CCT or TACP Officer Question

Question

Are these just enlisted positions or can officers hold them. I know of the Air Liason Officer- but is that the same? Also, do CCt's and TACP's require as much underwater training as a PJ, or are just ground control.

Answer 1

Okay I will break it down for you:

A TACP (Tactical Air Control Party) consists of an Air Liaison Officer (ALO), Forward Air Controller (FAC) or Enlisted Terminal Attack Controller (ETAC) in different combinations or numbers, normally just two members. These individuals are the only authorized Air Force personnel permitted to routinely control CAS missions in support of US Army units or other ground maneuver units, allied or joint, when attached. The ALO and FAC are the officers and are normally pilots.

http://www.romad.com/main.htm

As for CCTs, yes there are CCT officers. STO or   Special Tactics Officer,  AFSC 13D3. They provides assault zone reconnaissance and assessments, terminal control, and personnel recovery (PR). Manages day-to-day operations of PR activities to coordinate PR system and organize, train and equip assigned per-sonnel to conduct rescue and recovery operations; manages space survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) programs; and surveys, establishes, and controls the aerospace surface interface in objective areas. Deploys as team member, team leader or mission commander as a direct combatant or to command and battle staffs to provide subject matter expertise to plan for and manage command and control for special reconnaissance, terminal control and PR operations.

They go through the following courses as a PJ and along with their enlisted counterparts:

3.3.1. 13D3X (courses common to both suffixes):

3.3.1.1. Combat Diver Qualification.

3.3.1.2. Airborne (Static Line Parachutist).

3.3.1.3. Military Free-fall Parachutist.

3.3.1.4. S-V80-A Combat Survival.

3.3.1.5. Underwater Egress.

http://www.specialtactics.com/cctofficer...

TACPs can, could and do go through some of the above courses especially if there are assigned to an Army Special Operations Unit.

Answer 2

ALO's are the officers who run TACPs-which are not considered Special Tactics, just so we're both on the same plan.  ALO's must be rated aircrew members, with experience in air/mud ops; though this doesn't always happen.  Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) is an enlisted-only AFSC.  There are officer positions for all Special Tactics jobs.  CC's may go to Scuba school, certainly TACPs do not.