Controllers bring airpower directly to fight

Airmen working side-by-side with the Army has become common place these days. But long before Airmen began performing convoy duties and other jobs historically done by their Army counterparts, Tactical Air Control Parties were assigned to Army combat maneuver units around the world.

TACPs live, train and deploy with Army units and are responsible for the coordination, deconfliction and execution of airstrikes by all Air Force attack aircraft. On a battlefield, they usually form a two-man team that plans, requests and directs air strikes against enemy targets in close proximity to friendly forces. Once a member of a TACP is qualified, he serves as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller providing final attack control to the pilots while the fighters are inbound to the target.

“It’s our job to bring aircraft power to bear in support of combat operations,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Kimmel, a JTAC with the 19th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron, working with the Army 329th Field Artillery Battalion here.

“We’re here to support whatever combat objectives the ground commander determines each day,” he said. “The ground commander doesn’t know specific aircraft capabilities, so he tells us his intent and, being the experts, we get the right assets to the right place to support that intent.”

The JTACs’ mission here differs from their traditional mission, Sergeant Kimmel said. Their mission here involves more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to help confirm or reconfirm threats.

“In combat we put steel on the ground and right now, we’re helping move their eyes around,” Sergeant Kimmel said. “Even though it’s a slightly different mission, you still have to keep yourself in the game.”

Even with the focus more on ISR type activities, the JTACs have still employed the most ordnance from here than anywhere else in the area of responsibility.

“They (the JTACs) are a tremendous combat multiplier for us,” said Capt. Dan Hoeprich, 329th FAB battle captain. “As a field artillery unit, we normally don’t get JTACs assigned to us, but they really increase our ability to operate.”

The JTACs are very good on the intelligence gathering side of things here, according to the captain.

“They don’t just help us with close air support, they help us control the fight,” he said. “With their ability to control the aircraft, they can get eyes on things faster than we can to identify targets and help direct counter-fire.”

“The Army units support us as much as we support them,” Sergeant Kimmel said. “It’s a good feeling knowing you’re helping win the fight. Even when we’re not dropping bombs, we’re bringing a show of force and helping show the Air Force is in the fight.”

The JTACs know they have an important job and accept the responsibility to the fullest.

“I love my job, it’s definitely exciting,” Sergeant Kimmel said. “I like the responsibility of supporting an Army battalion by myself as an E-5.”