USMC OFFICER

Air Traffic Control Officer 7220

Air Traffic Control Officer 7220

Photo by Sgt. Ashley Phillips

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MOS
Officer

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 7220?

The ATC Officer serve as watch commanders or detachment commanders at an expeditionary ATC detachment. They act as Facility Watch Officers or officers-in- charge at garrison ATC facilities. They may serve as Command Airspace Liaison Officers. They coordinate and direct activities related to ATC and airspace management as Staff Officers at squadrons, Marine Air Control Groups (MACG), MAW, and other Senior Marine, joint, or coalition units.

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

  1. Must be eligible for a secret security clearance.

  2. Must meet the physical requirements per the MANMED 15-69 (9) and the FAA

  3. Aviation Medical Examiner’s Guide.

  4. Complete the Air Traffic Control Course at the NATTC aboard NAS Pensacola, FL. Course length is 103 days. The purpose of the course is to provide selected Navy enlisted and Marine Corps aviation enlisted and officer personnel with the basic tower and radar control knowledge to meet the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for certification and the technical knowledge which, when followed by the appropriate practical application and experience, will lead to the fulfillment of the technical requirements at the apprentice entry level for the air traffic controller. This course covers the fundamentals and systems of air traffic control and provides the basic simulated operational application experiences that are prerequisite to functioning as an apprentice air traffic controller in a base operations, control tower and/or terminal radar environment. The course of instruction sequentially covers/provides for: FAA Certification study material and administration of the FAA Airman Written Test (Control Tower Operator); Control Tower Operations; Terminal Radar Procedures; and Base Operations.

  5. 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 ATC 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). Upon assignment, to a MACS detachment, ATC Officers are typically sent to an ATC Facility to serve as a Crew Officer of 20-30 Marines while obtaining their FAA qualifications in the tower and RADAR room. Qualified ATC Officers then report back to the MACS detachment to gain experience employing the personnel and equipment within a Marine Air Traffic Control Mobile Team (MMT), likely serving as the Operations Officer responsible for detailed planning and coordination of training exercises and combat operations.

Recommended reading for Air Traffic Control Officers?

  • Collision Course: Ronald Reagan, the Air Traffic Control and the Strike that Changed America. Joseph A. McCartin

  • Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea. Barbara Demick

  • Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States. Trita Parsi

  • Fatal Words: Communication Clashes and Aircraft Crashes. Steven Cushing

  • Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t. Simon Sinek

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