Tag Archives: Air Force

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The TACP

A Lesson in Incorporating Enablers

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The Joint Fires Enterprise, and honestly, the Joint environment as a whole, recognizes the skillsets that the TACP brings.  The rank structure (rightfully instituted) can be a limiting factor, especially for the SMEs.  Oftentimes, the E-4/E-5 TACP has a deep seated mentality that thinks outside the box to combat typical maneuver warfare and how best to pummel the enemy.  In my years of experience and 9 deployments, I have witnessed a general dismissal of an enlisted member that is a subject matter expert due in large part to a cultural mindset that differs in each Service.  As an Enabler, the TACP has a wide-ranging capability that suits not just conventional but Special Operations as well.  Quite a few senior enlisted have spent time on both sides and have a very unique view on the wars that we have been a part of for over 20 years and have garnered valuable lessons learned that have been glossed over by our Army brethren.  

U.S. Army Photo by Thomas Alvarez.
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Defending the Air Base

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In the middle of the night, on September 14th, 2012, a team of Taliban fighters broke through the perimeter of Camp Bastion and began attacking the base. Bastion, later called Camp Shorabak, was located northwest of Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province, Afghanistan and housed Marine Corps Harrier Jump Jets. Marines and Royal Air Force personnel bravely defended their base and killed the Taliban intruders after a six-hour firefight. Over a dozen friendly personnel died or sustained wounds, and the enemy destroyed or damaged eight aircraft. The attack severely degraded Bastion’s ability to project combat power and support friendly ground forces. The Taliban gambled, correctly, that the best way to strike back against coalition airpower advantage was to attack the aircrafts in their most vulnerable state; on the ground.

An airman maintains watch with his weapon as he wears his Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) suit on Jan. 16, 2013, during the Beverly Midnight exercise at Osan Air Base, South Korea.