JDICE: A Common Picture for Tac-Air Controllers
Mar 28, 2007 10:42 UTC
“A small group of Airmen are having a dramatic effect on the battlefield. They’re in demand from everyone from Army squads and platoons to large defense contractors. Everyone wants a joint terminal attack controller on their team — and with good reason. They are crucial to putting air force bombs on target by controlling the air strikes the ground commander needs. With less than 1,100 of them to go around the Air Force, their career field has been forced to come up with better ideas for fighting the war on terrorism…”
Given the coming size expansions of the US Army and Marines, the need for more JTACs is acknowledged. There’s also the nature of counterinsurgency campaigns, with dispersed units and the potential need for air support in unexpected places and times. If the USAF itself is acknowledging resource issues, one might think that the idea we’re about to cover refers to a way of using electronic assets like ROVER and other ‘sensor fusion simplifiers’ to make it easier for more people in the armed forces to become as effective as current JTACs. The idea described is indeed a form of sensor fusion simplification – but it will not help with the JTAC squeeze… yet.
