SemperJJ, are you an exchange pilot or do Brits call ours by their designation?
They kinda do their own thing and don't show up to joint exercises that often, that I've seen.
When I was in Kuwait during my FAC tour, a couple of Apache pilots from the 1st AirCav wandered over and asked us if we were interested in doing some CAS/SIMCAS with them. Our initial response? Nope. After we starting shooting the shit a bit more, it came out that the guy that was approaching me was their head training dude - and had been pushing for the Army to learn/teach the joint doctrine in addition to their own. He and a couple of his pilots had even convinced their Battalion Commander to send them through the MAWTS-1 FAC(A) syllabus which they did in Yuma.
After all this came to light we agreed to it - and let me tell you, they were solid dudes. My only regret is that we didn't get a chance to throw a cold one back during the debrief. This guy (a CWO4) was trying to change Army doctrine grass roots style. A PAO guy was with him every time he came over to brief/debrief/plan and also came out with him and us to the hill. If you're interested - here's the article about it.
Going along with this, there is a current and working plan to eventually put all Army Aviators (at least on the active side) through the JSOW course. The plan as it was explained to me was to start throwing it into the initial Flight School pipeline for the WOJG/JOs and add it into something like the advanced/captains career course for the guys already out there.
Maybe I mixed my anagrams up. Its not the JFO or the JTAC course, but something new.
It's acronyms....could be JTAC, but FAC (A) would make more sense.
Interesting, because the whole point behind this guy's push was to abide by the JCAS pub. Would this course certify them as FAC(A)'s, then have an "out" because of maintaining currency? And finding fixed wing is easy. Just call up the Air Force (good example - if at Bragg, call Pope or Seymour Johnson, the A-10 and F-15E guys LOVE to play)...No they specifically said it wouldnt be a JTAC or FAC(A) course because of the problem with maintaining currency (hard to find a fixed wing or AC-130 at an Army post).
Interesting, because the whole point behind this guy's push was to abide by the JCAS pub. Would this course certify them as FAC(A)'s, then have an "out" because of maintaining currency? And finding fixed wing is easy. Just call up the Air Force (good example - if at Bragg, call Pope or Seymour Johnson, the A-10 and F-15E guys LOVE to play)...
Interesting, because the whole point behind this guy's push was to abide by the JCAS pub. Would this course certify them as FAC(A)'s, then have an "out" because of maintaining currency? And finding fixed wing is easy. Just call up the Air Force (good example - if at Bragg, call Pope or Seymour Johnson, the A-10 and F-15E guys LOVE to play)...