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A U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operator discusses the 24th Special Operations Wing’s precision strike and joint terminal attack controller capabilities with members of the Colombian Air Force during a joint call for fire demonstration Nov. 12, 2020 on Eglin Range, Fla. Members of the 24th SOW participated in a week-long visit, hosted by the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), to familiarize Colombian special operations members on U.S. Army and Air Force special operations air-ground integration programs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Alejandra Fontalvo)

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U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Jeremy Whiddon, an Air Force Special Tactics operator, guides members of the Colombian Air Force and Army through a tour of the 24th Special Operations Wing’s joint terminal attack controller simulators Nov. 9, 2020 at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Members of the 24th SOW participated in a week-long visit, hosted by the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), to familiarize Colombian special operations members on U.S. Army and Air Force special operations air-ground integration programs. (Courtesy photo by U.S. Army 7th Special Forces Group (A) Public Affairs)

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U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew Allen, commander of the 24th Special Operations Wing, left, receives a plaque of appreciation from Colombian Air Force Col. Ricardo Gutierrez, right, for the efforts of the wing in hosting members of the Colombian military for a subject matter expert exchange at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Nov. 9, 2020. Members of the 24th SOW participated in a week-long visit, hosted by the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), to familiarize Colombian special operations members on U.S. Army and Air Force special operations air-ground integration programs. (Courtesy photo by U.S. Army 7th Special Forces Group (A) Public Affairs)

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U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew Allen, 24th Special Operations Wing commander, briefs Colombian Air Force and Army members on the capabilities of Air Force Special Tactics during a tour of the 24th SOW’s Special Tactics Training Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. Members of the 24th SOW participated in a week-long visit, hosted by the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), to familiarize Colombian special operations members on U.S. Army and Air Force special operations air-ground integration programs. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Ridge Shan)

Air Force Special Tactics, 7th SFG(A) team up to enhance Colombian SOF precision strike capability

Published Dec. 17, 2020
By 1Lt Alejandra Fontalvo
24th Special Operations Wing

Hurlburt Field, Fla -- The 24th Special Operations Wing helped host and participate in a subject matter expert exchange for members of the Colombian Joint Special Operations Command Nov. 8-13, 2020, to enhance the partner’s air-ground integration and joint terminal attack controller program.

The week-long foreign partner visit was hosted by the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), which included presentations from joint terminal attack controller instructors at the 24th SOW, as well as members from the 137th Special Operations Wing and 492nd Special Operations Wing.

“The primary purpose of this visit was to show how the United States Air Force Special Operations community and Army Special Operations community work together to achieve results in the ground domain,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joe Reagan, Special Operations Liaison Officer to Colombia. “We’re trying to show them what right looks like and ideas on how to improve their training programs and doctrine to work towards that common end state.”

The Special Tactics Training Squadron at the 24th Special Operations Wing hosted the AFSOC portion of the visit. However, it wasn’t the first time the Special Tactics wing hosted the Colombian military.

“We’re trying to build a [joint terminal attack controller program] in a [Colombian] Air Force unit, so we needed to bring in U.S. Air Force units to help us out with that,” said Reagan. “24th SOW has been great this year, they helped host the delegation back in March at the strategic level hosting the Chief of Defense for Colombia with some other senior leaders and this was the tactical aspect of that.”

As the Colombian Joint Special Operations Command looks to develop their Air Force special operations component specifically, they received an in-depth look into AFSOC’s programs. Some of these tactical aspects of the visit included observing a close air support exercise with Special Tactics and Special Forces operators at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., a tour of the 24th SOW’s JTAC simulators, extensive planning sessions at STTS and concluded with a joint call-for-fire demonstration.

Throughout the events, U.S. Air Force and Army special operations leaders continued to emphasize the importance of working as a joint team and understanding each other’s capabilities to maximize effects and lethality on the battlefield.

“Sharing AFSOC’s JTAC training and certification program as well as our experiences integrating with the other services, helps our partners better understand the scope of what they’ll face as they bring their precision strike capability online,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew Allen, commander of the 24th SOW. “It’s been a pleasure pairing with our 7th SFG teammates to work with the Colombian military and we’re looking forward to continuing this partnership in the years to come.”

Air Force Special Tactics is Air Force Special Operations Command’s air-ground integration force specializing in global access, precision strike, personnel recovery and battlefield surgery.