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422nd JTS achieves publishing milestone

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Zachary Wilson
  • U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center
JOINT BASE McGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  The 422nd Joint Tactics Squadron met one of the unit's most significant milestones to date after Maj. Gen. Bill Bender, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center commander, signed a publication intended to serve as a "playbook" for Airmen operating in a variety of expeditionary combat support roles across the world.

The Air Force's newest tactics, techniques, and procedures publication, AFTTP publication 3-4.1 Expeditionary Combat Support Planning, became an official document Jan. 27, after being signed at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

"When executed, this publication will provide Airmen with a 'cross-functional' playbook to better prepare, assess, and analyze mission requirements for Expeditionary Combat Support," said Lt. Col. Scott Robinson, 422nd JTS commander. "It also helps to define each ECS function based on organization, capability, and employment in a deployed environment while providing a comprehensive view into ECS functional capabilities."

Expeditionary Combat Support is a doctrinal concept, falling under Agile Combat Support. Most Airmen not serving as aircrew members provide ECS capabilities, both deployed and at home station. The specific ECS functions defined in this AFTTP include airfield operations, chaplain corps, civil engineering, communications, contracting, financial management/comptroller, force support, health services, historian, intelligence, judge advocate, logistics readiness, maintenance and munitions, office of special investigations, public affairs, security forces, war readiness materiel, and contingency response forces, according to 422nd JTS officials.

"By better defining these critical functions in relation to expeditionary environments, Airmen now have a planning tool to use when creating, posturing, bedding down, protecting, servicing, maintaining, and sustaining forces," said Bob McWhorter, a 422nd JTS facilitator. "If there are seven master sergeants representing different career fields on a plane to 'Base X' to perform a specific mission together, this document gives them some guidance on not only what each function is supposed to do, but also how each function comes together to complete the mission. TTPs do not replace (Air Force Instructions); they provide a real-world guide of what has worked in past operations, and suggest ways for readers to accomplish future operations."

TTP documents bring together three major aspects to performing tactical operations. First, TTP documents present tactics, the employment and ordered arrangement of forces in relation to each other. Understanding tactics ensure Airmen understand their part in the overall mission and guide them during planning to understand where forces fit during the mission. Second, TTP documents present techniques, the non-prescriptive ways or methods used to perform missions, functions, or tasks. Understanding techniques allow Airmen to understand the different ways to accomplish the mission. Finally, TTP documents present procedures, the detailed steps needed to perform specific tasks. Understanding procedures assist Airmen to perform tasks when the sequence of events or steps is important for mission accomplishment.

The TTP creation process for the ECS Planning publication began when the squadron hosted a writing conference, bringing together more than 53 subject-matter experts representing 23 Air Force specialties to collaborate. The team, led by Lt. Col. Christine Rilovick from Headquarters Air Force developed the first of many tactical doctrinal references aimed specifically for use by ECS Airmen.

After each writing conference, the process of coordinating and validating AFTTPs is the responsibility of the 422 JTS. By having a production and coordination team available at the 422 JTS, the Air Force gets the maximum benefit from subject matter experts while leaving the coordination and validation process in the hands of 422 JTS. The coordination and validation process used by the 422 JTS ensures MAJCOMs, FOAs and HAF agencies get the opportunity to review the AFTTP prior to publishing. To date, the 422 JTS conducted six AFTTP writing conferences for various Air Force functions.

Using the model proven successful by the U.S. Air Force Air Warfare Center's 561 JTS to support air and space AFTTP development, the 422 JTS put processes in place to provide the same level of support to the Airmen on the ground. Acting as the single focal point for capturing ECS lessons learned, the 422 JTS worked with the Air Force's LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education to add a new AFTTP numbering series for ECS AFTTPs. The new 3-4 series will serve as the identifier for ECS specific AFTTPs in the same manner the 3-1 and 3-3 series does for air and space AFTTPs.

AFTTP 3-4.1 ECS Planning is available for download on the newly created expeditionary combat support TTP Repository at https://eim.amc.af.mil/org/afec/TTP/default.aspx. This repository is the new primary dissemination point supporting 163,000 Airmen, providing a common global environment for sharing TTP information and knowledge with ECS forces. The repository includes a master AFTTP library consolidating all currently available AFTTPs. The repository also provides access to other relevant documentation stratified by doctrine, TTP documents, after action reports, and lessons learned reports.