Close Air Support

Our mission over the past couple of days has been to embed with U.S., Belgian, and Danish Air Force forward observers for a close air support mission.  Here is the radio spot we produced for AFN and a few photos for the paper...

LEAD:


AIR SUPPORT IS VITAL TO PROTECTING SERVICEMEMBERS AND COMPLETING THE MISSION AND THE JOINT MULTINATIONAL TRAINING COMMAND OFFERS A COURSE TO PREPARE SERVICEMEMBERS TO MOVE FORWARD AND DIRECT COMBAT AIRCRAFT. SPECIALIST MEGAN WESSELS EXPLAINS.


ANNOUNCER:

U-S SERVICEMEMBERS TEAMED UP WITH BELGIAN, DANISH, AND OTHER NATO ALLIES AT GRAFENWOEHR GERMANY, TO BE CHALLENGED PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY IN EXERCISE ALLIED STRIKE TEN. THE EXERCISE FOCUSES ON TRAINING JOINT TERMINAL ATTACK CONTROLLERS, OR J-TACS. J-TACS ARE U-S AND NATO SERVICEMEMBERS WHO EMBED WITH DEPLOYED UNITS TO DIRECT AIR SUPPORT. THE EXERCISE INCLUDED LANE TRAINING AND WORKED TOWARD ITS MAIN OBJECTIVE, LIVE FIRE AIR STRIKES. BELGIAN FIRST SERGEANT MAJOR JORDY VON CARE-COVE-AH APPRECIATES THE UNIQUE TRAINING FACILITIES THE JOINT MULTINATIONAL TRAINING COMMAND OFFERS.

SOUNDBITE 10 SECONDS:

Belgian 1st Sergeant Major… Train as we fight.

EXERCISES LIKE ALLIED STRIKE TEN PROVIDE U-S AND NATO FORCES CLOSE AIR SUPPORT TRAINING THAT ENSURES MISSION SUCCESS. FOR THE 7TH ARMY JOINT MULTINATIONAL TRAINING COMMAND, I’M SPECIALIST MEGAN WESSELS, GRAFENWOEHR GERMANY.

 

Belgian Forward Observers call in "fast movers" for an air strike.

A Tornado banks after delivering its payload.

The Effects of a 500lb bomb.