Date: 201908
Local time of day: 0601-1200
Location: ZJX.ARTCC, FL
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: EMB ERJ 145 ER/LR
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Descent
Airspace: Class A ZJX
ATC / advisory: Center ZJX
Second aircraft: Cessna Citation Undifferentiated or Other Model
Reporter organization: Government
Reporter function: Enroute
Reporter qualification: Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Human factors: Communication Breakdown; Situational Awareness
Anomaly: ATC Issue All Types; Airspace Violation All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Air Traffic Control
When detected: In-flight
Result: Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic
Contributing factors: Company Policy; Human Factors; Procedure; Airspace Structure
Primary problem: Procedure

Narrative: Aircraft X was a departure. Aircraft Y was an arrival. Aircraft X was on route climbing to 23;000 ft. Aircraft Y was southbound at 19;000 ft. I realized that wasn't going to work so I stopped Aircraft X at 18;000 ft. I went to turn the other aircraft west and he was non responsive. Then as Aircraft X was approaching 18;000 ft. Aircraft Y starts descending. I issued a traffic alert and climbed Aircraft X. The D-side (Radar Assist) called VPS Approach and apparently they were talking to him. They descended an aircraft without having radar or track control from 9;000 ft. above their airspace through other traffic. I don't think I ever lost separation but it was; overall; just an absolutely disgusting session.I do not know what they were thinking or what led them to think that was a good idea. Beyond this particular event; I am amazed no one has died at this sector yet. We are really testing the limits on a daily basis. The absolute garbage that the Approach Controls give us; combined with the amount of Special Use Airspace combined with the fact that everybody is trying to occupy the same space given no dedicated arrival or departure areas is insane. I have been doing this for 19 years. I started out at approach. Something needs to change. The military keeps taking more and more airspace and pushing more and more airplanes though it. We get no help from management. Most managers only get certified on a D Side (Radar Assist). I feel that no member of management appreciates the complexity of that sector. I often remark that they are like kindergärtners because all they care about are numbers and colors of the TSD (Traffic Situation Display). We have serious issues with our numbers on the TSD. Two of the sectors dramatically under report the number in the sector sometimes by more than 200%. It never counts aircraft with in military airspace even if it was not activated. Despite supposedly knowing this they still use those numbers. I counted over 41 tracks the other day within the sector boundary of 11 and the board said they had like 18 or 19. And for this sector; numbers do not reflect the complexity at all. There is no actual supervision of the workforce and even if they did; I don't know that they can recognize problems since they don't actually work traffic anymore. The traffic level during this session was absolutely; 100% beyond my ability to handle safely. Numbers were green though and I managed not to even have a deal; so who cares. I think that is a large part of all the issues the west area has at this Center. We don't have the interpersonal drama of the other areas; and we don't have as many or as scary deals so we are ignored. We are sent managers from other areas that should probably be fired for misconduct but are instead just sent to the west area because we don't have the numbers or the drama. They just look at the board and it's green so who cares.




Synopsis: ZJX Center Controller reported the underlying Approach Control descended an aircraft through Center airspace without approval and caused a conflict with climbing traffic.