US Army soldiers working with Air Force joint terminal attack controllers often sing their praises in enabling close air support, usually within 10 minutes, reports SSgt. Carlos Diaz. Army Specialist Jason Zwettler said, “If the situation calls for it, they can drop those bombs and eliminate the enemy with amazing quickness.” One such JTAC, SSgt. Justin Pilant, on his third deployment to Southwest Asia, states simply that his job is to communicate with the aircraft and the ground forces—“we connect the two worlds.” Pilant and his young cohort—tactical air control party specialist A1C Josh Scott—credit their extensive and continuous training for their battlefield successes.
House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget
July 11, 2025
Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.