Gents,
Is the AAW coordinator a routine bridge or CIC watch on surface combattants like DDGs and should the officer who's standing this watch went through some aviation training? There is nothing similar in Russian Navy as our analogue for such job is not operational and rather administrative - the ship's Gunnery-Missile Dept Head (Dept-2 in our parlance), a LtCdr on destroyer and Cdr on cruiser or carrier, should reign this realm with his subordinate people. This officer can be either cruise missiles or anti-air missiles specialist, and I found that it is difficult to possess the proper SA for the former, especially if he is in charge of the fighter direction role along with the targeting of ship's own AA missiles. One of the most experienced fellows told me that it shouldn't be a job of surface warfare officer to be a FDO, thus it's better to have a career fighter pilot aboard just to fill this role. But it seems that in USN SWO community the officer standing this watch, say on DDG, can cope with all escorted CVN airwing's airplanes in the air and it seems to be extremely demanding job for non-aviator, isn't it?