In a Call for Fire (CFF), what is the primary purpose of coordinating with fire support and air control assets?

• A. To ensure aircraft have positive control
• B. To ensure accurate targeting while minimizing risk to friendly forces
• C. To maximize weapon effects regardless of collateral damage
• D. To validate target suitability

Answer: (B)

In a Call for Fire, coordinating with fire support and air control assets is about delivering accurate fires while keeping friendly forces safe. By coordinating, you tap the best information and capabilities available—target verification, weapon choice and fuzing, and timing—so the fire lands on the intended target and not on you or your teammates. The air control assets provide deconfliction and positive control for aircraft, help confirm target location, and ensure aircraft release permissions align with safety constraints and the ground plan. This coordination minimizes the risk to friendly forces through proper sequencing, exclusion zones, and awareness of where blue forces are located, while still achieving the desired effect on the target. While positive control, targeting validation, and maximizing effects are all pieces of the broader process, the core purpose of this coordination is to ensure the target is hit accurately and safely, with the least risk to forces on the ground.