TYR Tactical

Forces Focus – USAF Special Tactics

Tags: ,

6 Responses to “Forces Focus – USAF Special Tactics”

  1. Bman says:

    Great dudes but I can not understand why it was so important to split the Army Air Corps and make it the Air Force. My grand fathers who served in both during the time say the same thing. I honestly think the AFSOC capabilities are too limited/mission specific and also redundant to all of the more well known SOF units. They currently do far more non-SOF operations or attach to other branch SOF units as if they are looking for work due to the limits in their mission sets. While AFSOC shouldn’t go away, the Air Force should still be part of the Army and AFSOC could be completely integrated into USASOC. Consolidating the branches would save millions in flag officer positions alone. Uniforms and training pipelines, recruiting and so on would save a lot more. Untold millions with less beauracracy.

  2. Brando says:

    Great retrospective, but I’ve got to say I was totally shocked to see my old jump school stick mate “Roster number 469 Boulanger!” now a CMSgt.

  3. Wil says:

    17 dead? Yeah heavily engaged. Combat Controllers have my respect but I witnessed a PJ nearly tear my senior in half with a Chinook. Absolute moron. All they do is sit in the FOB and play dress up. It takes 5 minutes to dress like a commando, it takes years to become one.

    • Bman says:

      This is commonly said. Their most visible operations are regular medevacs for conventional forces during conventional operations while usually not under fire. Then you see them doing JTAC work attached to both conventional units on conventional operations or attaching to other SOF units with most of it being SF units in FID work which is the least favorite of all the SOF units excluding SF and the MARSOC unit that specialize in it. The JTAC certification is something that operators and conventional troops can attain. The PJ medical course is the Army’s 18D program so they dont have a special capability that the other SOF units do not possess. SF, SEALs, Rangers, Delta all have a search and rescue capability. Sure they arent AS good at it as PJs but I am sure their other skills make up for it. They have superb tracking and recon skills that could probably give them an advantage. I dont know about the combat weather guys but that seems very limited and if a target was so important that usual technology wont allow for good forecasting at such an important spot then its probably too dangerous to send guys in just for the weather report. Nothing personal but I just dont think they justify the budgets for the equipment and training pipelines. Not hating on them, I would start on MARSOC and force recon redundancies and the like.

      • SSD says:

        AFSOC has Combat Controllers and Tactical Air Command and Control Specialists that serve as Terminal Attack Controllers. They also have PJs who serve as rescue specialists. Under only the rarest of circumstances do AFSOC’s PJs conduct Civil SAR.

        Although they both serve in Special Tactics, neither of these two types of personnel do one another’s jobs. They are highly skilled specialists.

  4. Glas says:

    Nice Eric, it was nice to see the history and evolution.