ABM graduation Published May 13, 2011 By Staff Sgt. Kirsten Wicker 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Nine Team Tyndall Airmen graduated from Undergraduate Air Battle Manager training program in a ceremony May 18. Lt. Col. Edward Boxx, director of the Air Component Coordination Element, Joint-Interagency Task Force South, Naval Air Station Key West, Fla. was the guest speaker at the event. The students completed a rigorous nine-month course of instruction preparing them for duty aboard the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and the E-8 Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (J-STAR) aircraft. Upon graduation, students also receive their wings. Air battle managers' primary responsibilities include providing command and control in the battlespace and ensuring combat aircraft find, identify and destroy their targets. They do this by providing the pilots with a tactical picture which increases combat capability and situational awareness. Air battle managers also provide early warning for inbound enemy aircraft and direct friendly assets to intercept them. The 325th Air Control Squadron is one of four squadrons assigned to the 325th Operations Group, 325th Fighter Wing. The squadron's primary responsibility includes training all U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve officers in command and control mission execution as air battle managers in a variety of weapons systems in support of air expeditionary forces worldwide. The ABM graduates were: 2 Lt. Sajjad Abdullateef 2 Lt. Derek S. Betz 2 Lt. Joshua D. Bynum 2 Lt. Estevan M. Herrera 2 Lt. Naomi M. Hume 2 Lt. Nicolas Kuczera 2 Lt. Emanuel T. Martin 2 Lt. Benjamin A. Norman Capt. Kyle J. Strang