Photo By Sgt. Lisa Vines | A U.S. Army joint fires observer and an U.S. Air Force joint terminal attack...... read more read more
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AVIANO, Italy – Soldiers assigned to 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, practiced their skills as a critical link to the joint war-fighting capability as a joint fires observer (JFO) in Aviano, Italy, Aug. 6-10, 2018.
A JFO is a qualification typically earned by U.S. Army forward observers. They are qualified to perform duties such as requesting, controlling and adjusting surface to surface fires and providing close air support targeting information to joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs).
The training exercises focused on close air support, which is the direct support of ground forces by aircraft. These activities are assisted by the JTACs and JFOs. The JFO augments the JTAC by serving as a different type of forward observer with increased skills and responsibilities.
“This is a really great opportunity,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Barbera, a JFO assigned to the 1-7 CAV. “They should definitely try to be able to do this training more often and get some of the younger JFOs out to experience talking to the pilots, interacting with the JTACs, seeing how things operate in a real-world environment.”
Ironhorse Soldiers trained with the 2nd Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron (EASOS), a U.S. Air Force asset aligned with the 1st ABCT.
The mission of the squadron is to advise and assist Ironhorse units to integrate airpower capabilities and assets with ground assets to effectively accomplish their operations.
“Whether it deals with artillery, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), helicopters, ships, in conjunction with someone flying around using a jammer against enemy radios, all that gets tied together,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Bertrand Fitzpatrick, a joint terminal attack controller assigned to the 2 EASOS. “Our job is to make sure that whatever operation involves all that goes on smoothly and bombs are delivered where they need to go.”
In order for things to go smoothly, a JFO can help translate jargon from across multiple services.
While Soldiers have the opportunity to train in a simulator, the prospect of real-world training is an invaluable chance to brush up on different skills.
“Situational awareness is a big part of it,” said Barbera. “Battle tracking, sending up appropriate Ops, being able to talk to the pilots. It’s a whole different beast.”
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2018 03:47 |
| Story ID: | 289929 |
| Location: | AVIANO, IT |
| Web Views: | 55 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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