JTACs Join Red Flag-Alaska

Air Force joint terminal attack controllers worked with more than 500 Army soldiers to find and destroy targets during Red Flag-Alaska 16-2. The JTACs called in air support from A-10s, F16s, and F/A-18s flying overhead during live-fire scenarios between June 8-10 at the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, according to a 354th Fighter Wing release. SSgt. Jacob Rinker, a JTAC with the 13th Air Special Operations Squadron at Fort Carson, Colo., said the training, involving air-to-air and air-to-ground integration, “ties into exactly how we would operate against [ISIS],” according to the release. He said lessons learned would be passed on to deploying forces. About 100 aircraft took part in Red Flag-Alaska 16-1 at JB Elmendorf-Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base in May.