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Little known but much needed

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Peter Thompson
  • 33rd Fighter Wing
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  U.S. Army COL Samuel Saine, 4th Battlefield Coordination Detachment commander, visited the 33rd Fighter Wing while conducting a battlefield circulation analysis to engage with and evaluate Ground Liaison Officers at Eglin Air Force Base, Jan. 25-26, 2017.

The Ground Liaison Officers or GLO, embedded within the 33 FW are a little known yet vital asset to the growth of the F-35 Lightning II enterprise. They act as a conduit for communication between Air Force and Army personnel, and mutually beneficial training opportunities.

“Our GLOs are here to create interoperability between the Army and the Air Force, which allows us to understand how we can integrate capabilities with one another, as is the case here with the F-35,” Saine said. “We also help educate and train the Air Force as a whole so it can more effectively provide close air support (CAS) to ground forces.”

Because of the flying operations of the F-35’s multiple variants are distributed between the Air
Force, Navy and Marines, the Army’s role was minimal. As the program was aptly named, Joint Strike Fighter, the Army’s role is flourishing after the Air Force variant reached Initial Operations Capability (IOC).

“We are the F-35’s biggest customer,” said CPT Jesus Urrutia, 4 BCD Ground Liaison Officer. “The F-35 has so many upgrades that enable it to be a CAS platform while also providing additional situational awareness support to ground elements. It’s critical because this is the next generation of aircraft that will be providing our soldiers with CAS during any future conflicts.”

Since April 2016, the 33 FW and 4 BCD have generated training for more than 180 CAS sorties and 23 CAS events spanning multiple days.

According to Saine, increasing opportunities like these are vital to the growth of the aircraft’s CAS capabilities and the infantry personnel’s confidence in it.

“Every time they work with our GLO or a ground unit, they are educating those Army personnel on this
aircraft,” Saine said. “Every time these planes fly or execute a CAS mission it is raising the level of understanding for both the aircraft and paving the way for the future.”

The relationship between these two organizations allow for unique training opportunities that lay the foundation for future CAS operations.

“As more information permeates throughout the Army about the F-35, I believe there will be more excitement especially when you consider all the capabilities and new functions this aircraft has,” Urrutia said.

Before departing, Saine lauded the success of the relationship between the GLOs and the 33rd Operations Support Squadron it calls home.

“The level of integration that is already occurring between our GLO and the squadron allows them to provide the highest level of training for aircrew and ground forces that are employing these aircraft,” Saine continued. “The communication and success between our organizations here is impressive and truly a model for other locations to follow.”