1st ASOG supports Yama Sakura 67

CAMP ASAKA, TOKYO, JAPAN

12.12.2014

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Jimmy Norris 

I Corps

CAMP ASAKA, Japan – When fighting a simulated war, sometimes a planner needs simulated air support. The planners at Yama Sakura 67 have one man to turn to between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. – Tech. Sgt. Casey Svehla.

Svehla represents the 1st Air Support Operations Group in the Joint Operations Center during this bilateral command post exercise taking place at Camp Asaka, Japan Dec. 2 though 14.
He coordinates with the Army’s fires and aviation cells to clear air space – ensuring aircraft aren’t traveling through the same space as artillery rounds – and coordinates air support for the notional troops on the ground.

He said he is also his unit’s “go-to” guy when members have problems with any of their numerous electronic tracking systems.
“He is where the rubber meets the road in current operations, doing dynamic coordination for re-tasking air craft” said Lt. Col. Brad Smith, deputy commander of the 1st ASOG.

Svehla, who only recently came to the 1st ASOG, said he’s conducted air support coordination at every echelon during his 18-year career, but it wasn’t until YS 67 that he went from the tactical to the strategic level of operations.

He described the transition as a bit of an adjustment. “I’m no longer physically controlling and telling the plane where to go,” Svehla said. “I’m planning and coordinating big-picture stuff.”

Being part of a unit responsible for communicating the Joint Forces Land Component Commander’s air support requirements to the Air Operations Center, Svehla is someone who helps shape what Smith calls “the deep fight”.

“The enemy’s rear echelon, the places where they bring in their supplies and stage their soldiers, your infantry and your front-line troops aren’t going to be able to engage them,” Smith said.

He added that having members of the 1st ASOG present during YS 67 has helped catch errors which would have diminished the quality of air support and possibly cost the lives of notional Soldiers on the battlefield.

Smith was quick to sing Svehla’s praises. He said Svehla helped establish and implement new procedures that helped improve the way the 1st ASOG does business in bilateral operations, including a matrix for deconflicting air space for the clearance of fires.

Smith said the new method has reduced the time it takes to clear air space for fire support to under ten minutes – a dramatic improvement from last year’s Yama Sakura, during which deconfliction could take up to 36 hours. “He’s one of the best,” Smith said.

• Date Taken: 12.12.2014
• Date Posted: 12.12.2014 09:03
• Story ID: 150158
• Location: CAMP ASAKA, TOKYO, JP