Airmen support close-air support missions

  • Published
  • By Capt. Suzanne Ovel
  • Multinational Corps-Iraq Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFPN) --  This time, things went down differently than planned. As arranged, the men prepped and fired a mortar at coalition forces. They shuttled into their vehicle, certain of a smooth exit.

What the terrorists did not count on was what happened afterward: An American fighter aircraft zoomed overhead, investigating the mortar point of origin. The pilot tracked the terrorist team in their getaway truck, simultaneously communicating with an Army quick-reaction force on the ground.

Within minutes, the ground forces nabbed one of the terrorists.

“He squealed on his teammates, and coalition forces rounded them up,” said Capt. Sev Olinger, a fighter duty officer with the Multinational Corps-Iraq Air Support Operations Center here.

Captain Olinger, an air liaison officer deployed from the 682nd Air Support Operations Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., spends most of his time on these “pop-up” close-air support requests. He keeps an eye on strategic air support issues while also supporting the fighter duty technician, Senior Airman Andy Moore, a tactical air control party member.

Both Airmen are part of the 18th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Group that provides direct support to TACPs, a unique class of Airmen who embed directly with Army units to coordinate close-air support missions.

Airman Moore and Captain Olinger are the primary liaisons between the Soldiers and TACPs on the ground, and coalition aircraft flying close-air support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

While the Air Support Operations Center Airmen exhort the most effort on immediate requests from these ground units, many of the close-air support missions are preplanned. The center works closely with the Combined Air Operations Center at a forward-deployed location, which controls the majority of air assets supporting operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

“In essence, we are the eyes, ears, and voice of the CAOC when it comes to close-air support,” said Lt. Col. Rob Davis, ASOC and 682d EASOS commander. “We’re the command and control link between the CAOC and the TACP on the ground.”

The compact unit, which supports more than 250 TACP members in country, is also a crucial peg in the intelligence puzzle here.

“We’re the first folks who find out how successful the task requests work that are being called in by the (joint tactical air controllers),” said Staff Sgt. Eldonous Allen, noncommissioned officer in charge of the ASOC’s intelligence.

Sergeant Allen ensures that any new intelligence, such as troops engaged in a firefight or the discovery of antiaircraft artillery is shared with the CAOC and Army counterparts.

He also directly supports the TACPs by providing critical information to them, including satellite imagery that helps them plan future missions.

Whether the close-air support missions in Iraq are part of premission planning or as a result of emergencies on the battlefield, the ASOC is always focused on the primary mission of defeating terrorism, one foiled plan at a time.