# Day to Day life and activities of  TACP, CCT, and PJ Airmen when not at war?



## OpenSkies (Dec 15, 2016)

Battlefield Airmen, what do y'all do when you are not deployed and America is not at war? What do you do everyday while at your home station in the US?

Thanks in advance for your replies


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## CDG (Dec 15, 2016)

Drink coffee, PT, check e-mail, check ShadowSpear, drink some more coffee, yell at students, eat lunch, drink a Red Bull, yell at students, drink pre-workout, PT, go home.

What's the point behind asking this question?


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## OpenSkies (Dec 15, 2016)

CDG said:


> Drink coffee, PT, check e-mail, check ShadowSpear, drink some more coffee, yell at students, eat lunch, drink a Red Bull, yell at students, drink pre-workout, PT, go home.
> 
> What's the point behind asking this question?



The point behind the question is that there is a lot of information about what Battlefield are trained to do but not a lot about what they do on a day to day basis during peacetime. 

Just trying to find out more about the BA lifestyle and seeing if it is a lifestyle for me as I have the opportunity to attempt to become a TACP.


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## Teufel (Dec 15, 2016)

In my experience they do a lot of grooming, exercising and instagramming.


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## SpongeBob*24 (Dec 15, 2016)

1-PREPARE FOR THE NEXT WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2-Take out a small loan for Hair Products and Supplements.
5-Tan


Good luck.....


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## bigfoot44 (Dec 15, 2016)

CDG said:


> Drink coffee, PT, check e-mail, check ShadowSpear, drink some more coffee, yell at students, eat lunch, drink a Red Bull, yell at students, drink pre-workout, PT, go home.
> 
> What's the point behind asking this question?


You guys ever see fire supporters from other branches coming over? A lot of JFO's I work with including myself have been looking into switching branches from the marine corps over to the AF for TACP.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Dec 15, 2016)

They randomly walk around the base in their beret, scaring the shit out of the rest of the Airforce and watching Security Forces crumble in fear from shaking knees, while attempting to maintain their bullshit Airforce Infantry storyline. 

At least that's what it looks like to me everytime I'm on base picking up my weekly supply of booze from the class six.

I mean really, you should see how the Airforce reacts to someone in a beret, covering their mouths as they whisper like little school girls, pointing it out to their buddies. It's quite homosexual.


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## CDG (Dec 15, 2016)

bigfoot44 said:


> You guys ever see fire supporters from other branches coming over? A lot of JFO's I work with including myself have been looking into switching branches from the marine corps over to the AF for TACP.



Yeah.  I have seen plenty of 11Bs and a handful of FSOs come over.  A couple Rangers, a couple Recon Marines, even a couple CCTs who traded scarlet for black.


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## Jay_Pew (Dec 15, 2016)

CDG said:


> Yeah.  I have seen plenty of 11Bs and a handful of FSOs come over.  A couple Rangers, a couple Recon Marines, even a couple CCTs who traded scarlet for black.


Why would an individual want to go from CCT to TACP?


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## bigfoot44 (Dec 15, 2016)

CDG said:


> Yeah.  I have seen plenty of 11Bs and a handful of FSOs come over.  A couple Rangers, a couple Recon Marines, even a couple CCTs who traded scarlet for black.


That's awesome do guys with pre-existing certs like JFO or JTAC complete the same TACP pipeline as new airmen when transferring branches or is the process different?


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## TLDR20 (Dec 15, 2016)

Jay_Pew said:


> Why would an individual want to go from CCT to TACP?



I second this question.


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## Gunz (Dec 16, 2016)

bigfoot44 said:


> You guys ever see fire supporters from other branches coming over? A lot of JFO's I work with including myself have been looking into switching branches from the *marine corps *over to the AF for TACP.



Hey Marine, please uppercase the M and the C. Out of respect to our fallen. Thank you much.


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## KH (Dec 16, 2016)

I cross-trained out of TACP several years ago, but it seems some things are still similar.  Certainly someone with more recent experience can provide better info, but I have some free time so maybe I can give at least a little insight. 

A typical day would usually start with PT (physical training), either individual, flight or squadron.  It varied in intensity and structure based on ASOS (air support operations squadron).   Mondays were equipment check/maintenance days (radios, generators, etc.).  Most other days were a combination of currency training, preparing for exercises/deployments, or performing additional duties.  Some days were very slow while others were packed.  Generally, the work schedule was something like 7-3 or 8-4.  If night training was scheduled, you might work something like 5 pm - 1 am.  Night training was usually CAS, shooting, or insertion training.  Exercise schedules could be all over the place.  And there were TDYs (temporary duty) periodically.  These usually lasted about a week and were mostly for CAS training.


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## CDG (Dec 16, 2016)

Jay_Pew said:


> Why would an individual want to go from CCT to TACP?



Not all CCTs get JTAC qualed, and some that do, do not get to keep it current.  Our primary mission is JTACery.  I only know of a couple cases, but it was guys that were going to be on survey teams, and they just wanted to JTAC.



bigfoot44 said:


> That's awesome do guys with pre-existing certs like JFO or JTAC complete the same TACP pipeline as new airmen when transferring branches or is the process different?



They complete the same pipeline. No one else trains TACPs start to finish like we do.


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## xGenoSiide (Dec 16, 2016)

TLDR20 said:


> I second this question.



Of the guys I was stationed with, many wanted to continue doing JTAC work.  With the 'slowing' of Afghanistan, they could see a shift beginning away from JTAC duties and more toward airfield seizure, and they didn't like doing airfield seizure.


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## CDG (Dec 16, 2016)

xGenoSiide said:


> Of the guys I was stationed with, many wanted to continue doing JTAC work.  With the 'slowing' of Afghanistan, they could see a shift beginning away from JTAC duties and more toward airfield seizure, and they didn't like doing airfield seizure.



Of all the CCTs I have talked to, not one joined to do the doctrinal CCT mission of remote/austere airfield survey and seizure.  OEF/OIF was so JTAC heavy, that the CCT community created way more JTACs than they ever had before.  It was almost all they did.  The young guys coming in these days, and over the last decade, have all gone in believing CCT is synonymous with JTAC.


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## bigfoot44 (Dec 16, 2016)

CDG said:


> Not all CCTs get JTAC qualed, and some that do, do not get to keep it current.  Our primary mission is JTACery.  I only know of a couple cases, but it was guys that were going to be on survey teams, and they just wanted to JTAC.
> 
> 
> 
> They complete the same pipeline. No one else trains TACPs start to finish like we do.


Sounds good. I really appreciate you letting me pick your brain on that one.


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## DA SWO (Dec 16, 2016)

CDG said:


> Of all the CCTs I have talked to, not one joined to do the doctrinal CCT mission of remote/austere airfield survey and seizure.  OEF/OIF was so JTAC heavy, that the CCT community created way more JTACs than they ever had before.  It was almost all they did.  The young guys coming in these days, and over the last decade, have all gone in believing CCT is synonymous with JTAC.


Yeah, LOL.

Guys are discovering that the second C in CCT is for Air Traffic Control.


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## TLDR20 (Dec 17, 2016)

I think the doctrinal CCT mission is fucking sick. If I were to become a CCT it would be to do that mission.


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## Johca (Dec 17, 2016)

CDG said:


> the doctrinal CCT mission of remote/austere airfield survey and seizure.


The doctrinal connection to seizure of airfield or any other piece of real estate did not exist until post 1980 and survey prior to 1980 focused on establishing and maintain current training drop zone surveys.  Although it can be strongly argued the second C in CCT is for Air Traffic Control connecting this purpose to only remote/austere airfields is erroneous as it ignores the larger sustaining of continuous air landing or air drop of troops and materiel necessary for projected operations.  In this larger operational capability purpose CCT exists to provide the direct ground communications link to aircraft, primarily cargo and troop carrier, flying overhead and or landing, taxing, and taking off.

Although "The young guys coming in these days, and over the last decade, have all gone in believing CCT is synonymous with JTAC" may be correct, the asserting "Our [TACP] primary mission is JTACery" isn't necessarily accurate either as although completion of Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) Qualification Course is a 5-level requirement the AFSC still has strong connections to performing duties in an ASOC.  Further  although the Air Force has an enlisted military occupation (AFSC) named Tactical Air Party, the capability Tactical Air Control Party (existing since WWII) exists primarily to provide the ground communications nets to the ASOC to get aircraft overhead  army ground maneuver units and be the direct communications link to combat, primarily fighter, aircraft flying overhead.

Point being both AFSCs have significant reliance on bringing with them the radio communications equipment to be this communications link.  Regardless differences on why the BA occupations exist have no relevance to the original question of what do BA do when not deployed and during periods there is no involvement in combat operations.  However if the day-to-day duties during times there is no armed conflict has importance one can state Close Air Support requires a use of force need (declared and authorized combat operations) whereas continuous air landing or airdrop of troops and materiel can exist in a full range of military operations to include situations of getting humanitarian aid into an area which has happened and will continue to happen frequently.


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## xGenoSiide (Dec 17, 2016)

CDG said:


> Of all the CCTs I have talked to, not one joined to do the doctrinal CCT mission of remote/austere airfield survey and seizure.  OEF/OIF was so JTAC heavy, that the CCT community created way more JTACs than they ever had before.  It was almost all they did.  The young guys coming in these days, and over the last decade, have all gone in believing CCT is synonymous with JTAC.



I know a couple that traded black for red, but there were at least a handful that openly stated they wished they had gone TACP instead.  I get it, they like dropping bombs on bad guys and working with SOF, not to mention the pot of money in an STS is likely bigger than the pot for an ASOS.  I can't blame them for not wanting to be a bike chaser, only to have the bike no start, resulting in their running the length of a runway, but all jobs, despite how cool they are, will have undesirable duties associated with it.


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## TLDR20 (Dec 18, 2016)

Johca said:


> The doctrinal connection to seizure of airfield or any other piece of real estate did not exist until post 1980 and survey prior to 1980 focused on establishing and maintain current training drop zone surveys.  Although it can be strongly argued the second C in CCT is for Air Traffic Control connecting this purpose to only remote/austere airfields is erroneous as it ignores the larger sustaining of continuous air landing or air drop of troops and materiel necessary for projected operations.  In this larger operational capability purpose CCT exists to provide the direct ground communications link to aircraft, primarily cargo and troop carrier, flying overhead and or landing, taxing, and taking off.
> 
> Although "The young guys coming in these days, and over the last decade, have all gone in believing CCT is synonymous with JTAC" may be correct, the asserting "Our [TACP] primary mission is JTACery" isn't necessarily accurate either as although completion of Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) Qualification Course is a 5-level requirement the AFSC still has strong connections to performing duties in an ASOC.  Further  although the Air Force has an enlisted military occupation (AFSC) named Tactical Air Party, the capability Tactical Air Control Party (existing since WWII) exists primarily to provide the ground communications nets to the ASOC to get aircraft overhead  army ground maneuver units and be the direct communications link to combat, primarily fighter, aircraft flying overhead.
> 
> Point being both AFSCs have significant reliance on bringing with them the radio communications equipment to be this communications link.  Regardless differences on why the BA occupations exist have no relevance to the original question of what do BA do when not deployed and during periods there is no involvement in combat operations.  However if the day-to-day duties during times there is no armed conflict has importance one can state Close Air Support requires a use of force need (declared and authorized combat operations) whereas continuous air landing or airdrop of troops and materiel can exist in a full range of military operations to include situations of getting humanitarian aid into an area which has happened and will continue to happen frequently.




Doctrine man


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## Towelthief (Jan 7, 2017)

Good info for those looking into CCT/TACP. I have heard the same points from a SOWT friend who just completed his STTS. He is convinced that SOF TACP is the greatest job in the AF.


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## amlove21 (Jan 8, 2017)

Towelthief said:


> Good info for those looking into CCT/TACP. I have heard the same points from a SOWT friend who just completed his STTS. He is convinced that SOF TACP is the greatest job in the AF.


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## Forgotthebatteries (Jan 21, 2017)

When I went CCT, I actually did it because of the doctrinal mission. Field air traffic control and the rest seemed legit as fuck, so I went for it.

Day to day can really vary depending on what training is scheduled or what leadership wants us to do. It can range from nothing to doing "special PT" (Zumba?) with leadership and looking like dipshits.

Most importantly though, we have to make sure we perfectely preparing our berets to show the lesser air force how badass we are.


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## CDG (Jan 22, 2017)

Forgotthebatteries said:


> Most importantly though, we have to make sure we perfectely preparing our berets to show the lesser air force how badass we are.



FTW.  Also, we have to master the "walk with a strut and don't give anyone the satisfaction of eye contact" move.


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## Etype (Jan 22, 2017)

No one has mentioned ping pong. 

Our Air Force attachments have always been pretty good at ping pong. Initially, I thought it was a coincidence, but no- it's definitely an Air Force thing.


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## xGenoSiide (Jan 22, 2017)

Forgotthebatteries said:


> It can range from nothing to doing "special PT" (Zumba?) with leadership and looking like dipshits.



So Steve is still there, then?


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## Forgotthebatteries (Jan 22, 2017)

xGenoSiide said:


> So Steve is still there, then?


It was Beck that did it this time.


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## DA SWO (Jan 23, 2017)

Etype said:


> No one has mentioned ping pong.
> 
> Our Air Force attachments have always been pretty good at ping pong. Initially, I thought it was a coincidence, but no- it's definitely an Air Force thing.


We learn ping-pong because GO1 forbids beer pong.


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## Ball N' Chain (Feb 14, 2017)

Etype said:


> No one has mentioned ping pong.
> 
> Our Air Force attachments have always been pretty good at ping pong. Initially, I thought it was a coincidence, but no- it's definitely an Air Force thing.



Just enlisted and I suck a ping pong  Guess that is the least of my worries at this point. Haha.


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