Air battle manager (ABM) is a rated officer career field in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

that provide

command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ...

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

employs human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization o ...

capability to airborne and ground units. The Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) for ABM is 13B.

Training

Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training (UABMT) for the active

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sig ...

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

, and

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is a 6-month course conducted by the

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Tyndall Air Force Base Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing (325 ...

. Following training, graduates will advance to the

E-3 AWACS The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System). Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weath ...

E-8 JSTARS The Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) is a United States Air Force airborne ground surveillance, battle management and command and control aircraft. It tracks ground vehicles and some aircraft, c ...

, Control and Reporting Center (CRC), or Battle Control Center (BCC).

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of Air Battle Managers differ depending on the platform to which they are assigned. On the

, their job is to provide tactical command and control and battle management to friendly aircraft in both air-to-air and air-to-ground engagements, as well as providing long-range surveillance of aircraft and radar emitters. JV ABMs assigned to the

provide battle management using radar surveillance of moving and stationary targets on the ground. ABMs assigned to the Control and Reporting Center (CRC) provide air-to-air surveillance and control for friendly aircraft. ABMs assigned to the four NORAD Battle Control Centers (BCCs) located in the United States provide homeland air defense. In addition, the Hawaii Air Defense Sector also provides homeland air defense of the United States. In addition, USAF ABMs assigned to BCCs serve in NORAD's Canadian Air Defense Sector (CADS) and PACAF's BCC located in South Korea.

References

{{Reflist United States Air Force specialisms