Nineteen special operators with the Afghan National Army Special Operations Corps and General Command Special Police Units graduated from the Afghan Tactical Air Coordinator Course at the ANASOC School of Excellence, Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 1, 2018.
The graduates gained critical skills, necessary to provide ground force commanders integrated air-to-ground support. From here, 11 of the graduates will complete an additional four weeks of training at the ANASOC Air Targeting Officers’ Course learning to prepare A-29 fixed-wing and MD 530 light-attack helicopter strike packages.
As Afghan military forces lead the fight against insurgents near civilian populations, trained and experienced Afghan tactical air coordinators provide critical air-to-ground coordination, placing precision firepower against enemies.
“It is the closeness of Afghan military operations to friendly forces and civilian populations that require air support to be carefully planned, coordinated, synchronized and de-conflicted,” a mentor from ANASOC School of Excellence said.
The students completed several phases of training to include classroom instruction and practical applications culminating in a final full mission profile exercise with live aircraft. The exercise allowed the students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills through comprehensive scenarios.
“It is difficult to do well. Ultimately these guys provide the critical link between A-29 and MD 530 pilots and commanders on the ground, to win on today’s complex battlefield,” an ANASOC School of Excellence mentor stated.
ATAC and AATOC are among several specialty courses taught at the Afghan National Army Special Operations Command School of Excellence. Specialty course students attend advanced training based on their assigned duty position and performance.