Airmen of 3rd ASOS integral part of Task Force Spartan

  • Published
  • By Air Force Staff Sgt. Zachary Wolf
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARSON, Alaska --  It was the middle of the afternoon on a hot day in Afghanistan. Soldiers were on patrol when they took small arms fire from multiple directions.
After the smoke cleared and no casualties were reported, the Army ground commander decided to dismount and engage the hostiles while the gunners in the turret provided covering fire. He took into consideration the fire came from multiple directions and decided to use a weapon he brought with him - his radio. He called the Joint Terminal Attack Controller over and asked him what support is in the area.
The JTAC informed him there was an A-10 Thunderbolt II in the air and suggested they use that asset before chasing after hostiles. The commander told the JTAC to have the pilot take out the hostiles and provide air surveillance while the ground team continued the mission.
This fictional but realistic scenario is an example of what a JTAC and radio operator, maintainer and driver (ROMAD) could face in a combat zone. The 3rd Air Support Operations Squadron here on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson works hand-in-hand with the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, to provide Air Force support to the brigade's combat mission.
"Our job downrange is to provide close air support for the Army scheme of maneuver," said Senior Airman Ethan Brown, 3rd ASOS ROMAD and a native of Pinedale, Wyoming.
JTACs and ROMADs are liaisons between the ground forces and the aircraft in the area of operations. Ground commanders have an advantage when they have a tactical air controller party with them. JTACs and ROMADs are proficient with their equipment and are always ready to give answers to the ground commander and relay any relevant information to the aircraft supporting the unit on the ground.
A TAC team is made up of one ROMAD and one JTAC and deployments with them are slightly different than what a normal Air Force deployment looks like.
"When we deploy, we don't deploy as individuals," Brown said. "It will be a group of TACPs that will go with our aligned Army unit."
The 3rd ASOS is one squadron that doesn't follow the normal rules of Air Expeditionary Force. AEF puts career fields into bands that determine how often someone is eligible to deploy. Being in an AEF temporary band is not set in stone and someone can still deploy outside their window depending on what is needed and what the Air Force has.
The 3rd ASOS is an Army enabler which means they deploy with the Army but the Air Force still has the say of if and when they go.
This is the first time the 3rd ASOS will be deploying the whole rotation with the 4-25th ABCT. Normally, the Army deploys for one year and the JTACs and ROMADs spend six months with them before being relieved by other squadrons.
"Nine-month deployments allow for maximum integration with our aligned Army
unit," said Tech. Sgt. Travis Stoute, 3rd ASOS chief of standards and evaluations and a native of Lafayette, La.
A lot has to be done before a deployment to enable members of the 3rd ASOS to become part of the 4-25th ABCT.
"While we are at home station, our job is to train with the Army and integrate completely," Brown said.
This integration takes place in the form of training, where the JTACs and ROMADs develop a trust with the Soldiers they are training with.
"We get issued similar equipment, wear the same uniform and although we are still the Air Force, we have to make that seamless transition when we go to the Army side and work with them," Brown said.
They don't have to meet only Air Force standards either. As part of the integration into the 4-25th ABCT, the JTACs and ROMADs also have to meet all the Army standards. Becoming Airborne is one of those tasks that the JTACs and ROMADs have to obtain and keep current just like their Army paratrooper counterparts.
The JTACs and ROMADs aren't randomly running around with the Army or even the brigade, they get attached to a very specific group of Army Soldiers and that's who they work with.
The 3rd ASOS isn't made up of just JTACs and ROMADs. They have personnel attached to them to assist in matters ranging from deployment to finances. They have a support staff including commander's support staff, supply and vehicle control personnel.
The 3rd ASOS also has a detachment at Fort Wainwright they are responsible for. Detachment 1 from Fort Wainwright partners with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, and is also currently deployed to Afghanistan.
JTACs and ROMADs are truly purple when it comes to the joint aspect of Army and Air Force. Without them, that ground commander wouldn't have the air support and the scenario could have gone differently.
After the strafing run from the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the smoke cleared, the ground unit found itself safe and all threats neutralized. The ground commander told everyone to mount back up and continue the mission. The JTAC told the pilot to keep surveillance while they head back to the forward operating base. The convoy reached the FOB with no incident and the JTAC cleared the A-10 Thunderbolt II to return to base. Mission accomplished.