Fifty years of heritage (edition 23) Published Sept. 19, 2011 By Eric M. White 910 AW/PA YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio -- 910th TFG practices total force concept In the early 70s, the United States looked toward a total force concept to assure national defense. The concept, which originated in a policy from then Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird, emphasized consideration of all available U.S. military resources, both active and reserve, in strategically planning and executing the best options for national defense. Laird's concept emphasized the importance of reserve forces and encouraged cooperative training measures between branches of service. The following article, taken from the July 1977 edition of the 910 Flyer, highlights a mission of the 910th Tactical Fighter Group which emphasized the total force concept. 910 TFG Reservists Help Train Active Duty FAC's "Initial point Alpha." Click. Click. "Heading 180." Click. Click. "Time: 1 plus 20." Click. Click. "Left 45." Click. Click. "Ground elevation: 100 feet." Click. Click. "Tank's in the open." Click. Click. If you think that's CB talk, you're almost right. You might hear it over the radio if you were in a A-37 on a routine mission out of the Patrick AFB, Florida. One week out of every month the 910th TFG sends about four airplanes and six pilots to support the forward air controller (FAC) school there. The job of the FAC is to coordinate between the ground commanders and the fighters providing their air support. Members of the 910th TFG and its sister units from Grissom AFB, IN and Barkingsdale AFB, LA provide the fighters for the student FAC's to practice with. In the conversation above the FAC is directing the A-37 from a predetermined point "ALPHA" to the location of the practice target, in this case a tank. (The A-37 pilot clicks his microphone button to acknowledge each instruction.) The mission must be well planned and carefully executed. With a good FAC, a good A-37 pilot can zoom in under enemy radar and then pop up out of the weeds right on target just in time to drop his bombs and take off again. The commander of the 549 Tactical Air Support Training Group, Lt Col Walter Aukerlund, had nothing but praise for the A-37 pilots. "Those reservists come and go every weekend but on Monday morning we know we can depend on having qualified pilots and well maintained aircraft ready to work with our students," he commented. "We couldn't run our program without fighters and the support we've had from the 434th TAC Fighter Wing has been outstanding," he continued. "We've tried working with active duty units but they just can't help us on a regular basis and those big fighters are nowhere near as cost effective as the A-37's." He concluded, "This is what the 'Total Force Concept' is all about."