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Lackland Preferred Location For Air Force Special Ops School

Lackland Air Force Base
Eileen Pace
/
TPR News
Sign to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland where the investigation continues into MTI misconduct.

On Wednesday, Congressmen Joaquín Castro and Pete Gallego made the announcement that the Air Force hopes to move its Tactical Air Control Party and the Air Officer Liaison training school to San Antonio.

Collen McGee with the 37th Training Wing at Lackland said the base currently houses the prep school for the program, which is classroom training on the history and mission of the unit.

"Basically our TACP professionals are the ones that help battlefield commanders on the ground. Mostly they're assigned with the Army. But they help them employ air power with precision," McGee said.

TACP members deploy with special operations forces for terminal attack control and fire support expertise for all three Army Ranger battalions -- the 75th Ranger Regiment's Reconnaissance Company, U.S. Army Special Forces Operational Detachment A teams, U.S. Navy SEAL Team platoons -- and other special mission units.

McGee said the current school, located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. Better weather and size of the available facility are key reasons officials prefer Lackland over another location being considered in Mississippi.  EtMcGee said the next step in the process is an environmental impact study. A representative of Congressman Joaquin Castro's office says a decision is expected this fall.

Eileen Pace is a veteran radio and print journalist with a long history of investigative and feature reporting in San Antonio and Houston, earning more than 50 awards for investigative reporting, documentaries, long-form series, features, sports stories, outstanding anchoring and best use of sound.