Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) is the term used in the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

and some other

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

forces for a qualified service member who directs the action of

military aircraft A military aircraft is any Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing or rotorcraft, rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary military of any type. Some military aircraft engage directly in aerial warfare, while others take on su ...

engaged in

close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

and other offensive air operations from a forward position. The term that is used in most other countries, as well as previously in the U.S. and in the relevant

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

standard, is Forward Air Controller. The term became effective in the U.S. on September 3, 2003 with the publishing of Joint Publication (JP) 3-09.3 ''Close Air Support''.

Australia

In 2006, the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

became the first foreign air force to receive JTAC accreditation from the

United States Joint Forces Command The United States Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) was a Unified Combatant Command of the United States Department of Defense. USJFCOM was a functional command that provided specific services to the military. The last commander was Army Gen. ...

(USJFCOM). No. 4 Squadron RAAF runs JTAC training, and provides trained controllers to other units, with its main role being to support the units of the Special Operations Command. JTAC-qualified personnel have served in Afghanistan. The

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

's 16 Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery also includes a troop of JTACs.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina are (as of December 2021) in the process of making and organizing their JTAC units with training from SOCEUR. U.S. Army SOF Soldiers are assisting and advising AF BiH in the creation of a national JTAC program which will be one of the first specialty-selected, trained, and equipped units in AF BiH.

Canada

Canadian JTACs are currently part of the artillery observation battery. They are employed in the regular Canadian Army and as part of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM). The

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

TACP personnel can also be employed in the JTAC role provided they successfully complete the JTAC course. There is current discussion on creating JTAC as a stand alone MOS/trade within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). It is currently executed as a secondary duty by mainly artillery Non-Commissioned Members (NCMs).

Finland

The

Finnish Army The Finnish Army ( , ) is the army, land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, Combat engineering, engineer ...

has JTACs as part of the professional SOF units, and some of the reserve officers trained as artillery observers also receive training in directing close air support. Finnish JTACs are trained according to US and NATO standards

Italy

Italy has qualified JTAC operators in its tier 1, 2 and 3 teams. Some of these operators have served in Afghanistan, as part of TF45. During the Afghanistan War, AMX ground attack aircraft from the Italian Air Force TF BLACK CATS conducted Close Air Support with JTAC operators on the ground provided by the Italian Army, the Carabinieri, and the Navy and Air Force. The equipment used by Italian JTAC operators is not well publicized, although the equipment used by 185 RRAO has been briefly reported on. The training areas used by Italian JTACs are also kept secret. It has been reported that Italian JTACs will potentially work with the newest gunship, the MC-27J Praetorian in the future.

United Kingdom

See:

Forward air Control Forward air control is the provision of guidance to close air support (CAS) aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller (FAC). ...

United States

A qualified and current JTAC is recognized across the

U.S. Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, t ...

as being capable and authorized to perform terminal attack control.

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

students undertake a rigorous five-week hands on training at the Expeditionary Warfare Training Group, Pacific (EWTGPAC), and Atlantic (EWTGLANT). Candidates for this school are USMC Fire Support Marines (0861), USMC Reconnaissance, or USMC pilots (Officers).

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

students receive their training at

Nellis Air Force Base Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloquialism, colloq.) is a United States Air Force military installation, installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts Aerial warfare, air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exerc ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, while

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

students are trained at the

Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center The Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC), formerly known as Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) is the center of excellence for naval aviation training and tactics development, located at Naval Air Station Fallon in Fallo ...

(NSAWC) at

Naval Air Station Fallon Naval Air Station Fallon or NAS Fallon is the United States Navy's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training facility. It is located southeast of the city of Fallon, east of Reno in western Nevada. Since 1996, it has been home to the U.S. ...

in Nevada by SEALs assigned to NSAWC. The USMC requires that FACs: * Must be winged

Naval Aviators A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operation ...

or NFO with at least 2 years operational flying experience. * Must have attended and graduated from the Expeditionary Warfare Training Group (EWTG) Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) course. At the completion of the TACP course Aviators are granted the 7502 FAC MOS and are considered certified and qualified JTACs. Non-aviator FACs in the United States Marine Corps must meet the following requirements: * They must be a Noncommissioned Officer or above, and must have a combat arms

Military Occupational Specialty A United States military occupation code, or a military occupational specialty code (MOS code), is a nine-character code used in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps to identify a specific job. In the United States Air Force, a sy ...

with one year of operational experience. * Must complete JTAC primer course via MarineNet (distance online training). * Must attend and graduate from either EWTGPAC or EWTGLANT TACP School. When deployed on operations each USMC infantry company is allocated a FAC or JTAC. It is proposed that standard squad leaders could be trained as Joint Fires Observers. The Air Force trains JTACS at two locations,

, Nevada and

Spangdahlem Air Base Spangdahlem Air Base (International Air Transport Association airport code, IATA: SPM, International Civil Aviation Organization airport code, ICAO: ETAD, former code EDAD) is a NATO air base with the United States Air Force as a tenant constru ...

, Germany. At Nellis the 6th Combat Training Squadron has two JTAC courses; Joint Terminal Attack Controller Qualification Course, Joint Terminal Attack Controller Instructor Course. The JTAC course at Spangdahlem is through the Joint Firepower Center of Excellence (JFCOE). Nellis is also home to the

graduate-level Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelo ...

JTAC Weapons Instructor Course through the U.S. Air Force Weapons School which is open to TACPs/

ALOs Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS), also called Daichi (a Japanese word meaning "land"), was a 3810 kg Japanese satellite launched in 2006. After five years of service, the satellite lost power and ceased communication with Earth, b ...

and Combat Controllers/ STOs. The course requires applicants to be qualified JTACs for three years and a JTAC Instructor for one year. The 5.5 month-long course is held twice per year and includes 752 total hours in classrooms and on ranges. The first class graduated in December 2012. They train in conjunction with pilots attending the Weapons School. As of June 24, 2015, 29 airmen have graduated from the JTAC Advanced Instructor Course. Members of

special operations Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...

unitsKit Cage interviews Special Forces Joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) Wes J. Bryant MSG (Retired USAF) the Co-author of ''Hunting the Caliphate'' (2018
(June 2022) Ep8: Wes J Bryant , USAF Master Sergeant retired , JTAC , SOF , TACP , Author , Amateur Philosopher
/ref> may attend the Special Operations Terminal Attack Control Course (SOTACC) at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. SOTACC was established 2003 under the Army's John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and was subsequently transferred to the

Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...

's Special Tactics Training Squadron in 2008. JDAT, formerly JFIIT, provided SMEs for the revision of the NATO Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 3733, the JFIRE Multi-Service Procedures for the Joint Application of Firepower publication, and Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) Memorandums of Agreement for DoD and partner nations.

References

External links

Well in control
''Australian Army News'', September 21, 2006.

– Joint Publication 3-09.3 ''Close Air Support''
Former Action Guys Podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joint Terminal Attack Controller Special Operations Forces of the United States Combat occupations of the late modern period United States military specialisms