Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Diante Cooper, 19th Air Support Operations Squadron Tactical Air Control Party specialist, watches and communicates with an A-10C Thunderbolt II during a joint close air support exercise at Camp Grayling, Mich. April 13, 2017. To further build interoperability and hone their unique skillset, members of the German air force Air Ground Operations Squadron travelled to the U.S. to partner with the 19th ASOS and conduct a close air support exercise working with A-10C Thunderbolts IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Daniel Snider)NATO partners conduct close air support exercise
                        
                        
                        Airman 1st Class Diante Cooper, a 19th Air Support Operations Squadron Tactical Air Control Party specialist, watches and communicates with an A-10C Thunderbolt II during a joint close air support exercise at Camp Grayling, Mich. April 13, 2017. To further build interoperability and hone their unique skillset, members of the German air force Air Ground Operations Squadron travelled to the U.S. to partner with the 19th ASOS and conduct a close air support exercise working with A-10s and F-16 Fighting Falcons. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Daniel Snider)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Evan Conde, 19th Air Support Operations Squadron Tactical Air Support Party specialist, conveys his air support plan to German air force Maj. Nader Samadi, Air Ground Operations Squadron commander, during a close air support exercise, April 12, 2017, at Camp Grayling, Mich. To further build interoperability, members of the German air force Air Ground Operations Squadron travelled to the U.S. to partner with the 19th ASOS and conduct a close air support exercise working with A-10C Thunderbolts IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Daniel Snider)NATO partners conduct close air support exercise
                        
                        
                        Senior Airman Evan Conde (left), a 19th Air Support Operations Squadron Tactical Air Support Party specialist, conveys his air support plan to German air force Maj. Nader Samadi, the Air Ground Operations Squadron commander, during a close air support exercise, April 12, 2017, at Camp Grayling, Mich. To further build interoperability, members of the German air force Air Ground Operations Squadron travelled to the U.S. to partner with the 19th ASOS and conduct a close air support exercise working with A-10C Thunderbolts IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Daniel Snider)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Evan Conde, 19th Air Support Operations Squadron Tactical Air Control Party specialist, radios in an air strike during a joint close air support exercise, April 12, 2017, at Camp Grayling, Mich. To further build interoperability and hone their unique skillset, members of the German air force Air Ground Operations Squadron travelled to the U.S. to partner with the 19th ASOS and conduct a close air support exercise working with A-10C Thunderbolts IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Daniel Snider)NATO partners conduct close air support exercise
                        
                        
                        Senior Airman Evan Conde, a 19th Air Support Operations Squadron Tactical Air Control Party specialist, radios in an air strike during a joint close air support exercise, April 12, 2017, at Camp Grayling, Mich. To further build interoperability and hone their unique skillset, members of the German air force Air Ground Operations Squadron travelled to the U.S. to partner with the 19th ASOS and conduct a close air support exercise working with A-10C Thunderbolts IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Daniel Snider)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

NATO partners conduct close air support exercisePublished April 20, 2017
                    
                    By Airman 1st Class Daniel Snider
                    
                    
                    23rd Wing Public Affairs
            **CAMP GRAYLING, Mich. (AFNS) --**Today’s fight against terrorism doesn’t rest on the shoulders of one country. It’s a team fight, meaning countries must be interoperable to effectively defeat that threat.
To better support the team, members of the German air force’s Air Ground Operations Squadron partnered with the 19th Air Support Operations Squadron to conduct a close air support exercise, April 10-14, 2017, at Camp Grayling, Michigan. 
“With everything happening in the Middle East and across the globe, like (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) trying to fight their way into the European area, it provides a legitimate reason as to why we should all get together and become as strong as we can through joint training,” said Master Sgt. Thomas Jenn, the 19th Air Support Operations Squadron division flight chief.
This training is relevant because nearly every operation the U.S. engages in, such as Operation Inherent Resolve, is a joint effort.
“NATO is fighting together as a coalition,” said Maj. Nader Samadi, the German AGOS commander. “We do everything together, whether it’s U.S. or other NATO partners, the standards are the same. We try to work the same ways so we’re interoperable, and that’s the best thing.”
Samadi explained that currently, air-to-air dogfights between aircraft are far less common than air-to-ground strikes or ground-to-ground skirmishes. This makes Tactical Air Control Parties consisting of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers a crucial piece of the battle puzzle.
“Nobody really knows what the JTAC is doing but everybody wants to have them,” said Samadi. “It’s really important because we don’t want civilian casualties. So NATO forces send us JTACs on site to find out the best way to conduct what we call surgical strikes, where we have civilian collateral damage concerns. It’s really important that somebody is there to liaise between the boots on the ground and the air guys. That’s our job, being the liaison and bringing in the biggest weapons.”
With bigger weapons come greater stakes. While the JTACs are attached to ground units, they must be precise with their directions and clear on the radio to effectively put bombs on target.
“It’s extremely unique,” said Jenn. “The TACP and JTAC capability is a lot like a language translator. Two very distinctive branches from the same country speak, think and act differently, so we are that in-between. We can speak Army to the Air Force, and Air Force to the Army.”
As brokers of airpower, being able to convey the ground commander’s intent to the Airmen in the cockpit allows an effective joint effort against the enemy, while also mitigating the potential for error.
“The worst things could go wrong if we can’t understand each other,” said Samadi. “If we didn’t train together or have these opportunities, we cannot set the standards. I’m saying ‘look left there is a tree,’ and (the pilot) is hearing that there’s three to his left. So we have to work together as much as possible to get our synergies, wording and brevity on the same page. If we don’t have that, things can go bad and you hit wrong targets, and then you could have civilian casualties.”
The week of close air support missions, briefings, learning moments and creating bonds allowed almost everyone to walk away being more efficient and more confident in their job.
“Seeing a scenario that is closely mirroring what’s happening overseas right now and seeing some of the tactical problems that we throw at these guys, it makes them think,” said Jenn. “It’s a chance to make mistakes without any negative repercussions. That’s probably one of the best things about it.
 
Not only does the training environment allow error and correction, but it also allows a bond to grow between the NATO allies.
 
“Probably one of my favorite parts is getting to work with all the different coalition partners,” said 1st Lt. Megan Cox, the 19th ASOS air liaison officer. “Just learning about their culture and the way they work, we’re able to just relate to them better. It really strengthens the relationship when you’re working with them downrange.”Germany 



training 



TACP 



JTAC 



coalition 



Middle East 



19th ASOS 



air support 



Camp Grayling 



NATO Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander emphasizes five focus areas during AFA Warfare Symposium
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil