Technology on the battlefield

Staff Sgt. Shane Stanke (right), and Senior Airman Adam Luebber (behind), both Joint Terminal Attack Controllers from the 9th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Hood, Texas, give Ms. Katy Hagan (left), a Professional Staff Member from the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, Washington, D.C., a demonstration of the JTAC system. Lt. Col. Dan Wolf, Secretary of the Air Force Appropriations Liaison looks on. The tools and trade of the JTAC are needed to address the chief international concerns that plague Operation Iraqi Freedom planners - incidents of fratricide and/or unwanted civilian casualties (collateral damage). Ms. Hagan, and Ms. Kate Fitzpatrick, also a staffer who attended the event, received an orientation flight in the 457th Fighter Squadron's F-16, located at the Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Texas, to gain a full understanding into how the Air Force Reserve Command spends its share of the budget in regards to equipment upgrades and combat capability. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Tech. Sgt. Julie Briden-Garcia)