Command Post

You are training to be a Command and Control Battle Management Operations Specialist — the person who tracks and manages the air picture at a command and control node, coordinating air operations between aircraft, controllers, and commanders. You are learning to manage complexity at high speed in an environment where errors have immediate operational consequences.

Complete the 1C3X1 initial skills training at Keesler AFB, MS. Learn air surveillance techniques, air picture management, airspace coordination, and the communications and data systems used to track and manage aircraft in assigned airspace. Study radar operations fundamentals and the data link systems that feed air pictures to command and control nodes. Learn the coordination procedures between air controllers, sector supervisors, and wing commanders. Practice managing simulated air pictures under increasing complexity and time pressure. Begin developing the pattern recognition and workload management skills that effective C2 battle management requires.

• 01Air picture management, radar and data link system operation, airspace coordination procedures, communications system operation, air track management, coordination with controllers and supervisors, command and control node procedures

• —AFI 13-1 series for C2 Battle Management Operations, AFTTP 3-3 (relevant volumes for C2 operations), applicable MAJCOM publications for command and control node procedures

• —Pass C2 Battle Management initial training; air picture management demonstrated to standard; airspace coordination procedures correct; communications system operations proficient; simulation events passed at required proficiency levels

• —Fixating on individual tracks at the expense of the air picture overall — C2 battle management requires managing the entire picture, and operators who become absorbed in a single problematic track lose situational awareness of the broader airspace picture that commanders depend on. The track that is not being watched is usually the one that creates the next problem.

An apprentice C2 battle management specialist who practices maintaining situational awareness of the full air picture even while actively working a specific track or coordination issue — who can answer "what is happening in sector 4 right now?" while simultaneously managing a coordination handoff in sector 2.

You are a qualified C2 battle management specialist operating at a command and control node, managing the air picture in real time and coordinating air operations for the wing or theater.

Operate as a qualified C2 battle management specialist at an Air Operations Center, Tactical Air Control Party, or other command and control node. Manage assigned sectors of the air picture, track aircraft, coordinate handoffs between sectors and facilities, and maintain airspace deconfliction. Support the mission commander and air battle manager in executing the air tasking order. Interface with air traffic control facilities, fighter pilots, and tanker schedulers on airspace matters. Operate and maintain the communications and data link systems at your node. Participate in exercises and training scenarios that simulate real-world air operations complexity.

• 01Operational C2 node operations, air picture management in real operations, air tasking order support, ATC interface, fighter and tanker coordination, data link management, exercise participation

• —AFI 13-1 series, AFTTP 3-3, unit operations plans, air tasking order publications for assigned theater or exercise

• —Currency maintained at assigned C2 node; air picture management at required proficiency; coordination errors zero; ATC and flying unit interface professional and accurate; exercise performance meets standards

• —Treating airspace deconfliction as a procedural task rather than a dynamic problem that requires continuous recalculation as aircraft deviate from planned routes and altitudes — the C2 specialist who checks deconfliction once and considers it resolved is a hazard to the aircraft in their sector.

A qualified C2 specialist who maintains a continuous, updated mental model of their sector's airspace — not just where aircraft are, but where they are going and whether any convergence exists in the next 5-10 minutes — and who identifies deconfliction requirements before they become conflicts rather than after.

You are a senior C2 battle management specialist building toward instructor qualifications and developing the ability to train the next generation of C2 operators while managing complex air operations.

Operate as a qualified C2 specialist and pursue instructor qualification. Train junior specialists on air picture management, sector techniques, and coordination procedures. Evaluate trainee performance. Contribute to tactics and procedures updates for the specific C2 node type your unit operates. Serve as the senior specialist on complex or high-priority exercises. Manage coordination for complex air tasking order segments that involve multiple aircraft types, tanker support, and close air support integration. Represent the C2 specialty at MAJCOM exercises and training conferences.

• 01Instructor qualification, junior specialist training and evaluation, complex air operations coordination, tactics and procedures development, MAJCOM exercise participation, multi-aircraft type deconfliction management

• —AFI 13-1 series, AFI 36-2201, AFTTP 3-3, unit instructor qualification standards, MAJCOM C2 publications

• —Instructor currency maintained; trainees qualifying to standard; complex exercise air picture management at standard; tactics contributions operationally validated

• —Training C2 specialists on scripted exercise scenarios without building the ability to manage unscripted air picture changes — real operations produce aircraft deviations, fuel emergencies, and ATC conflicts that don't follow the exercise script, and specialists who have only managed scripted scenarios are slower when the unexpected happens.

An SSgt instructor who deliberately injects unscripted events into training scenarios — a tanker that cannot make the refueling track, a fighter declaring an emergency in a congested sector, a data link outage — and who evaluates trainees on how they manage the unexpected rather than just how well they follow the planned sequence.

You are the senior C2 battle management NCO within your unit, responsible for the training program, readiness, and operational effectiveness of the C2 specialist section.

Serve as the C2 specialist section NCOIC. Own the training program — manage currency, evaluation scheduling, and upgrade progression. Brief the supervisor of flying or air battle manager on specialist readiness. Serve as the senior specialist or section trainer on complex exercises and high-priority operations. Coordinate with wing operations on air tasking order integration and airspace coordination issues. Interface with ATC facilities on recurring coordination problems and airspace management improvements. Represent the C2 specialty at wing standardization and MAJCOM exercise planning forums. Advise the section commander on training requirements and personnel readiness.

• 01Section NCOIC duties, C2 training program management, air battle manager coordination, ATC facility interface, wing operations integration, MAJCOM exercise planning participation, readiness reporting

• —AFI 13-1 series, unit operations plans, wing flying schedule publications, MAJCOM C2 exercise publications, AFI 36-2201

• —All specialists current and proficiency-evaluated on schedule; training documentation audit-ready; ATC and wing operations interface productive; readiness accurately reported

• —Managing specialist currency without tracking the collective capability of the section to handle peak-demand air operations — a section where every specialist is individually current but no specialist has recently managed a high-density air operations scenario may be technically qualified but not operationally ready for the missions that matter most.

A TSgt section chief who schedules complex, high-density scenario training events quarterly so that every specialist in the section has recent experience managing the most demanding air operations scenarios — not the baseline scenarios, but the ones that will stress the section if they are tasked on short notice.

You are the senior C2 battle management NCO at the group or wing level, advising commanders on C2 readiness and shaping the employment of C2 specialists across the formation.

Serve as the group or wing C2 superintendent. Advise commanders on specialist readiness, training program quality, and the C2 implications of planned operations. Interface with ACC on career field management and training standards. Represent the C2 community at MAJCOM standardization and exercise conferences. Manage the most complex specialist personnel actions. Contribute to AFTTP updates and C2 doctrine. Assist wing Supervisors of Flying and Air Battle Managers on C2 staffing and readiness questions. As 1stSgt, own the welfare and discipline of the C2 formation.

• 01Group/wing C2 oversight, ACC career field interface, MAJCOM exercise representation, AFTTP contribution, complex personnel management, senior enlisted advisory

• —ACC directives, AFI 13-1 series, AFTTP 3-3, AFI 11-202V2 (applicable portions), MAJCOM C2 publications

• —Wing C2 specialists meeting readiness requirements; training program quality positive; MAJCOM exercise performance representing the wing favorably; personnel actions appropriate

• —Allowing C2 specialists to be scheduled primarily for routine air traffic management operations and not for the complex, high-density air operations scenarios that represent the actual wartime mission requirement — specialists who only manage peacetime traffic are not prepared for the operational capacity the wing would need in conflict.

An MSgt who advocates for annual high-density air operations exercises that test the section at its maximum capacity, who reviews the performance with the wing air battle manager, and who comes back with specific training investments that would improve performance at the capacity limit.

You are the most senior C2 battle management enlisted leader, shaping the career field and the Air Force's command and control capability at the command and institutional level.

Serve as the ACC C2 Battle Management career field functional manager or senior C2 enlisted advisor. Shape training standards, certification requirements, and career development for the 1C3X1 community. Advise four-star commanders on C2 readiness, specialist force quality, and the implications of C2 system modernization on operator training requirements. Contribute to emerging C2 doctrine for contested environments — how does battle management work when data links are degraded or jammed? Ensure the career field produces specialists capable of managing the full range of air operations complexity that near-peer conflict would require.

• 01Career field functional management, ACC/AOC senior advisory, contested environment C2 doctrine, system modernization training impact assessment, pipeline oversight, four-star advisory

• —ACC career field publications, AFTTP 3-3 (relevant volumes), DoD C2 doctrine, AF force development publications

• —Career field pipeline producing specialists ready for wartime C2 requirements; contested environment doctrine technically sound; four-star commanders have accurate C2 readiness assessments; system modernization training plans in place

• —Accepting C2 system modernization programs without demanding realistic training transition timelines — new C2 systems require operator familiarization and proficiency development, and programs that assume operators will be proficient on day one of fielding create operational gaps that commanders will discover during exercises rather than in contractor delivery schedules.

A CMSgt who is at the program review table for every C2 system modernization program, who specifies the minimum training investment required to field the system operationally rather than technically, and who has that requirement documented in the program before the fielding timeline is set.