There is an elite community of JTACs across the Department of Defense who strive every day to hone their profession as airpower specialists, and thereby bring the full might of the U.S. and its coalitions to bear upon our common enemies.
To the U.S. Air Force TACP and the elite brotherhood of Special Operations Forces TACP and CCT in which I had the honor and privilege to be a part: it is my hope that this book dignifies and honors all of you past, present and to come.
To the infantry, Special Forces, SEAL, Ranger, and other U.S. and allied combat units who take the Air Force “outsider” on to your teams as brothers: our common sacrifices in war bond us in ways that those who’ve never known the same will never understand.
—Wes Bryant
The Joint Terminal Attack Controller, or JTAC
They are the warriors on the ground providing “terminal control” of combat airpower onto enemy targets. As figurative puppet masters in the coordination and control of airpower in ground combat, JTACs are among the elite few in the U.S. military authorized to independently coordinate and control airstrikes. For nearly every airstrike directed by the U.S. and its coalitions—be it with fighter aircraft, bombers, attack helicopters, or drones—a JTAC is behind it.
Born from the forward air controllers (FACs) of the Korean War and Vietnam, the modern JTAC is charged as the airpower and indirect fires expert for ground combat units. The JTAC integrates, coordinates, and controls close air support (CAS) and airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets, along with artillery and other indirect capabilities, into a ground commander’s battle plan. As the controller of all air assets in the fight, the JTAC is the vital link on the ground between combat troops and the airpower that supports and protects them.
Rightfully termed the “single greatest combat multipliers on the battlefield,” one JTAC can annihilate droves of enemy forces with the firepower at his disposal. In fact, JTACs have been so feared by America’s enemies that, during the peak of the war in Afghanistan, the Taliban were known to offer huge bounties against them. JTACs have become so coveted by American commanders that they’re deemed a minimum force requirement for nearly all combat operations—meaning that any unit pushing into enemy territory on an offensive operation must have a JTAC attached.
The majority of JTACs in the U.S. military are Airmen. Part of the elite ground combat branch of the U.S. Air Force, these JTACs hail from two separate brother career fields.
The Tactical Air Control Party, or TACP, is comprised of JTACs who attach to conventional forces such as infantry, armor, and airborne in order to provide maneuver force commanders with airpower. The Air Force TACP have a small component of special operations JTACs—designated Special Operations Forces (SOF) TACP—who provide the same to Rangers, Special Forces, SEALs, Marine Special Operations, and other special operations teams.
Brother to the TACP, the Combat Control Teams, or CCT, are comprised of special operations JTACs first qualified as forward air traffic controllers. Doctrinally, CCT have the primary mission of establishing and controlling austere airfields, landing zones, and drop zones. In today’s fight, however, their qualification as special operations JTACs is most often in demand.
Among the other services there are a relative handful of Navy SEAL and Army Green Beret, Ranger, and fire support specialists secondarily JTAC qualified. And the Marine Corps has its own JTACs to primarily support USMC maneuver units. Throughout America’s modern wars and overseas contingencies, the Air Force TACP have controlled the vast majority of conventional combat airpower, while the SOF TACP and CCT have controlled the majority of special operations combat airpower.
From the start of America’s war on ISIS, American JTACs have often found themselves utilized in an entirely different capacity than ever before. Then and since, the JTAC has become a central player in the evolution of modern warfare.