Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer Domeij made the ultimate sacrifice on Oct. 22 2011 when he was killed on his 14th combat deployment. As one of the first Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) in the Ranger Regiment, he left a big mark on the unit and its future. That's why in late 2023, the Domeij Fires Center was dedicated in his memory to train future Ranger JTACs.
Domeij Fires Center is a 1,500-square-foot facility and cost the Army $2.2 million to build, the training center includes a joint operations center and individual training simulators to train Ranger JTACs. These simulators allow Rangers to practice talking to aircraft and guiding pilots on where to drop ordnance in support of ground troops, all in a controlled environment.
"The problem was that getting the actual training reps in relied too heavily on factors outside of the unit’s control,” explained retired Warrant Officer Gregory Funk in a press release. “Bad weather rolls in, training can’t happen. Aircraft malfunctions, training can’t happen."
The training simulators at Domeij Fires Center allow Rangers to get as many training iterations as possible in the simulator so that when they practice with real aircraft and real bombs they can get the most out of what is normally a limited training experience where individual JTACs may only be able to call in one or two airstrikes due to limitations on aircraft and weapons available.
"It’s designed for the next generation of fires Rangers and Soldiers,” Sgt. Jack Masterson said. “I think that it’s probably honestly going to revolutionize things, not only for forward observers, but also Army JTACs."