Air Support Operations Operator

You are learning to be the human link between jets and grunts — the junior Marine in the DASC or ANGLICO team who is absorbing everything about close air support coordination before you're trusted to do it yourself. You are in school mode even when you're in the field.

Learn the radio procedures, brevity codes, and nine-line format that are the vocabulary of close air support. Stand communications watch at the Direct Air Support Center under supervision. Assist senior operators in managing the air tasking order, tracking aircraft on station, and routing air support requests from ground units. Practice 9-line MEDEVAC and CAS request formats until they are automatic. Begin memorizing aircraft capabilities, ordnance types, and terminal attack geometry for the aircraft types your unit works with. PT to stay field-ready — ANGLICO and DASC Marines work in ground combat elements and must meet the physical standard of the units they support.

• 01Nine-line CAS request format, MEDEVAC format, radio brevity codes, aircraft recognition (fixed-wing and rotary), DASC communications architecture, air tasking order basics, land navigation

• —MCWP 3-25 (Aviation Ground Support), MCRP 3-25A (DASC Operations), ATP 3-09.32 (JFIRE — Multi-Service Brevity Codes), unit TACSOP for close air support procedures

• —Memorize 9-line CAS request format without reference card; pass unit communications check as watch-stander; land navigation proficiency meeting ground unit standard; zero unauthorized transmissions on CAS net

• —Rushing a 9-line because the tempo is high — a single wrong coordinate is a blue-on-blue. Not knowing the aircraft on station's weapons load before requesting specific ordnance. Transmitting on the wrong net during a simulated CAS mission because you're flustered.

The junior JTAC candidate who has memorized every aircraft they're likely to work with, can brief the aircrew on target, threats, and attack geometry in under two minutes, and never needs to reference the card for a 9-line. They ask questions after the mission, not during. That Marine is going to earn their JTAC cert early.

You are a qualified 7242 beginning to execute air support coordination missions with increasing independence. You are tracking toward JTAC certification — the credential that defines the top of this MOS.

Execute close air support coordination under qualified JTAC supervision, building toward your own JTAC certification. Manage the DASC common operational air picture during scheduled watch periods. Process air support requests from ground units, coordinate with the airspace coordination cell, and route aircraft to fire support team coordinators. Maintain aircraft control checklists for platforms you work. Participate in range exercises to build live CAS reps under controlled conditions. Assist in planning CAS integration for unit exercises. Learn the AFATDS and relevant C2 systems used at the DASC and fire support coordination element level.

• 01CAS coordination under JTAC supervision, DASC watch-stander duties, AFATDS basics, air support request processing, airspace deconfliction coordination, range evolution participation, CAS integration planning support

• —MCWP 3-25, ATP 3-09.32, JTAC certification standards per Joint Publication 3-09.3, unit CAS TACSOP, applicable aircraft community CAS publications

• —All watch periods executed without supervised intervention for routine tasks; air support requests processed accurately and on time; no coordination errors that result in airspace conflicts; JTAC prerequisites tracked and on schedule

• —Over-relying on scripted range scenarios and freezing when a real CAS request comes in out of sequence. Treating JTAC cert as a paperwork goal instead of a capability goal — the cert matters, but the skill set that earns it matters more.

A Corporal who is building their JTAC reps aggressively, logs every evolution, gets post-mission feedback from the JTAC who supervised, and has a clear timeline to certification. They are not waiting for the chain to push them toward the cert — they are pulling.

You are a JTAC-certified or JTAC-tracking Sergeant who is the section's senior technical practitioner. You own the CAS coordination mission for your element and are developing the next generation of qualified controllers.

Execute close air support as a certified or training JTAC. Lead the fire support team or DASC watch during operations, coordinating CAS, naval surface fire support, and field artillery integration in the combined arms fight. Mentor junior 7242s and develop their JTAC prerequisites. Plan CAS integration for exercises and real-world operations — build the air support request packages, coordinate with the fire support coordination element, and ensure ground units understand available CAS capability and how to request it. Brief and debrief aircrews. Maintain JTAC currency through live reps and simulation training.

• 01JTAC certification and currency maintenance, CAS mission execution, combined arms fire support integration, aircrew brief and debrief, junior operator mentorship, CAS planning for exercises and operations, DASC section leadership

• —JP 3-09.3 (Close Air Support), MCWP 3-25, ATP 3-09.32, JTAC currency standards, applicable ROE and SPINS for AOR, unit TACSOP

• —JTAC certification current; live CAS reps completed at required frequency to maintain proficiency; zero CAS coordination errors that create fratricide risk; subordinate 7242s progressing toward JTAC prerequisites; CAS plans integrated into unit OPORDs accurately

• —Letting JTAC currency lapse because the unit's training calendar got busy — currency requires reps, and reps require deliberate scheduling. Not debriefing aircrews after training evolutions. Treating CAS planning as a staff function rather than a technical requirement you personally own.

A Sgt who has more logged CAS reps than required, who briefs the ground commander on CAS capability before every operation, and whose junior operators know exactly what their JTAC prerequisites are and how close they are to completing them. When live CAS is executed, nothing surprises them — because they planned it three days ago.

You are the senior JTAC and technical authority for your fire support team or ANGLICO element. You are responsible for the section's operational capability, the quality of CAS executed in the unit's name, and the development of qualified controllers who will replace you.

Lead an ANGLICO team or DASC section as the senior JTAC. Plan and execute CAS integration across the unit's full operational cycle — from OPORD development through execution and AAR. Advise the infantry or ground combat element commander on CAS capability, employment, and risk. Coordinate with supporting aircraft communities (F/A-18, Harrier, AH-1Z, fixed-wing) on integration requirements for specific operations. Manage JTAC certification records, currency tracking, and training opportunities for all assigned 7242s. Represent the fire support team in the fires and effects working group. Coordinate with joint fires elements when operating in a joint environment.

• 01Senior JTAC leadership, ANGLICO team or DASC section command, CAS operational planning, joint fires coordination, commander advisory role, certification and currency management for subordinates, joint fires integration

• —JP 3-09.3, MCWP 3-25, JTAC certification standards, joint air operations publications, unit TACSOP, ANGLICO employment concept

• —Section maintains all JTAC certifications current; CAS planning products meet OPORD standards; joint fires integration coordinated and deconflicted before execution; commander understands CAS capability and limitations; all training reps documented

• —Under-representing CAS capability limitations to commanders who want "more fires" — setting expectations that the section cannot meet is worse than saying "we need more sorties." Allowing certification gaps to develop because the pace seemed too high to pause for training.

The SSgt who has his entire section's currency on a wall chart that he reviews weekly, who brief the commander realistically on what CAS can and cannot do for the specific terrain and threat environment, and who has mentored at least one Sgt to JTAC certification in the last year.

You are the technical backbone of the fire support community within your regiment or MEF element, and the senior NCO who ensures CAS capability is integrated correctly at every level of the ground force.

Serve as the senior JTAC advisor for a regiment, ANGLICO company, or MEF G3 fires section. Oversee CAS integration planning for major exercises and operations. Advise the regimental or MEF commander on joint fires capability, CAS employment, and coordination requirements with the Marine Aircraft Wing and joint air assets. Manage the unit's JTAC certification program — tracking all certifications across the formation, scheduling range time, and maintaining the training infrastructure. Interface with the MAW and joint air operations center on integration requirements. Contribute to SEAD planning, airspace coordination, and joint fires synchronization at the exercise design level.

• 01Regimental/MEF-level CAS integration, JTAC program management, joint air operations interface, fires synchronization, major exercise design and execution, senior advisory to commanders, airspace and SEAD coordination

• —JP 3-09.3, MCWP 3-25, JP 3-03 (Joint Interdiction), JFIRE, MEF fires and effects publications

• —All unit JTACs certified and current; CAS integration in major OPORDs technically correct; commander's fires brief accurate and honest; joint coordination complete before execution; training reps programmed and resourced

• —Failing to educate commanders who conflate "CAS available" with "CAS cleared to execute" — the difference between aircraft on station and effective weapons employment requires the JTAC to bridge the gap. Underresourcing JTAC currency training because range time costs money.

A GySgt who can walk into the MEF fires synchronization meeting, brief the air picture and JTAC capability across the formation accurately, and immediately identify which units have currency gaps or integration shortfalls. Every JTAC in the formation knows who this GySgt is, because they've either trained under them or been evaluated by them.

You are the senior enlisted voice for close air support and joint fires capability in the Marine Corps, shaping how the force trains, certifies, and employs the most consequential fires coordination capability in the MAGTF.

Serve as the senior JTAC advisor at MEF, MARFORCOM, or HQMC level. Shape JTAC certification standards, training pipeline design, and joint fires policy for the Marine Corps. Represent Marine Corps JTAC interests in joint forums — SOCOM, joint fires centers, interoperability working groups. Advise commanding generals on fires integration, capability gaps, and modernization requirements for the joint fires community. Ensure the JTAC pipeline produces Marines who are operationally ready for the full spectrum of conflict. As 1stSgt or SgtMaj, lead the full enlisted formation through the human side of a technically demanding and operationally critical community.

• 01Force-level JTAC program management, joint fires policy development, commanding general advisory, pipeline design and curriculum oversight, joint interoperability advocacy, senior enlisted formation leadership

• —JP 3-09.3, CJCSM on JTAC standards, Marine Corps fires doctrine, SOCOM and joint fires community integration publications

• —JTAC pipeline produces combat-ready controllers; joint fires policy reflects current operational environment; commanding generals receive honest fires capability assessments; the 7242 community has a viable talent pipeline and career pathway

• —Allowing the JTAC program to become a check-the-box certification mill rather than a genuine fires competency program. Failing to fight for range time and live reps in budget and training planning cycles, then wondering why controllers hesitate in execution.

The SgtMaj who knows the JTAC certification number for every Marine in the formation and can tell you which three have the most reps in the last 12 months — and who has been personally in the fires coordination cell during at least one major exercise in the last two years, not just in the command post. Currency is not just administrative.