As my “Military Insignia 3D” project continues to expand
and develop, I am getting a fair amount of feedback and suggestions, which help
me tremendously along the way. Quite often such two-way communications
determine what the next phase of the project would be. This time was no different.
An e-mail from an active duty operator pointed out a significant and inexcusable
gap in my lineup. We are talking about
U.S. Air Force Special Operations as a whole, and its Special Tactics branch in
particular. As it turns out, I am not the only one guilty of overlooking what these
amazing guys are about. While SEALs and Army Special Forces get all the ink and
glory in the public eye, many are not even aware of the Air Force Special
Operations existence. Well, I guess it is time to change it, at least in my
books. And I would like to begin with the AFSOC Special Tactics guys, who are
always there on the ground in the thick of things, along with SEALs and Army
SF. Let’s look at TACPs, CCTs, PJs and SOWT operators.
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) was
established 10 Feb 1983 as Twenty-Third Air Force, with headquarters at
Hurlburt Field, Florida. AFSOC is a United States Air Force (USAF) major
command and is the elite Special Forces component of the Air Force (AFSOF) to
the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), a unified command
located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. AFSOC provides AF Special
Operations Forces (SOF) for worldwide deployment and assignment to regional
unified commands.
In December 1992, AFSOC special tactics and intelligence
personnel supported Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. In late 1994, AFSOC
units spearheaded Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti, and in 1995 Operation
Deliberate Force in the Balkans. By the end of September 2001, AFSOC deployed
forces to southwest Asia for Operation Enduring Freedom to help destroy the al
Qaeda terrorist organization and remove the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
AFSOC airpower delivered special tactics forces to the battle ground and they
in turn focused U.S. airpower and allowed Afghanistan's Northern Alliance
ground forces to dispatch the Taliban and al Qaeda from Afghanistan. AFSOC
personnel also deployed to the Philippines to help aid that country's efforts
against terrorism. In March 2003, AFSOC again deployed forces to southwest Asia
this time in support of what would become Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The command's SOF are composed of highly trained, rapidly
deployable Airmen who are equipped with specialized aircraft. These forces
conduct global special operations missions ranging from precision application
of firepower, to infiltration, aviation foreign internal defense, exfiltration,
resupply and refueling of SOF operational elements. The command's Special
Tactics Squadrons are led by Special Tactics Officers (STOs). Special Tactics
Squadrons combine Combat Controllers, TACP, Special Operations Weather
Technicians, Pararescuemen and combat rescue officers to form versatile SOF
teams. AFSOC's unique capabilities include airborne radio and television
broadcast for psychological operations, as well as combat aviation advisors to
provide other governments military expertise for their internal development.
Special Tactics is the US Air Force special operations
ground force. Similar in ability and employment to MARSOC, Army Special Forces
and Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Tactics personnel are typically the first to
enter combat and often find themselves deep behind enemy lines in demanding,
austere conditions, usually with little or no support. Due to the rigors of the
job, Special Tactics yearlong training is one of the most demanding in the
military, with attrition rates near 80 to 90 percent. In an attempt to reduce
the high attrition, Special Tactics is very selective when choosing their
officers. Special Tactics Officers (STO) undergo a highly competitive process
to gain entry into the Special Tactics career field, ensuring only the most
promising and capable leaders are selected. STO leadership and role modeling
during the difficult training reduces the attrition rate for enlisted trainees.
As befits their special connection between SOF and the USAF, these airmen have
specialized equipment such as C4 vests.
STO selection is a two-phase process. Beginning with
Phase One, a board of veteran STOs reviews application packages consisting of
letters of recommendation, fitness test scores, and narratives written by the
applicants describing their career aspirations and reasons for applying. Based
on Phase One performance, approximately 8 to 10 applicants are invited to the
next phase. Phase Two is a weeklong battery of evaluations, ranging from
physical fitness and leadership to emotional intelligence and personality
indicators. At the end of Phase Two, typically 2–4 applicants are selected to
begin the year-plus Special Tactics training pipeline.
The Tactical Air Control Party, commonly abbreviatedTACP, is a small
team of personnel who provide airspace deconfliction and
terminal control of Close Air Support at battle group level or below. It
usually consists of an officer Forward Air Controller (FAC), a SNCO FAC and
usually a pair of signallers/drivers. An Air Force Tactical Air Control Party,
commonly abbreviated TACP, is usually a team of two or more Air Force TACP
journeyman or craftsman (AFSC 1C4X1) aligned with a conventional or special
operations combat maneuver unit to advise ground commanders on the best use of
air power, establish and maintain command and control communications, and
provide precision terminal attack guidance of fixed- and rotary-wing close air
support aircraft, artillery, and naval gunfire. A TACP always includes at least
one Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) qualified to control attack
aircraft. It can also include an Air Liaison Officer, who works primarily in an
advisor capacity.
Along with being aligned with all conventional combat
units, TACP airmen are also attached to Special Forces, Navy SEALs, as well as
Joint Special Operations Command units and multi-national Special Operations
task forces, primarily as communication and aircraft coordination experts and
precision airstrike controllers. In addition, TACP members can be assigned to
AFSOC Special Tactics Squadrons to perform their traditional duties in support
of the Special Tactics mission. Enlisted members are either known as JTACs or
ROMADs. JTACs provide terminal attack control for attack aircraft and act in an
advisory capacity for their aligned army unit. ROMADs (Now referred to by the
Air Force as JTAC's in training) are communication experts who assist JTACs in
the performance of their duties while working to attain JTAC status for
themselves. ("Radio Operator, Maintainer, and Driver," a holdover
acronym from the career field’s Vietnam era, when enlisted airmen served
primarily as assistants to officer-only Forward Air Controllers, has been
replaced in the TACP vernacular with the term "Recon, Observe, Mark &
Destroy" in reflection of the modern role of the TACCS)
TACP members wear black berets with a distinctive red,
blue, and green cloth flash and silver crest. Pilots serving as Air Liaison
Officers are authorized to wear the black beret, flash, and rank while assigned
to a TACP unit, but not at any other point in their career (many choose not to
don the black beret out of respect for the enlisted TACP airmen who have
undergone intense training to earn this distinctive uniform item). Air Liaison
Officers can obtain JTAC status by attending a four-week joint terminal attack
controller qualification course, but are not required to do so. Non-rated Air
Liaison Officers, or "13 Limas," undergo the same intense training as
their TACP airmen. They wear the black beret.
United States Air Force Combat Control Teams, singularCombat Controller, (CCT) (AFSC 1C2X1) are ground combat forces specialized in a
traditional pathfinder role while having a heavy emphasis on simultaneous air
traffic control, fire support and command, control, and communications in
covert or austere environments. Assigned to Special Tactics Squadrons, Combat
Controllers are an integral part of Air Force Special Operations Command
(AFSOC), the Air Force component of United States Special Operations Command
(USSOCOM). Combat Controllers are often assigned individually or as a team to
Army Special Forces, Army Ranger, and Navy SEAL teams to provide expert air
support coordination and communications capabilities. Many Combat Controllers
qualify and maintain proficiency as joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs)
where they call in and direct air strikes, close air support and fire support
during battle. Combat Control, like all U.S. special operations forces career
fields (e.g., Army Rangers, Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, etc.), is
male-only. Out of the five Air Force Crosses awarded since the Global War on
Terror started in 2001 three have been awarded to Combat Controllers for
extraordinary heroism in combat.
The term "Combat Control Team" comes from World
War II where allied troop-carrier squadrons developed gliderborne teams called
Combat Control Teams. A Combat Control Team consisted of one glider pilot and
four enlisted technicians. They utilized a jeep and a trailer-mounted radio to
pass critical information to aircraft. The first time they were used were
during Operation Varsity where two teams with the 18th Airborne Corps
infiltrated German lines and they established forward airfields where they
supported resupply operations and provided airfield control.
Pararescuemen, also known as PJs (Pararescue Jumpers),
are Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and Air Combat Command (ACC)
operatives tasked with recovery and medical treatment of personnel in
humanitarian and combat environments. These special operations units are also
used to support NASA missions and have been used to recover astronauts after
water landings. They are attached to other SOF teams from all branches to
conduct other operations as appropriate. Of the 22 enlisted Air Force Cross
recipients, 12 are Pararescuemen. They wear the maroon beret as a symbol of
their elite status, and to symbolize the blood shed by past PJs, as well as the
blood current PJs are willing to shed to save lives. Part of the little-known
Air Force Special Tactics community and long an enlisted preserve, the
Pararescue service began commissioning Combat Rescue Officers early in the 21st
century.
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Special Operations Weather Team (SOWT) (AFSC 1W0X2)
specialists are tactical observer/forecasters with ground combat capabilities
and fall under the 720th Special Tactics Group within the Air Force Special
Operations Command (AFSOC). The mission of a Special Operations Weather Team
Specialist is to deploy by the most feasible means available into combat and
non-permissive environments to collect and interpret meteorological data and
provide air and ground forces commanders with timely, accurate intelligence.
They collect data, assist mission planning, generate accurate and
mission-tailored target and route forecasts in support of global special
operations, conduct special weather reconnaissance and train foreign national
forces. SOWTs provide vital intelligence and deploy with joint air and ground
forces in support of direct action, counter-terrorism, foreign internal
defense, humanitarian assistance, special reconnaissance, austere airfield, and
combat search and rescue.
As always, the above insignia are available on a limited
number of selected quality products via my “Military Insignia” galleries atZazzle. You may simply follow the direct links in the article to navigate to
the corresponding galleries
I will also make my insignia designs available free of
charge to any military units and personnel, for any non-profit/non-commercial
and charitable causes, benefiting troops and their families. In addition, I
would make my designs available free of charge to any military branches,
formations and units for any non-commercial internal duty-specific purposes,
such as unit-related web design, training materials or presentations, as I did
on many occasions in the past.
The above information provided in part by Wikipedia, U.S.
Army Center of Military history, The Institute of Heraldry, Global Security,
and the official websites of the corresponding units.