Air Battle Manager

Air Battle Manager is a rated flying position in the United States Air Force. Air Battle Managers (ABMs) are primarily responsible for command and control. Using either airborne or land-based radars, ABMs help combat aircraft find, identify, and destroy their targets by providing the pilots with a "big picture" that increases their situational awareness. ABMs can provide early warning for inbound enemy aircraft and direct friendly assets to intercept them. As their title implies, ABMs manage the battlespace. In addition to aiding the fight, they keep track of all the assets in the area of operations to ensure deconfliction and safety of flight for all friendly aircraft. Although, ABMs do not -- and are not qualified to -- serve as air traffic controllers, their role in deconfliction and flight safety makes air traffic control the closest civilian analogue to ABMs role. ABMs are trained to control the fighting, not the traffic pattern. Additionally, ABMs plan, organize and task air combat operations. ABMs must be well versed in all combat aircraft and systems, as they may be assigned to work with any weapons system at any time. As a result, their expertise is often called upon in an advisory role by the Air Force's sister services or other allied military forces.
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