weapons system at my disposal."
Wilson's squad was inserted by helicopter into a field next to a village in JMRC's training area. Once they had all rallied together, they began a patrol that would lead them into the village. Each of the squad's two teams had a JTAC Airmen with them.
"The JTAC jobs is to inform the ground commander of what air power is capable of; no matter what kind of aircraft, what branch or even what nationality that aircraft is from," said Tech Sgt. Joseph Hren, Joint Tactical Air Controller instructor and evaluator. "If the commander sees a target and says, 'make that building go away' we have to see what the aircraft has on it and figure out what weapon we're going to apply and how we're going to apply it. Our ultimate goal is minimal collateral damage while getting the mission done and meeting the ground commander's intent."
Incorporating lessons learned from previous conflicts, the JMRC helps units train meet hybrid threats that are diverse, dynamic combinations of conventional, irregular, and terrorist capabilities. The training here reflects today's battlefield challenges.
Where once units might have used massive amounts of ordinance to destroy a target, concerns over civilian casualties is something that the JTACs discuss among themselves and specifically train to address.
"It definitely figures into the training," explained Hren. "We always want to train as we fight, if things are changing downrange as far as how we attack a target or the effects of collateral damage we have to take all of that into consideration."
The sound of the helicopters constantly buzzing rooftops of the mock village and the louder, deadlier aircraft far higher up eventually is accompanied by a chorus of small-arms and not so small-arms fire as Wilson and his squad began their training in earnest. They must figure out how to use JTACs to engage an unknown enemy in a complex environment.
"It's an urban fight and it gave them (the Soldiers) a chance to see what JTACs do," said Capt. Todd Poindexter, Infantry Team Observer and Controller. "It gave them a better understanding of what their Air Force brethren can do. Answering questions like 'what does a Maverick do verses what does an A-10 do, which one is more accurate'' It's a two-way road and they learn from each other, which is key."
Joint training venues like this allow units to learn from one another and to establish tactics, techniques, and procedures for future operations.
"I learned that JTAC is the most important thing to have, to have it with you at all times. It gives the pilot a lot better understanding of what the situation is on the ground, which is obliviously a good idea," said Wilson.
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