NATO FORMAL ASSESSMENT VISIT FOR NATIONAL JTAC PROGRAM CERTIFICATION

NATO certification of entire National JTAC Program renewed for another 3 years, from initial and advanced training at the Italian Joint Air Operations School to continuous training at operational units.

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The three-year renewal of the NATO certification for the National JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) Training and Continuous Education Program was validated this year by a specialized team from the Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) in Ramstein (Germany). This followed a Formal Assessment Visit (FAV) that began on Monday, June 16, at the Italian Joint Air Operations School (Ita-JAOS) in Guidonia.

The FAV followed a precise validation program involving the Joint Effects and Targeting (JET) Division of the Joint Operations Command (COVI), which is the overall responsible body for the National JTAC Program. It also included the Ita-JAOS, responsible for the qualification course pipeline, and the San Marco Marine Brigade, which organized the practical exercise activities on this occasion and proposed the accreditation of its simulator.

Initial Phase of the Visit

In the first phase of the visit, the Team, welcomed by the Commander of the Ita-JAOS, Brigadier General Francesco Donato RIZZO, illustrated its modus operandi for certifying compliance with NATO doctrinal standards. They analyzed statistics, directives, and operational concepts related to the host Country's capability development. This was followed by documentary analysis and specific briefings presented by Colonel Giorgio SABATO, Head of the JET Division of COVI, who serves as the JTAC National Program Manager (NPM).

Subsequently, processes related to initial and advanced JTAC training were analyzed, with an in-depth review of the standard operating procedures for JTAC selection and training, as well as the course curricula designed and developed by the JTAC Courses Section of the Ita-JAOS. In this context, the Commander of the Ita-JAOS also acts as the National Certification Authority for issuing JTAC qualifications. The Team was also able to observe some lessons from the JTAC-Instructor course, which was ongoing at the Ita-JAOS and entirely conducted in English, as are all courses in the JTAC pipeline.

Of particular importance to the Team was the compliance with NATO quality standards of the processes implemented by the STANEVAL (Standardization and Evaluation) Section of the Ita-JAOS. This unit is in technical liaison with the JTAC NPM, and its activity aims to promote and verify the implementation of NATO directives among the Italian Armed Forces, continuously supervising the standardization of JTAC training, as well as the processes for maintaining the currency of qualified operators and instructors.

The Ita-JAOS passed the evaluation with flying colors, receiving recognition for various best practices. This confirms a series of positive evaluations in this specific sector, which began with its first accreditation in 2013.

Simulator Accreditation and Deployable Capability

The accreditation of the Ita-JAOS’ Virtual Battlespace Simulator (VBS), which has been accredited since 2016, was also confirmed. This simulator is a fundamental tool in all JTAC training processes, offering significant returns not only in terms of training but also economically. As a new development, the "deployable" capability of the simulator was certified, meaning it can be redeployed to further facilitate the training of JTAC students when, for example, the course conducts its advanced practical phases at ranges or other national training areas.

Operational Training Phase

The second phase of the visit, focused on the operational training of qualified JTACs and the capabilities of instructors, took place at the San Marco Marine Brigade in Brindisi, commanded by Rear Admiral Massimiliano GRAZIOSO. This occurred during the Close Air Support (CAS) Week at the Massafra training area, near Taranto, a periodic exercise aimed at maintaining JTAC qualifications.

During the training activity, the FAV Team reviewed specialized materials and observed a complex joint exercise involving ground attack missions by Italian Navy F-35 and AV8-B assets, also employed in Digital CAS missions, demonstrating national capabilities in this sector. Part of this activity took place in the presence of Fleet Admiral Aurelio De Carolis, Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Squadron (CINCNAV).

The CAS instructional activity under evaluation was conducted using an EF-2000 from the Italian Air Force's 36th Wing in Gioia del Colle. The mission execution at the Massafra area was followed by a thorough debriefing among pilots, instructors, and JTACs in training, held at the 12th Fighter Group of the 36th Wing. There, with the aid of specific IT tools, every phase of the CAS mission was analyzed, with the active participation of Team members.

Final Assessment and Certification

After the exercise activities concluded, operations continued the following day, June 19, at the Carlotto Barracks in Brindisi. Here, the Team validated and certified the San Marco Marine Brigade's new Mission Combat Simulator (MCS). This recently acquired immersive simulation system is the first in Italy, and among the few within NATO, to be certified for all types of control executable in a virtual environment by JTACs in training.

The Formal Assessment Visit concluded with a detailed out brief from the inspection Team to the relevant Commanders and the JTAC NPM. The Team confirmed full and complete adherence to NATO requirements for the entire national JTAC program, for which a certification renewal for the next three years will be proposed. In summary, this certification recognizes the full interoperability of Italian JTAC operators within NATO and compliance with shared Alliance standards, thus affirming their full capability to operate in exercises and real-world operations with CAS assets from NATO countries.

Further Information

The Italian Scuola di Aerocooperazione, known abroad as Italian Joint Air Operation School (Ita-JAOS), is a reference joint training center and the only training/educational facility within the Italian Ministry of Defence accredited by NATO as an Alliance National Education and Training Facility (N-ETF). It provides excellent instruction that is continuously evolving and keeping pace with technological innovations in relevant operational contexts and domains, ensuring it constantly adheres to the training needs of national Armed Forces and allied and friendly Countries.

Some courses offered by the Ita-JAOS are NATO "Approved" and included in the ETOC (Education and Training Opportunities Catalogue), which lists certified courses offered by ACT (Allied Command for Transformation), the Supreme NATO Command based in Norfolk, Virginia (USA), responsible for NATO's military training, doctrine, and transformation.

Specifically in the field of JTAC training, the Ita-JAOS provides the know-how, expertise, and skills that an operator must acquire to obtain the qualification, a path exclusively conducted at joint level. The JTAC is the cornerstone in Close Air Support (CAS) missions, complex activities that require a high level of integration between air-tactical assets and the final controller operating on the ground.

The Commander of the School is the "National Certification Authority" for JTAC training and qualification. Great attention is paid to the selection and training process for JTAC instructor personnel to ensure a high level of training and effectively and professionally transfer acquired knowledge to new operators or supervise temporarily unqualified personnel. The Ita-JAOS also provides training for JTAC evaluators destined to conduct evaluation and standardization activities at National operational Units. Given the full and complete correspondence to the operational and qualitative standards required by NATO, operators qualified by the Ita-JAOS are also authorized to operate in joint and combined operations with air-tactical assets of various Alliance nationalities.

CAS weeks are joint training events where the Italian Armed Forces periodically test the capabilities, efficiency, and effectiveness of JTAC operators and their training level.

In the field of air-to-surface integration, the School has expanded its training offerings in recent years with the entire "Joint Terminal Attack Controller" (JTAC), "Joint Personnel Recovery" (JPR), and "Joint Targeting" (JT) pipelines.

In the field of "Remote Sensing," Ita-JAOS conducts training courses for the management, interpretation, and operational analysis of remote sensing images from electro-optical and RADAR sensors, airborne and satellite-based. In this context, it maintains relationships and collaborations with scientific, academic, and industrial entities for the development and application of technological innovations in the remote sensing area and in the instruction provided.

A recently implemented third training sector focuses on Space as an operational domain within the Multi-Domain Operations (MDO), offering "Introduction to Space Activities" (IAS) and "Space Battle Management Operator/Staff Officer" courses, designed and developed in collaboration with the Space Operations Command of the Italian Defense General Staff.

The courses of the Ita-JAOS are open not only to military personnel of the Italian Armed Forces but also to personnel outside the Defense Administration and to military personnel from NATO and Countries participating in the international Partnership for Peace (PfP) program, subject to authorization from the Italian Defense General Staff.

This framework aligns with the Commander's Vision to make the Italian Joint Air Operations School relevant in training to operate, promoting knowledge, skills and enablement, for the benefit of the Country system.

The Mission of the Italian Joint Air Operations School is to design and deliver, in a multi-domain perspective, advanced and specialized training in the fields of Air-to-Surface Integration, Remote Sensing and Space, in support to National, NATO and partner Countries personnel.