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Bombs on target: guiding the bomb

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mareshah Haynes
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq --  The artist stands at his easel, paint brush in one hand, palette in the other. With the strokes of his brush, he makes the image come to life for the observer. The abstract idea is transferred from the artist's mind, through his hands, to the paint brush and materializes on the canvas.

"We're the artists who paint the picture for pilots of what they can expect to see when they check on [their radio] with their JTACs [joint terminal attack controllers] and what the Army is doing on the ground," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Gorden, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Ground Liaison Office noncommissioned officer in charge.

Army GLO personnel, along with Air Force JTACs, work jointly with the Air Force and Army personnel to communicate with F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots here. This coordinated effort results in the deliberate and precise use of munitions.

The GLO is comprised of Army artillery and infantry personnel, assigned to Air Force units, who brief pilots before combat missions regarding the situation on the ground.

"Being that I'm an infantry guy by trade, and I've done all these missions before over the last 20 years, who better to explain [the situation from an Army point of view to the pilots]" Sergeant Gorden said.

The responsibility of the GLO is to "translate" the Army-specifics of operations to Air Force pilots before they go on missions.

"We're all supposed to be somewhat fluent in joint terminology, to include Army terms, but I don't have all of them, particularly as they evolve here in Iraq," said Lt. Col. Kenneth Ekman, F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot and chief of safety who is deployed from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. "One of the great thing that a GLO does is they take Army terms and, even more importantly Army symbology, how they mark their maps, and turn it into 'pilot speak.' They really are interpreters for us."

"I explain to them the number of personnel on the ground, how many people are actually going to go to this building to do the take down and how many vehicles will be in blocking positions to prevent anybody from supporting," Sergeant Gorden said

Once the pilots leave the base and they reach the mission air space, the JTACs take over giving situational awareness of the ground mission to the pilot. Because of the fluidity of the battlespace, in the time the pilot is briefed by the GLO and then checks on with the JTAC, the situation can completely change.

JTACs are tactical air control party Airmen, assigned to an Army unit to advise ground commanders on the best use of air power and communicate with pilots from the ground, once they reach the area of operation.

"Our job is to integrate with an aligned Army unit and provide close air support, to integrate Air Force [assets] into the Army's scheme of maneuver," said Staff Sgt. Marshall Bohnman, a JTAC assigned to the 1st Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron.

The JTACs use radio equipment and computer software to communicate with troops on the ground and pilots in the air. They have programs that allow them to see what the pilot sees from the air and allows them to send precise coordinates to the aircraft of where munitions should be dropped.

"In any conflict where you're going to be dropping precision fires in close proximity to friendly forces, you have to have a trained, certified, qualified individual to do that," Sergeant Bohnman said. "If you want to drop bombs, we're absolutely vital in a close fight."

"Ultimately, my job is to be overhead to provide reconnaissance and fire power, so that he wins any kind of fight that erupts in his area of operation," Colonel Ekman said. "My job is to be there on time and give whatever support they need."

JTACs are the link of communication between the Army commanding officer on the ground and the Air Force pilots in the sky. They let the pilots know if they're cleared to hit the target or if they should follow the targeted personnel to gather more information.

"Whoever is in charge is going to say, 'yes, you can engage this target' or, 'no, collateral damage is a concern, I don't want to injure civilians, so this time I just want you to track them," Sergeant Bohnman said. "He [the commanding officer] is the one telling us whether we can or cannot [engage], but we're the ones who are actually certified to pass that clearance."

The GLOs and JTACs embedded with the Air Force and Army respectively, are examples of U.S. military sister servicemembers working together toward the same goal.

"The last time I was here, we got hit with RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and we lost couple of guys," Sergeant Bohnman said. "I called in some F-16s and they did a really low show of force. Once we got back I had guys coming up saying it felt good to know we had such awesome fire power overhead watching our backs.

"That's a great feeling to know you have a positive impact on the battlefield and we're helping save friendly forces on the ground," Sergeant Bohnman said.