Command and control in any climate

Photo By Staff Sgt. Cody Miller | Air battle managers from the 337th Air Control Squadron take part in a command and control exercise involving real-world assets, November 9th, 2018, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The exercise was the first set of operations held at the 337th ACS since Hurricane Michael made landfall earlier last month. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Cody R. Miller)  

PANAMA CITY, FL, UNITED STATES

11.14.2018

Story by Senior Airman Cody Miller 

325th Fighter Wing

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – With the damage from Hurricane Michael halting most activities in the area, one squadron on Tyndall has begun their normal operations in the wake of the natural disaster.

The 337th Air Control Squadron has resumed taking part in command and control exercises. The 337th ACS is normally a schoolhouse that trains the Air Force’s air battle managers, but its personnel also take part in air-to-air combat exercises that span the east and west coast.

“We are the only schoolhouse for air battle managers,” said Lt. Col. Michael Lynch, 337th ACS commander. “Today will be the first live mission since the hurricane hit. We’ll be utilizing our off-station capabilities to control F-15s out of Jacksonville, Florida.”

He said it was necessary for them to get up and running as quickly as possible, because they are the sole conduit for air battle managers for the total force.

When it comes to air combat, ABMs are responsible for putting the right assets into contact with unfriendly forces. Utilizing strategy, experience and an intimate knowledge of aircraft, weapons and surveillance; they use everything at their disposal to control the outcome of an air battle. This can include both airborne surveillance and electronic warfare.
Additionally, the squadron provides training for international officers in tactical command and control operations in a coalition environment.

“Along with the junior Air Force officers we normally teach, we also have an international component that will resume classes just after the New Year,” Lynch said. “We run this program to help foster positive working relationships with our foreign allies around the globe.”

The squadron teaches five comprehensive courses. The primary course is a 9-month Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training Course where active duty and Air Guard students are instructed and expected to demonstrate proficiency on subjects such as friendly and enemy aircraft capabilities and limitations, defensive and offensive counter air operations, close air support, personnel recovery, large force employment, suppression of enemy air defenses and tactical control of high-performance aircraft.

The 337th ACS is one of the first units to resume operations on Tyndall.

“Setting this operation up with the personnel we have available now would not have been possible without the support and guidance from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base,” said Lynch. “Tyndall has also helped us a lot. We’ve never been treated as just a tenant unit, the support and leadership that Col. Brian Laidlaw and the 325th Fighter Wing has given us has been amazing.”

• Date Taken: 11.14.2018
• Date Posted: 11.14.2018 12:12
• Story ID: 299928
• Location: PANAMA CITY, FL, US