JOC - A lifeline to ground forces

Photo By Staff Sgt. Carlos Diaz | Staff Sgt. Pete Wartena passes a Joint Terminal Attack Control call to Capt. Joby Bennett at the Air Special Operations Center in Camp Victory, Iraq. Wartena is the JTAC flight duty technician and Bennett is the Air Liaison Officer flight officer. They are assigned to the 3rd ASOC.  

05.11.2007

Story by Staff Sgt. Carlos Diaz 

United States Air Forces Central     

By Staff Sgt. Carlos Diaz
U.S. Central Command Air Forces Public Affairs

SATHER AIR BASE, Iraq – A joint terminal attack controller directs the action of combat aircraft to provide close-air support missions for U.S. ground forces in Iraq.

The CAS mission requires highly-detailed communication channels and a well-coordinated process. Those communication channels and coordination processes are orchestrated at the Joint Operations Center in Camp Victory, Iraq.

The JOC is a joint force commander's headquarters that is jointly manned and where planning, monitoring and execution of the commander's decisions take place.

Within the JOC, the Air Force operates part of its mission in the Air Support Operations Center. The ASOC handles the CAS mission for the entire Iraqi airspace.

The ASOC processes and coordinates requests for immediate air support and coordinates air missions requiring integration with other support units and ground forces.

"Minute by minute, we make sure aircraft are supporting the Army's priorities," said Capt. Joby Bennett, ASOC air liaison and fighter duty officer.

Multi-National Corps – Iraq determines the priorities for CAS missions. Those priorities – which are meant to keep Army ground units safe – get elevated when an immediate request is received stating that troops are in contact with enemy targets.

"Things can change in an instant," Bennett said. "Sometimes, missions have to be shifted, and you have to be able to stay ahead of the game with the constant changes."

There are some key factors that can determine the mission's priority. These factors include the amount of fuel the aircraft has before it returns to base and the proximity of the targeted mission area, explained Staff Sgt. Pete Wartena, ASOC JTAC fighter duty technician.

Wartena receives air tasking orders that determine the aircraft flying for that specific day. An ATO is a method to task and disseminate to components, subordinate units and command and control agencies projected sorties, capabilities and forces to targets and specific missions.

"On any given day, we can get more than 200 air support requests," he said.

With that type of high ops tempo, attention-to-detail is imperative.

"I have to constantly track aircraft and know exactly where they are at any given time," Wartena said.

Wartena is familiar with the global war on terror mission.

"I was previously deployed to Afghanistan as part of a quick response force," he said.

His Afghan experience has helped him provide better service at the JOC level.

The JOC allows some service members a chance to coordinate plans at the highest level of combat, command and control.

"The best part of this job is the interaction with the ground units," said Army Capt. Glen Renfree, battle captain for force field artillery.

In his capacity, Renfree tracks indirect fire activity across the country.

"We track trends and conduct briefings to the highest levels," Renfree said. "We're the behind-the-scenes team that uses a major database to collect historical data that allows us to accurately analysis our information. We provide the senior leadership with a complete picture of the indirect fire threat in the area."

In his battle captain position, he's able to see the warfighter's progression.

"The interaction with several commands allows us to see the big picture," he said. "From the information we receive, we're able to react better and provide more protection. This interaction also helps predict the enemy's moves."

Keeping the ground forces alive is a huge responsibility. The CAS mission provides that every day with astonishing results.

Every day, air power is demonstrated in the skies above the area of responsibility. U.S. and coalition aircraft eliminate threats with pinpoint accuracy and deter hostile activities by a show of force.

According to Lt. Col. Roderick Dorsey, 712th ASOC commander, a CAS mission can be executed in well under 10 minutes.

"We're able to respond quickly because we have air support flying all of the time," Dorsey said. "However, that time frame can never be short enough for them."

Regardless of the time it takes for a CAS mission to eliminate a threat, the JTACs and ground forces know it's an integral war-fighting asset.

"At the end of the day, we help the troops-in-contact with enemy forces get the support they need to accomplish their mission," Bennett said.

• Date Taken: 05.11.2007
• Date Posted: 05.11.2007 08:40
• Story ID: 10325