Air Battle Manager
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Air Battle Manager is a rated flying position in the United States Air Force. Air Battle Managers (ABMs) are primarily responsible for command and control. Using either airborne or land-based radars, ABMs help combat aircraft find, identify, and destroy their targets by providing the pilots with a "big picture" that increases their situational awareness. ABMs can provide early warning for inbound enemy aircraft and direct friendly assets to intercept them. As their title implies, ABMs manage the battlespace. In addition to aiding the fight, they keep track of all the assets in the area of operations to ensure deconfliction and safety of flight for all friendly aircraft. However, ABMs do not -- and are not qualified to -- serve as air traffic controllers. ABMs are trained to control the fighting, not the traffic pattern. Additionally, ABMs plan, organize and task air combat operations. ABMs must be well versed in all combat aircraft and systems, as they may be assigned to work with any weapons system at any time. As a result, their expertise is often called upon in an advisory role by the Air Force's sister services or other allied military forces.
Air Battle Manager career paths typically place personnel on one of three platforms: AWACS, Joint STARS, or CRC (Control and Reporting Center). The first two involve flying positions on the E-3 Sentry or E-8 JSTARS, respectively. Both of these aircraft are highly modified Boeing 707 airframes equipped with long-range radars and other sensor systems. The E-3 supports air to air operations, while the E-8 supports the air to ground operations. The third platform is a ground based position. ABMs may also serve in various staff positions at higher echelons.
Since 1995, Air Battle Manager has been a rated career field. This means that ABMs receive flight pay and must acquire a certain number of flight hours every month to maintain their rating. As a result, all active duty ABMs are assigned to flying duties after completion of undergraduate training. ABMs serving in the Air Guard or Air Force Reserve are not required to fly and are typically assigned to a Ground Theater Air Control System (GTACS) unit. As a result, they do not receive flight pay or earn wings. Only ABMs who have completed follow-on training for the E-3 or E-8 are awarded wings to wear on their uniforms.
Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training (UABMT) for the active Air Force, Air Guard, and Air Force Reserve is conducted by the 325th Air Control Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. From there, active duty officers are sent for additional training at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma (for the E-3) or Robbins AFB, Georgia (for the E-8). A select few will be sent to Geilenkirchen AB, Germany to train on the NATO AWACS (E-3A.) ABMs do not receive their wings until this additional training is completed.
There are different positions an Air Battle Manager may occupy during his career. They begin as an Airborne Weapons Officer (AWO), responsible for the direct control of weapons systems in the fight. From there, ABMs may upgrade to several different positions, depending on the platform they are serving on. Two positions common to all platforms are the Senior Director (SD) who directs Weapons Section (consisting of Air Operations Technicians and Air Weapons Officers), and the Mission Crew Commander (MCC), a senior ABM who controls the entire operations team. ABMs in charge of the surveillance section are called Air Surveillance Officers (ASOs) on the E-3 or Sensor Management Officers (SMOs) on the E-8. ABMs may also serve as instructors.
