Air Defense Control Officer 7210

The Aviation Command and Control OccFld includes the operation and management of the air command and control functions associated with the MAW. Qualifications required include manual dexterity for man-machine interface, highly developed visual/auditory skills, the ability to communicate effectively with radios, and the leadership and skills to work effectively as a member of a command and control team. The duties involve skills and procedures that are initially acquired through formal schools and further developed by individual and team training. Air Control, ATC, Air Support and AAW Marines will be required to learn the planning, emplacement, and operation of air command, control, traffic control, and AAW systems and equipment. A wide variety of FMF billets are available in the OccFld in the active and reserve forces at group, squadron/battalion, or battery level. Numerous Non-FMF assignments also exist at the Marine Corps Systems Command, Marine Corps Air Stations worldwide, in Joint Commands, liaison billets, and as instructors at MOS-producing schools.

What is a 7210?

Air Defense Control Officers work in the TAOC where they direct aircraft and surface to air missile assets for the interception of hostile aircraft and missiles. Air Defense Control Officers coordinate with intelligence resources to gather and share enemy targeting information to prosecute and direct deep air support missions. They are responsible for the identification and classification of aircraft. They are also responsible for providing navigational assistance of friendly aircraft and the dissemination of radar resources throughout the MAGTF and joint services.

Are there any prerequisites to becoming an Air Defense Control Officer?

1. Complete the Air Defense Control Officer Course at MCCES aboard MCAGCC Twentynine Palms, CA. Course length is 72 training days. The purpose of the course is to provide initial training to entry level and laterally moved officers in the operation of the TAOC and qualification as a 7210 Air Defense Control Officer. This course is designed to provide the student with comprehensive knowledge of the TAOC, to include the functional, operational, and doctrinal issues involving the employment of aviation command and control systems. Students will be taught how to utilize tactical data links, perform airspace surveillance and supervise the surveillance section as a Surveillance Director. Students will also perform airspace control as a member of the weapons section and learn how to conduct mission planning as a Weapons Director. Additionally, this course will provide the student with a thorough knowledge of integration within the MACS and the MACCS in support of the MAGTF.

2. Complete the AC2CC at MCCES aboard MCAGCC Twentynine Palms, CA. Course length is 24 training days. The purpose of the course is to provide a 1000 level aviation command and control knowledge base that will establish an entry-level training paradigm creating MACCS Officers who understand all facets of MACCS employment, not just that of their primary MOS. The AC2CC builds MOS proficiency and promotes standardization and cross training for the 7204, 7208, and 7210 officer accession pipelines (7220 via accession or skills progression) necessary to support current and future MACCS concepts of operations. Emphasis is placed on civil/military airspace, fires integration, digital interoperability, planning and employment of the MACCS agencies, and instruction in joint and coalition operations. Students will have the opportunity to conduct practical application exercises of lessons they have learned prior to their performance-based examination.

Common first assignments

A typical first tour assignment for an Air Defense Control Officer is within an O-5 (Lieutenant Colonel) command in a MACS detachment as part of the ACE of the MAGTF. There is one MACS subordinate to each active duty MACG as well as to 4th MAW as part of MARFORRES: MACS-1 aboard MCAS Miramar, CA (MACG-38); MACS-2 aboard MCAS Cherry Point (MACG-28); MACS-4 aboard MCAS Futenma, Okinawa, Japan (MACG-18); and MACS-24 in Virginia Beach, VA (MACG-48). Air Defense Control Officers in their first six-months of being assigned to a MACS are focused on obtaining the control of aircraft and missile qualifications. Following qualification,

Recommended reading for Air Defense Control Officers?

• Court-Martial at Parris Island: The Ribbon Creek Incident. John C. Stevens III

• Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety. Eric Schlosser

• Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crises. Robert F. Kennedy

• Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon. Kim Zetter

• The Twilight Warriors. Robert Gandt

Related occupations

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