Joint Fires and Effects Integration Center: Fort Sill initiatives for the joint force

FA Journal, July-August, 2004 by John L. Haithcock, Jr.

Within the Department of Defense (DoD), there's a lot of discussion about joint operations and the need to achieve joint interdependence. This interdependence is a purposeful reliance on other service capabilities to maximize complementary and reinforcing effects for the joint force and minimize relative vulnerabilities to accomplish the joint force commander's (JFC's) mission. Simply put, combat operations require all services work together to achieve the desired effects.

Currently, joint fires training is available in three places: the Joint Firepower Course at the Air-Ground Operations School (AGOS), Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; the Joint Air Tasking Order Processes Course (JATOPC) and Joint Senior Aerospace Staff Officers' Course (JSSC) at the Army Joint Support Team, Hurlburt Field, Florida; and the Joint Targeting Staff Course/Joint Targeting Application Course at Joint Forces Command (JFCOM). Dam Neck, Virginia. Army personnel going to battlefield coordination detachments (BCDs), G3/S3 or G3/S3 air shops, and fires and effects coordination cells (FECCs) or deep operations coordination cells (DOCCs), or who will serve as airspace managers, etc., can attend JATOPC.

The Army's, War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, has developed a Combined Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC) Course, and the Combined Arms Command (CAC) at Fort Leavenworth. Kansas, is working on a Joint Fires Course. But fire supporters need a course to teach them how to integrate joint fires and effects.

So, what is the FA School doing to prepare fire supporters to accomplish these tasks? Fort Sill is working to become the Army's Joint Fires and Effects Integration Center. It will provide training in the integration of all joint lethal and nonlethal effects, to include FA, close air support (CAS), naval gunfire, information operation (IO), electronic warfare (EW), etc. This will include not only joint training for battle commanders and staffs, but also in the capabilities of the various joint platforms and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) to integrate them into air-ground operations.

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Fire Supporters always have integrated and synchronized fires at the tactical level. Now Fort Sill will train them in the skills they need to integrate and synchronize effects in a joint environment.

This article outlines several joint projects that the Joint Fires and Effects Integration Center is working.

The Joint and Combined Integration Directorate (JACI). This new directorate in the FA School oversees and coordinates joint activities, working joint doctrine, TTP and training to integrate joint fires and effects. The organization (see the figure) consists of key individuals from all the services and branches to develop joint training, review joint doctrine and provide the instructor base for the joint training on Fort Sill. A new Strategic Communications Office is being established under JACI that will ensure vital information is shared throughout the joint community.

Air Force Detachment at Fort Sill. JACI is working with the Air Force to assign an Air Warfare Center (AWFC) Detachment at Fort Sill, beginning this summer, to coordinate for live CAS and provide CAS training.

Live CAS at Fort Sill. This past spring, Fort Sill reinstated live CAS as training for the FA Officer's Basic Course (OBC) and FA Captain's Career Course (CCC). Live CAS training now is routine for OBC and CCC and will expand into all aspects of institutional training.

Recently, the 212th FA Brigade conducted a major joint CAS (JCAS) exercise at Fort Sill in conjunction with the XVIII Airborne Corps where they employed cannons, rockets and CAS simultaneously, the latter including Navy, Marine and Air Force aircraft. The centrally located geography of Fort Sill and its ranges provide an excellent, convenient location for multi-service aircraft to conduct live CAS training.

Falcon Joint Precision Engagement Range on Fort Sill. JACI is working to integrate Army and Air Force training at the Air Force's 13,000-acre Falcon Joint Precision Engagement Range on Fort Sill (part of Quanah Range). The Air Force developed the range for its aircraft to drop live ordnance. Integrated Army and Air Force training on the range would allow for a full-spectrum of target types and engagement options.

IO and EW. Working with the IO proponent at CAC, JACI is developing an additional skill identifier (ASI)-producing course for tactical-level IO. The purpose is to train individuals going to IO positions at brigade or below without having to re-designate their functional areas to IO Functional Area 30. The Fort Sill IO pilot course is projected to begin in January 2005.

Additionally, IO will be part, of other courses at Fort Sill.

EW is a core IO element. Its three components are electronic warfare support (ES), electronic attack (EA) and electronic protect (EP). CAC is the overall proponent for EW and is considering courses of action (COAs) to realign the EW components. Under a proposed COA, Fort Sill would be the specified proponent for electronic attack (EA) and would incorporate it into instruction at the FA School.