Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (June 17, 2024): It is the difference between taking a course on something and dedicating your career to the subject. That is the case with Air Force Joint Terminal Attack Controllers and what civilians call a “foreword observer.” In this photo by Senior Airman Julia Lebens, Technical Sergeant Gabriel Pillcurima, a joint terminal attack controller assigned to Detachment 1, 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron, practices his craft of guiding attack aircraft for the Air Force. The Air Force offers careers in close air support, far beyond mere certification as a controller.
Sergeant Pillcurima is part of a Tactical Air Control Party, commonly abbreviated TACP, comprised of a small team of military personnel who provide coordination between aircraft and ground forces when providing close air support. His squadron is part of Air Force Pacific and trains, equips and deploys these teams to support elements of the 11th Airborne Division (previously United States Army Alaska ) and its 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
A part of Air Force Special Warfare, these parties embed with Army and Marine units on the frontline to call in air strikes on the enemy. Additionally, TACPs advise ground commanders on the best use of air power, establish communications, and deliver precision terminal attack guidance for close air support aircraft, artillery, and naval gunfire.
These teams operate with special forces including the Army’s Rangers, Navy SEALS, and members of the Special Operations Command. Air Force TACPs attend the Special Warfare Preparatory Course, Airborne School, and Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Escape (SERE) training before earning their certifications.
The Joint Terminal Air Controller certification course is available to all servicemembers from all branches and is offered at the Special Operations Terminal Attack Control School at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.
The course encompasses five weeks of intense academics, simulators, and live fire guidance using real aircraft and is attended by Air Force Combat Controllers, Army Rangers, Army Green Berets, Marine Special Operators, and NATO SOF partners. Being JTAC certified, these special operators work on the front lines alongside America’s finest employing their skills to save lives.