Are there any Airforce JTACs on here? a few questions.
1. Are there JTAC officers? If so, can you apply and go to OCS with a shot at becoming a JTAC written in your contract?
2. What is the difference between a JTACs and TACP and Combat Controllers job? Forgive me for my ignorance, but it all seems so similar.
3. How does someone that is a JTAC join the SOF JTAC units that are part of 24th STS?
thanks for the responses. Bumping with Airforce operator photos
>>27795097
>>27795107
>>27795117
>>27795127
>>27795142
>>27795148
>>27795171
>>27795198
>>27795267
>>27795097
don't think the chances are very good with OTS. It's hard enough to get in from ROTC or the Academy.
read up on the shadowspear forums.
here's the STO application, they talk a little bit about OTS.
http://www.24sow.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/STO%20Applications/STOappJul015.pdf
>>27795294
>>27795299
Do you have to be a STO in order to become a JTAC officer? Or is there a JTAC officer too?
>>27795304
>>27795331
>>27795346
>>27795357
>>27795369
>>27795318
>>27795318
no, STO is unrelated.
STO is what I was looking at so I just put that there.
This thread is fucking metal.
>>27795395
ah noice. So you can be a JTAC officer too then?
>>27795410
glad you like the picz
>>27795422
>>27795428
>>27795442
>>27795456
>>27795411
i'm not exactly sure. I only know STO and CRO for sure.
>>27795463
>>27795410
>>27795422
>>27795507
>>27795097
1. ALO; Air Liaison Officer. It's the TACP officer equivalent. You have to serve as a regular officer first and then retrain.
2. JTAC is a certification. TACPs do the CAS calling for their attached Army/Marine ground units. CCT is SO-capable and can be JTACs, but they have to learn standard Air Traffic Control alongside the tower goblins and are able to coordinate air traffic beyond just calling CAS/Artillery.
3. By being shit-hot and/or knowing a guy.
>>27795525
Why no more pics?
>>27795638
So air liason officers entire job is to work TACP?
>>27795651
sorry, I just didnt think anyone was looking
>>27795672
>>27795683
>>27795477
Security forces are not special operations. Please don't inflate their airshit heads because their gucci gear doesn't match their shit tier tactics.
JTAC's are enlisted only. TACP is JTAC's plural assigned to the Army with an Air Liason Officer. From the Army side, all I can gather its like any other pipeline. Train good, get recommended, then try out for a higher tier unit in your pipeline.
>>27795705
Even DAGRE sucks as part of security forces? Arent they like... the special operations of security forces? Is that even possible?
>>27795705
http://www.airforce.com/careers/detail/tactical-air-control-party-officer/ I find it interesting that when you type in Air Liason Officer this is what you get. Does the Air liason officer do anything other than TACP/JTAC stuff?
>>27795741
>>27795477
>SOF security forces
lel
>>27795463
VLTOR stocks don't get enough love.
>>27795456
>ABU load bearing vest
My sides are in Southern Kekistan
>>27795422
Sexy.
>>27795294
These guys are US Army Special Forces, not USAF. Hell, this photo is even on the recruitment brochures these days.
>>27795142
I miss M81.
>>27795951
lel why does everyone hate security forces so much
>>27795411
ALO (Air Liaison Officer)
>>27796145
Does ALO do anything other than JTAC stuff? Or just JTAC stuff? Do they get a lot of time in the field too?
>>27795973
>BMT flashbacks of lackland
>>27796210
lol what
>>27796165
Not entirely sure. But you're an officer. You need to be admin and lead as well as being tactical. In fact, the first two are probably more important than being tactical.
>>27796272
I wonder if they deploy a lot
>>27796254
>security forces tech school at lackland
>saw them train and shit all the time when I got fucked into med hold.
>>27796297
as much as TACPs I'd assume.
>>27796336
Is their training shit? How so?
>>27796337
Do TACPs deploy a lot? Do they ever get to go anywhere other than Afghanistan/the middle east?
>>27795724
Ermm.. kind of.
They're like the guys who would secure downed prototype aircraft or a UFO that crash landed, things like spy planes ect. Basically they show up when something spooky secret needs to be protected or a half assed airbase.
Regular SF is a joke I should know, but the people are good most of the time.
>>27796421
So then how does DAGRE in SF differ than the guys that you just talked about?
>>27796483
I'm not the same guy form a few posts up..
I can't tell you much about DAGRE but if it's anything like regular security forces, you ain't gonna see much action.
Regular SF and I hate to say it, is basically over trained security guards but I'm into LE so w/e.
Now TACP, those guys are some badass motherfuckers. We have a unit on base when they aren't playing in some sand pit I could tell you a little about them but as far as JTAC I've only seen a few guys training on base, you need some muscle for that.
>>27796584
What makes TACP so badass?
>>27795097
If you want to play with the real men, why join the chair force at all?
>>27796370
No, I'm saying security forces is balls because they're sort of mall ninja tier, and they train in the asshole of the Air Force and inexhaustible well of blocked out shitty feels called Lackland
>>27796627
Because the Air Force is more like call of duty. And there's so much more of a chance you might get to try out some new cool designator thingy or something.
>>27796627
Because I like their blue dress uniforms. I swear. Can I be a man?
>>27796657
What do you do in the airforce?
>>27796612
They're the guys you talk to when you want to turn in your 5 kill streak for a hellfire missle
>>27796612
Well lest explain what they do, this is from stories and talking to them so take it for what it is.
I assume you already know what it stands for so basically these guys tag along with other branches, rangers, regular army, whatever.
They go in and fight with these guys and call in airstrikes directly to the AF so it basically simplified a lot of shit between branches.
I had a story but I can't remember most of it so I'm not going to butcher it but they fight alongside special forces and get to call in airstrikes which is pretty badass in my opinion.
>>27796706
So why would TACP guys be put with SF instead of Combat Controllers? Combat Controllers can do that, with the added benefit of air traffic control too right?
>>27796723
I'm not really sure where that plays in.
I'd take it TACP would be more involved in a heavy combat zone with birds going all over the place but its not my MOS so that I could not tell you.
>>27796674
I drive a forklift at Tinker because I washed out of BMT.
It's a lot better than being Enlisted because of the simple fact I can get laid.
Have fun with your Skilcraft pen that shits out all the time and toilet paper that cuts your fucking ass open.
>>27796882
hey the finest blind dudes in Alabama made that pen
>>27796882
Also I don't mean any disrespect, but a lot of the regular AF guys don't really realize they're fucking hilarious.
>>27796895
Oh and speaking of shit paper, if you stay in a dorm you better hope yall are stocked up on latrine paper if you're not going on exodus.
Fiscal year ended... they can't buy more until january.
>>27795097
MEG is that way >>27772611
>>27796882
I just need to ask... How did you manage to fail out of Basic training????
>>27797235
Had surgery, was supposed to get waiver, which was never done, despite me telling them about it. Got to BMT and knee swelled up and I had to go to the doctor and they decided to separate me and threatened me with fraud and all this other shit if I stayed.
>>27797385
well thats fucked up. What did you want to go in for?
>>27795741
My FSO gave us a class on fixed wing assets and stuff. Theres some legal issue as to who can authorize aircraft do to what. JTAC's have this authority because of an ALO on their team (officerhood gives them the legal authority) gives them this authority. This is so someone with a radio and shit training to control air assets and waste millions of dollars in logistics and munitions in bad calls for grids. Its kind of the same thing with medics issuing out meds and treatment. They have a set upper limit of what meds they can hand out (usually ibuprofen if they suck) because the medical authority comes from their units Physicians Assistant. If they were to fuck up, the blame goes back to the PA for shitty medical care.
ALO's can be attached to the Army at staff level to coordinate air between the Army and Airforce. Don't ask me how one becomes an ALO, I'm not familiar with air force commissioning/branching/follow on schools.
>>27796882
Thank you for your service. On behalf of the Nation, we hope you enjoy a free meal on Veteran's Day.
>>27796723
We had JTAC's with every company in my battalion when we deployed, and from what I noticed, they had a few for each brigade that had deployed. Combat Controllers these days are still mostly aligned with the smu's as their main role is to basically serve as an air traffic controller with a JTAC certification. They're traditional role, as was the case in the early Iraq/Stan days was to stack air craft in their AO as there was no air traffic controllers working local airbases and stuff. Aircraft were given boxes to fly to and then make contact with the CC's to receive further guidance. Theres far more responsiblitly with a CC than there is a JTAC working within a TACP.
Also, I googled this.
http://www.onesixthwarriors.com/forum/attention-detail-1-1-talk/677761-jtac-tacp-romad-cct-explaining-difference.html
>>27797820
>>27797694
/thread
>>27797411
Signed a contract for Electronic Signals Intel
>>27795973
Because it is the worst job in the Air Force.
>>27796421
The good ones usually get out. The bad ones stay and become leadership.
