The Need for Joint Fires Observer Program
Abstract
The current operational environment in Afghanistan and Iraq proved to the Army that they needed Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) at the company level to effectively control Close Air Support (CAS). The Air Force, who supplies the Army with its JTACs, is currently unable to provide the number of JTACs the Army requires. The Air Force has authorized an increase to their current structure that will allow them to produce 70 more JTACs a year, raising the number of JTACs from 622 in fiscal year (FY) 2005 to 1019 in FY 2012. To bridge this capabilities gap, the Army developed the Joint Fires Observer (JFO) program. The JFO program focuses on teaching its students to pass information to a JTAC that will enable the JTAC to successfully employ CAS. Though the Marine Corps currently provides one air officer (AO) and two forward air controllers (FAC) to the maneuver battalions, this leaves one maneuver company without the capability sets necessary to control CAS. Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are often conducted at the platoon level or lower. A FAC cannot cover every patrol, check point, and convoy that his maneuver company conducts. Furthermore, in the urban environment the relative distance between the lead element and the FAC may be too great for the FAC to deconflict aviation fires from friendly positions without well-trained individuals to provide additional information. In the urban environment there is a clear requirement for these individuals to quickly and accurately provide the information necessary for the FAC to prosecute targets to prevent the targets from fleeing and avoid fratricide and unnecessary collateral damage. Currently the Marine Corps does not have a formal school that provides the training necessary for Marines to accrue these skill sets. The Marine Corps needs to develop a JFO program similar to that of the Army's because the program can provide the capability that is needed in these maneuver elements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 19, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA498217
Entities
People
- M. A. Markham
Organizations
- Marine Corps University