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| Fire Support Coordination Center | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Fire Support Coordination Center |
| Country | Various |
| Branch | Army, Marine Corps, Air Force |
| Type | Coordination cell |
| Role | Fire support coordination |
| Garrison | Tactical headquarters |
Fire Support Coordination Center A Fire Support Coordination Center is a tactical node that synchronizes indirect fires, close air support, and reconnaissance across a battlespace during operations. Units establish a FSCC to integrate artillery, naval gunfire, rotary-wing and fixed-wing fires with maneuver elements from divisions, brigades, corps, and expeditionary forces. The FSCC operates alongside command posts such as division headquarters, brigade combat teams, and Marine Expeditionary Unit staffs to shape engagements in coordination with higher echelons like United States Central Command, NATO, and multinational coalition partners.
FSCCs serve as focal points for synchronizing fire assets including M777 howitzer, M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, AH-64 Apache, F/A-18 Hornet, and naval platforms such as Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The concept evolved from World War II fire control practices used by formations like Eighth Army and later refined during the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts such as the Gulf War and War in Afghanistan (2001–2021). Doctrine published by institutions like United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and Marine Corps Combat Development Command codifies FSCC functions to support operations by formations including I Corps and combined commands under United States European Command.
An FSCC is typically staffed by fire support officers, liaison officers, forward observers, targeteers, and joint terminal attack controllers drawn from formations such as Field Artillery Branch, Aviation Branch, and Naval Surface Fire Support. Key billets include personnel from schools like United States Army Fires Center of Excellence and courses such as the Joint Fires Observer course. Liaison officers often represent units like Royal Artillery, Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity, and partner militaries from NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force. Command relationships may involve staffs from Combined Joint Task Force headquarters and echelons like corps headquarters.
FSCCs deconflict fires, prioritize targets, and manage fire support requests between entities such as Forward Operating Base, Combat Aviation Brigade, and naval task groups like Carrier Strike Group. Responsibilities include coordinating close air support requests involving CAS procedures, approving artillery fire missions referenced against fire support coordination measures defined in AirLand Battle-informed doctrine, and integrating reconnaissance from platforms like MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk. FSCCs also liaise with civil-military organizations during stability operations with partners such as United Nations missions and NATO-led coalitions.
FSCCs employ targeting and command systems including Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System, Fire Control System, and battle management systems interoperable with networks like Link 16, Joint Tactical Information Distribution System, and Blue Force Tracker. Surveillance and targeting sensors include radar systems such as AN/TPQ-53 and electro-optical feeds from platforms like Boeing P-8 Poseidon or MQ-1 Predator derivatives. Communications equipment ranges from tactical radios produced by firms serving Defense Information Systems Agency contracts to satellite links compatible with Wideband Global SATCOM terminals and systems fielded by providers to units within United States Special Operations Command.
Doctrine governing FSCC operations appears in publications from Department of the Army, United States Marine Corps, and joint manuals developed by Joint Chiefs of Staff bodies. Procedures include target nomination workflows tied to systems like the Joint Fires Network, permissive and restrictive fire support coordination measures influenced by Rules of Engagement, and risk mitigation for collateral damage informed by guidance from Geneva Conventions-aligned legal advisors. Historical tactics derive from campaigns such as Operation Desert Storm and lessons learned studies from Operation Enduring Freedom.
Effective FSCC functioning depends on interoperability standards between forces such as British Army, Australian Defence Force, and partner formations within NATO Standardization Office. Joint operations require integration with air components like Air Combat Command and naval components such as U.S. Fleet Forces Command, coordinating through liaison detachments similar to those used in Combined Air Operations Center. Multinational exercises—e.g., Exercise Trident Juncture and RIMPAC—validate procedures and data exchange between systems like NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence networks and national fire support architectures.
Training for FSCC personnel is conducted at centers including Fort Sill, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and joint training events hosted by Joint Readiness Training Center and National Training Center. Evaluation comprises live-fire exercises, simulation-based assessments using systems like the Virtual Battlespace family, and after-action reviews following operations comparable to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Certification follows standards set by organizations such as United States Army Combined Arms Center and multinational evaluators from NATO Allied Command Transformation.
Category:Fire support