New joint simulator keeps Guardsmen battlefield-ready

A ribbon cutting ceremony and demonstration at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, Sept. 2, 2015, highlights the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 148th Air Support Operations Squadron’s new Air National Guard Advanced Joint Terminal Attack Controller Training Simulator Building. The simulator helps Airmen develop the solid fundamentals necessary to become tomorrow’s Battlefield Airmen and keep their present Joint Terminal Attack Controllers current in their air control requirements. The simulator is also a joint readiness tool for their Army National Guard counterparts. Together, they will now be able to conduct more realistic Joint fires Observer training; allowing qualified enlisted and junior officers to conduct Calls for Fire in a complex battlespace. They can also train joint forces in MedEvac 9-lines and emergency close air support which will aid in the capability development for their aligned Army units. This simulator is truly a force multiplier for both the Pennsylvania Army and Air National Guard. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Culeen Shaffer/Released)