Overall, becoming a JTAC demands an
average of three years of training and
the drop-out rate is over 80 per cent
Becoming a JTAC
‘Airmen who are seeking to be JTACs
go through basic training then an
indoctrination course to weed out those
who are considered to be unqualified,’
says Donohoe. ‘Next is a five-month
TACP training course at Lackland AFB,
then SERE [survival, evasion, resistance
and escape] school at Fairchild AFB.
After that comes initial combat skills
training in Oklahoma for two months.
They then come back to the unit to do
mission-essential skills training — an
immersive 120 days — emerging as a
TACP member, but not yet a JTAC.’
Thus far, the candidate has been
training for a year. They must look
forward to at least another year just to
be eligible for the JTAC course. ‘They
must meet all the physical requirements,
plus show maturity and the ability to
retain information. Then they will be
allowed to progress on the path to
become a JTAC.’
The JTAC upgrade kicks off with initial
qualification training, which could
take anywhere from four months to a
year. The actual qualification course
is run over four to five weeks at either
Nellis AFB, Nevada, or Spangdahlem,Germany. It’s then back to the unit
for a further eight months of mission
qualification training. Donohoe says, ‘It
involves multiple training activities and
demonstrations of performance on the
range, and a variety of simulations, all of
varying degrees of difficulty. Then, they
have an initial evaluation at a remote
location to test their ability to adapt to
an unfamiliar locale. Once successfully
accomplished you are a JTAC.’ Overall,
becoming a JTAC demands an average
of three years of training, and the drop-
out rate is over 80 per cent.The mission
It’s widely accepted that close air
support (CAS) requires intimate co-
ordination between air and land assets
and often involves use of munitions
in close proximity to friendly forces.
Current doctrine stipulates that CAS be
controlled by a JTAC on the ground or
by a forward air controller — airborne.
Even an armed USAF remotely piloted
air system (RPAS) requires clearance
from a JTAC to drop ordnance, though
in certain circumstances this can be via
a team inside a combined air operations
center (CAOC).bound brotherhood that numbers less
than 2,000 air force-wide.’Global taskings
‘Tasking is two-fold,’ explains
Michalowski. ‘Firstly, supplying liaison and
advice with army units for air support,
and second, to control the actual close
air support missions. The first would take
place at the tactical operations center
[TOC], the second on the battlefield’. The
ASOS supplies tactical air control parties
(TACPs) who provide the actual control
function on the ground, and provide air
liaison officers (ALOs) to support and
advise the TOC to provide guidance for
ground commanders.
The ALOs can be pilots who are experts
in the JTAC mission and the requirement
from a user perspective. They bring a ‘how
to be a pilot’ point of view on how best
to use the aircraft in particular situations.
There are others known as ‘13-Lima’ officers
who are not pilots but who underwent
special training with ground units. JTACs
in the field contact the ALOs in the TOC for
guidance, and they can seal approvals and
push relevant responses back to the field.
‘The ‘13-Lima’ is a new, hybrid career field,’
says Michalowsky. ‘We are trending away
from the emphasis on rated pilots for the
ALO position. The mix is about 80 per cent
‘13-Limas’ and 20 per cent rated pilots.’.’
Out in the field, it’s all about the JTACs,
the TACPs and the apprentices, known as
ROMADs. Rooted in history, this position
means radio operator, maintainer
and driver.Above left to
right: TSgt Wayne
White, a tactical
air control party
airman from the
177th Fighter
Wing, uses a
laser marker to
co-ordinate an
air strike on the
Barry Goldwater
Range. ANG/A1C
Shane Karp
TSgt Christopher
Donohue, a
227th ASOS joint
terminal attack
controller, and
a German JTAC
work together on
the Warren Grove
Range during a
combined training
exercise. ANG/
MSgt Andrew J.
Moseley
SrA Christopher
Fantasia of the
227th ASOS works
on the Warren
Grove Gunnery
Range. ANG/A1C
Amber Powellhttp://www.combataircraft.net // February 2018 39
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